Community Engaged Public Art in Colombia
Hi everyone, my name is Laura! I am an expressive arts therapist, community arts educator and muralist. Over the past 15 years I have had the honor and privilege of working with beautiful people and communities around the world and here at home in Massachusetts, to harness the transformative power of murals and creativity to bring about community-driven change, human connection and healing. In August, I will embark on an incredible adventure in Medellin, Colombia, as a Fulbright Artist and Student Researcher. While Fulbright will help me cover the cost of living and some of my research expenses, I need your support to raise additional funds to make three large-scale mural projects possible along the way. Please read on to find out more!!
Despite the historic 2016 peace treaty in Colombia, recent unrest due to national concerns about rising poverty, violence, inequality and police brutality has made international headlines. Still, Medellín is one city demonstrating and building its resilience as its people strive to move towards peace and healing in the aftermath of a 50-year armed conflict. Research shows that when womxn are involved in a peace-building process the potential for sustained peace and healing increases significantly.
From August 2021 through June of 2022, I will partner with Pirañas Crew , Girls to the Front , Casa Kolacho and Universidad Antioquia , to engage in a deep learning exchange and community mural making process that allows womxn and girls to take the lead on community mural projects. This exchange will allow me to bring the tools of art therapy and community-engaged public art to the incredible relationships and creative approaches these partners have been building on the ground for decades. It is also my hope to deepen my ongoing learning and understanding about the impact of murals in communities and the artistic tools we use to make them. Our collective goal will be to increase female strength and bravery in public space through mural making, as a way to combat violence against womxn, the alarming rates of femicides, and the many gender-based challenges womxn and communities face daily in the region and around the world. We believe that when we see and experience potent narratives of strength, bravery and dignity in public spaces, it can help us to embody these new narratives in our actions and experiences.
Your generous support will help cover the cost of paint, workshop materials and scaffolding rentals for three large scale murals over the course of ten months. A large scale mural can cost anywhere between $800 and $2000. My fundraising goal is to raise $3500 to supplement the research support that Fulbright will offer me on the ground. All contributions will help me to reach this goal and support this meaningful work!
In recent years, street art and murals have become a global phenomenon. Artists everywhere are making their mark through mural festivals, or independently in collaboration with businesses and building owners. While I find this exciting, I feel we must work to ensure that street art does not simply become a tool for beautification. It has the potential to harness a societal power to elevate a community’s resilience, and present the identities it chooses, not the ones decided for it. Our work puts a spray can in a young artist’s hand and lets her act bravely. It allows her to tell her community what matters, and to tell her story. Most importantly, it aids in her own healing, allows her to fight against the injustices that affect her, and deepens her ties to her community and social change.
Thank you in advance for being part of this story. Your support means the world to me and I hope you will follow along for the journey!!
A 2018 collaboration between Sirens Crew and Pirañas Crew in Medellin, speaking up about child sex trafficking and the rights of womxn and girls to their own bodies.
You can learn more about some of my past mural projects and previous collaborations with Piranas Crew and Girls to The Front through watching the videos below.