WE-Makingis a suite of resources that explores the relationship between place-based arts practices and social cohesion as a means to advance health equity and community wellbeing. This We-Making story is one example of how place-based arts and cultural strategies uniquely contributed to social cohesion and wellbeing in this community. Throughout this story you’ll see terms paired with actions in parentheses (e.g., social capital, collective action, place attachment, civic engagement, self-determination of shared values). This is to denote for the reader how the WE-Making framework was specifically incorporated.Explore the WE-Making framework andresources.
Image credit: African American Policy Forum
We Too Are Artis a project developed by a same-titled group of intersectional youth participant researchers (aged 17-22 years) with support from the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) under its Young Scholars Program.Our project is founded on the idea that we, as Black girls and Black women, are art and encourages Black girls to embrace their quirks and imperfections. The project broadens the horizons of what is conventionally deemed as art to include what Black girls touch, consume and create (sense of belonging). This includes everything from nail art, baking, anime, creative writing, and journaling to more traditional visual art mediums.
We Too Are Arthas five project goals:
1. To create art
2. To engage participants in conversations surrounding art (social capital- bonding)
3. To empower participants in the freedom of creation
4. To broaden participants’ understanding of artistry (celebration of culture)
5. To use art as an expression of self-love and self-worth (equitable community wellbeing- mental health)
Allen et al. (2021) conducted a survey among members of the leadership institute of an organization known as A Long Walk Home, all of whom were Black. Among this group, aged between 12-17 years and 18-26 years, 55% of the respondents reported an increased time spent on art-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. This evidence demonstrates the importance of art as a creative outlet during the pandemic. As a virtual space of creative art-making ‘by Black girls for Black girls’, We Too Are Art can convene online to bridge this gap and the unmet need for such spaces that we identified in our pilot research (civic engagement- willingness to participate).
During the summer, We Too Are Art recruited 17 girls aged 12-16 years to participate in the pilot workshop. As part of the pilot, we administered
feedback surveys to gauge the impact of the workshop. The pre assessment survey answered by all 17 respondents before our online workshop, found that only 35.3% of the girls saw themselves as artists. More than a quarter (29.4%) of the respondents also reported that they did not have an art class at their schools due to budget cuts and other reasons. Finally, when asked if they learned about Black women artists in their curriculum, the majority of girls (64.7%) responded that they had not. There was a marked positive shift in the girls’ perception of themselves as artists following their participation in the workshop. The post-assessment survey revealed that respondents felt inspired by the Black women artists they learned about (celebration and preservation of culture). With theWE-Makinggrant, we will be able to expand our reach and host more workshops.
