Making art with a social purpose - Mir Centre for Peace
By Contributor
Many of us question the paradigm and necessity of war, even as we
remember and honour the soldiers who have fought and died in battle. We
often feel helpless in shifting this top down method of resolving
conflict towards a peaceful process.
Nelson resident Janis Timm-Bottos, art therapist and adjunct instructor
for GonzagaUniversity, will be speaking at the Mir Centre for Peace as
the host of the Mir Centre for Peace Lecture “Participatory Practices
of Liberation Arts”. Her talk will reflect on how collaborative
community art making with social purpose (liberation arts) can provide a
level healing space for building resilient citizens and fostering just
and peaceful places. In this kind of work, people are encouraged to
dream up their own ideas of how to live convivially on the planet and
develop and present their own views through non-juried visual art
exhibits.
“Art making is a human behaviour that fosters self care and
awareness,” explained Janis. “It increases our understanding and
empathy for others, and expands our own, and our collective, capacities
for experiencing a heart at peace.”
In her personal and professional practice of developing community
methods, Janis holds social justice and mental health together,
collaboratively creating places that support human needs while
respecting the needs of the planet. Janis is the founder of two
successful public homeplaces, ArtStreet and OFFCenter Community Arts
Project, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her newest collaboration, Kitchen
Table Arts, is currently evolving with a fabric reclamation project
initiated by the women at the WIN Thrift Store in Nelson.
Janis Timm-Bottos will be speaking at SelkirkCollege’s Mir Centre
for Peace at the Castlegar Campus on Thursday, November 12, 2009, from
7:00-9:00 pm as part of the Mir Centre for Peace Lecture Series. The
suggested donation for admission is $10.
SelkirkCollege is currently campaigning to raise $200,000 to sustain
the Mir Centre for Peace Lecture Series. Funds raised will go directly
into the Mir Centre Speaker Series Endowment and the annual return on
the endowment investment will help support the Lecture Series for years
to come. For more information on the Series and the campaign, visit
selkirk.ca/mir/campaign/.
