BlackLight doin what we do at the University of Michigan...
Last Friday BlackLight participated in the Arts & Health session at University of Michigan’s Arts & Minds Conference. The other participants in our session included performance artist, Devora Luemark; professor of English and community artist, Petra Kuppers; playwright and performance artist, Neil Marcus and studio artist, Anne Mondro. When we were asked to join this group of scholars and artists in exposing the relationship between art and health, we had to think about what our arts practice means as a healing and transformative space for us, and for those we reach out to in our local and global communities.
There are the obvious, immediate health benefits that we feel on a physical level after we have danced together or used our writing to work through a difficult, seemingly unresolvable problem – the lightness and fluidity of our limbs and the new headspace opened up when we release our thoughts on paper. But, what does art have to do with health beyond this? And why do we instinctively believe that the work we do on both the individual and the social level is moving towards a universal well being?
Well, let’s use Detroit as an example. To put it bluntly, times are tough for a lot of folks. You don’t have to turn on the news or read the paper to understand this. You can see it in peoples' faces and hear it in their voices. This is the strain of struggle and the wearing down of resolve in the face of ever present obstacles. We see fourteen-year-old girls that look forty, we see young boys afraid to be young boys but scared to death of what might happen if they don’t appear to be men, we see mothers tired…just tired, and men who never stop working. We witness the toll that urban living takes on others, but it affects all of us. If we stop to look, really look, into each others’ faces we might be shocked by the reflection of our own battle fatigued expressions. But, more than the struggle, there is light and hope, beauty and vibrancy in our city. We don’t hear too much about this because it doesn’t really make for exciting news, but it does exist in each one of us.
This is the light that BlackLight taps into as a way to get back to the health and healing that we all need in order to continue to fight for justice in this world.
So what does art have to do with this? Art and creative expression are all about finding the light, finding that deeply rooted, resourcefulness. In locating our own power to speak, move, and use our being to create something new or to express our reality, we become more whole. We can only be truly healthy when we are whole and understand that we have the power to act and make a positive impact in the world. Art allows us to see this. Art allows us to experiment and try on a new way of living and being. Art allows us to see what a healthy and life affirming world might look and feel like.
It was interesting for us to be a part of the conference at the U of M. We noticed that it is difficult for some academics to step out of the “lecture zone” and think about how to really engage the participants. It seems hard for some people to think about knowledge as something that is shared and not necessarily imparted from one, singular all-knowing source (you know who you are). During our session, we got the group of about 50 people up, moving, writing and dancing with each other. Afterwards, during the Q and A session, several people talked about how challenging it was for them to pay attention to their bodies and to consciously think about embodying different thoughts and emotions. We talked about how the disconnect between mind, body, spirit and intention is a threat to our health and ability to be effective agents of change.
Deep stuff, huh? We’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this.
Do you feel better when you are able to creatively express yourself? Do you feel the weight of problems in your community affecting your physical, mental and emotional health? How can we take steps to create more compassionate, healing spaces in our everyday lives?
Speak to us, we are here!
Strength & Love,
BlackLight
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