Collective Feeling

Collective Feeling is a participatory art project which brings together community members to recall positive memories and make art in safe, healing, and creative environments. The goals of this project are to provide participants relief from daily stresses through positive thinking and art making, to build community through shared creativity, and to represent the resilience of our community during these challenging times. This project invites members of the Sacramento community to contribute to a series of collective paintings which will become records of the creativity, strength, and positivity of Sacramentans. In order to reach audiences who do not usually engage with the arts, at least two out of the four Collective Feeling sessions will be held at venues located in areas without traditional art institutions. 

When a participant arrives at a Collective Feeling session, they will be asked to recall and reflect on a positive memory through a series of prompts. After reflecting on their memory, either on their own, with a partner, or with a project facilitator, they will choose paint colors and will be provided a designated amount of time to contribute to a collective painting. While keeping the memory in mind, they will be encouraged to make shapes or images on the canvas and to take up as much space as they’d like. 

At the end of the session, the canvas will have become a representation of collective positive memories of a group of people at a specific day and location. This project will conclude with an exhibit of the paintings created during these four sessions.

1. Confirm two project venues located in areas which are underserved in the arts.
2. Schedule one date for each venue. 
3. Hire artist facilitators. 
4. Meet with artist facilitators and venue contacts to review the project and determine any special accommodations for the populations to be served. 
5. Purchase supplies.
6. Conduct Collective Feeling project sessions at each site. Document each session. 
7. Conclude the project with an exhibition of the artworks created at the four sessions plus documentation from the sessions.

According to the World Health Organization, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression. Closer to home, I have witnessed this increase in mental health challenges in myself and in my Sacramento community. One of the explanations the World Health Organization provides for this increase is the unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic. Collective Feeling aims to bring folks together and illustrate the positive impact of feeling and creating together regardless of our differences.

Throughout the past few years of the pandemic, I have integrated art making into my wellness routine as a tool to manage my own symptoms of depression and anxiety. After experiencing the healing effects of art making for myself, I was driven to create a community art project to share these benefits with others. Through discussions with therapists and art therapists, I have learned that positive thinking, art making, and spending time within a community increases mental health and wellness. In order to bring these benefits to the Sacramento community, Collective Feeling includes all of these three elements. 

I conducted a pilot Collective Feeling session at Sunrider Studios in February of 2022. In written surveys post participation, participants reported feeling: playful, fun, free, joyful, calm, happy, and connected to their community.