Unity
Local Collective Launches Art Exhibit Celebrating UnITy in Coffee House Gallery
START Creates and J2X Gallery launch the UnITy Art Show at Jack Jack’s Coffee House.
The UnITy Show reveals eight paintings prepared by a crew of 24 collaborative artists. All uniquely skilled, these craftspeople trusted one another and brought us eight exceptional artworks. Building on START Create’s It Projects, the Unity show is the latest prompt that supports people’s creativity and showcases the talent and expression of humanity and wellness. This is the first time we can see a show like this where the multi-media collaborative paintings represent trust and solidarity. Expect the gallery reception at 6 pm on March 4th, 2023 to be a powerful revelation of how we can be unified even in separate spaces. Join Artists, families, and friends to celebrate the imagination and effort within each painting.
“In any given challenging moment we have a choice. We can step forward into growth, or we can step back into safety.”
24 artists were asked to participate in a project titled “Unity.” Here is how it worked:
There were 8 canvases in total. Each canvas was collaborated on by 3 artists randomly assigned to be in a group.
Artist #1 began working on the canvas in early October, had approximately 1 month to add their creation to the canvas, and then passed it to artist #2 in their group.
Artist #2 then applied their own artistic process to the same canvas and had approximately 1 more month to complete this and pass it off to artist #3.
Artist #3 then had the final artistic contribution to the canvas that already featured art from artist #1 and artist #2.
The groups were encouraged to communicate in the planning of this project. The only rule was that no one would be permitted to show any evidence or documentation of progress to each other or on social media until the opening reception on March 4th.
Behind the Scenes: Unity & Communication
In anticipation of the upcoming reception, I spoke with several of the artists that participated.
I asked all of them, “what kind of communication or ‘permission’ was verbalized throughout your process as you handed off the canvas to the next person?”
One group that had agreed to communicate with each other stated they did not discuss what would be put on the canvas, but verbally gave each other the freedom to alter what was already on the canvas and take full ownership over its artistic choices moving forward.
Other groups stated they knew this permission was implied, however, participants reported a significantly higher level of anxiety. I received responses such as:
“ I wanted to try and respect the first two artists and at the same time respect myself.”
“I don’t want anyone to be offended if I paint over what the previous artist created.”
“It isn’t just my piece, and it’s difficult to mold and adjust to.”
“I didn’t want to take up too much space before the next artist got the canvas.”
This suggests that an important element of Unity is communication. Even though permission to pursue artistic freedom might have been assumed or implied, when it was not directly stated among members of each group it seemed to have increased anxiety levels among the individual artists.
Think about every time you say “I love you” to someone you care about. What if after you each said it to one another once, you never repeated it? They already know it now, right? No need to say it again? You each may eventually grow to doubt or question if you both are on the same page in regard to your feelings for each other.
We reaffirm our emotions and thoughts when we name them. When we label emotions, we acknowledge their presence. When we label uncomfortable emotions, we confront them and can therefore start to do the work to better understand them. The same applies when we feel irritated and frustrated about a situation and keep it to ourselves. This then gets expressed in different ways. Perhaps you may have shorter patience when interacting with others or feel your emotions are heightened throughout the day. Resentment will start to brew over time. Sometimes, without even having a solution, simply acknowledging an emotional shift and naming the emotion experienced can be cathartic and the first step to alleviating the stress caused by them.
Embracing Emotion
While the nature of this project, titled “Unity”, may evoke an innate sense of cohesion, collaboration, and harmony, it is inevitable in any group to experience some level of uncertainty, tension, or even conflict. By the end of the project cycle, many of the groups chose not to plan out what would happen to the canvas or share details regarding their ideas. Each individual group and artist handled this process in varying ways, as each participant artist brings with them their own individual experiences, emotions, opinions, and associations.
When asked, “what words would you use to describe the emotions when you received your canvas while working on it?” The responses featured words such as:
Frustrated, angry, anxious, intimidated, vulnerable, scared, self-doubt, pressured, and confused.
In each of the 8 finished canvases at the show, there is an element of some of these challenging emotions intertwined with some of the “positive” emotions as well (excited, inspired, elevated, trusting). The whole spectrum of emotions and how they were experienced is a foundational element in what each piece evokes not just in the artist but in the viewer.
A fellow coworker and friend, Marianne Franzese, provided a spiritual perspective on uniting, explaining that embracing our full range of emotions ultimately informs the resulting art expression in the most human form.
The Law of Three
Cynthia Bourgeault's book “The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three” describes a law regarding how different elements work to create change and ongoing evolution. The principles are:
In every new arising, there are three forces involved: affirming, denying, and reconciling.
The interweaving of the three produces a fourth in a new dimension.
Affirming, denying, and reconciling are not fixed points or permanent essence attributes, but can and do shift and must be discerned situationally. . . .
Solutions to impasses or sticking points generally come by learning how to spot and mediate the third force, which is present in every situation but generally hidden. . .
If we consider the “affirming” element of this law to mirror our “positive” feelings/experiences (confidence, trust, creativity, inspiration), and if we consider the “denying” element to mirror the emotions that feel uncomfortable (frustration, pressure, anxiety, self-doubt), then the third element “reconciliation” would equate to Unity. This driving force joins all of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the 8 canvases you’ll see at Jack Jack's Coffee shop or through a virtual experience.
So, for those who participated in the show:
Thank you for stepping forward and growing through this process. If at any time throughout your process you felt any of the following: pressure, frustration, anger, anxiety, intimidation, vulnerability, fear, self-doubt, or confusion, the way you responded to that emotion likely informs the outcome of your canvas more than you may realize. How did you respond to that emotion in the project? How do you respond to that emotion in other areas of your life?
March 4th will celebrate the opening reception of the Unity show at Jack Jacks Coffee House in Babylon and will be shared virtually as well. For anyone who plans to see the show in person or for those who will experience the virtual show, I hope it inspires you to embrace the parts of yourself that may sometimes feel undesirable or unwelcome. Unity is not necessarily cohesion or uniformity of all parts that make up a whole. Unity is the joining of all its elements- whether they be messy, weird, quirky, unique, or stand out. Unity can be experienced most fully with acceptance.