After a year and a half of harbouring at least some form of isolation, for many of us, communal spaces feel godsent. At the same time, the changing nature of safety restrictions and the uncertainty that comes with it, have made it difficult for us to find those spaces which allow us to connect with people again.
Angela Herd is working on exactly this with an exciting concept of an open art studio called an Art Hive.
The idea of Art Hives is not new by any means; they are peppered throughout North America and various parts of the world. Art Hives are based on creating a communal space for the public to come into and work on their own art alongside others doing the same. There are no formal classes or teaching, rather just an open concept that provides a space to co-create.
The Art Hive will be located at the Cactus Centre in Osoyoos behind the splash park. Starting on Sept. 13, the space will be open on Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m. for youth and from 6 to 9 p.m. for adults.
Herd said that hopefully through donations, she will be able to provide people who come with some art supplies they can use on top of whatever people choose to bring. Aside from that, people can choose to paint, draw, work with clay, write, or any other medium they choose. Fluidity is at the core of Art Hives.
“That energy of co-creating with other people is a healthy way of connecting with people. It builds relationships, like friendships, and it highlights people’s strengths. It allows people to see a version of other people or themselves that they might not see otherwise. It’s fun, and it’s light. It’s another place to just be yourself,” said Herd.
In her travels through Eastern Canada, specifically in Montreal, Herd explained that Art Hives are much more common, positively impacting the art expression in that area. While she can’t say the same for British Columbia, Herd wants to normalize this concept in this region.
“I think our community would be perfect for it because we are a small community. And there’s a lot of creative energy here,” she said.
Herd has been an art therapist for over two decades. She got her Bachelor of Arts in child and youth care, and has been working with youth, families, and adults for many years. She decided to go into art therapy specifically as she saw it to be a modality that supports non-verbal communication and prioritizes a positive approach.
When Herd first started her work as an art therapist, she made the process for her clients “non-leading.” She put out a variety of art supplies ranging from crayons to clay and let people choose what they wanted. The surroundings were also made without any distracting visuals so that their associations would purely be their own.
Now her practice has changed to focus more on helping people bring out their creativity.
“My work now is working more on that creative piece; evoking a person’s connection to their creativity, lifting them up, and helping them to see that they have the ability to learn what lifts them up,” said Herd.
Through this process, she hopes to give people the resources for them to choose a creative outlet that helps them best.
She said she enjoys working with youth particularly as it’s a blooming time for creativity.
“I find that’s a time when youth are really wanting to figure out who they are, and they’re developing who they are at the same time, so art mirrors back to them a lot of what they’ve picked up along the way. It’s a real curiosity journey.”
Though her primary work is an art therapist, Herd said that she will not be taking that role within the Art Hive.
“This isn’t therapy, but I’m definitely here to help facilitate people to dialogue with their art and imagery, and what it is that they find important that’s coming up as themes in their art,” said Herd.
A huge part of what Herd aims to do is reconnect people with our innate ability to use creativity impulses to help us. She explained that often when we lose that connection, it becomes increasingly hard to express ourselves and find those deeper parts of us. “Those are the places that are the biggest resources for many people, once they start realizing that they’re there. It’s like their pieces of themselves…art is one of the modalities that can help people find their pieces.”
“I think that there’s a knowing inside all of us that we have about what’s good for us or what we need, who we are, what brings us pleasure and happiness and joy. And those pieces can come out through art,” she said.
The Art Hive was organized through a partnership with Herd, the Family Hope Clinic and the Town of Osoyoos, however Herd said that she wants people to see this as the community’s hub.
With the recent safety protocols that have been put in place, Herd said she will still go forward with opening the space as planned, but enact all the proper safety measures needed. Physical distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing, and limiting the number of people inside will all be monitored.
After initially posting about Art Hive opening soon on local Facebook groups, the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. Many people were curious about the new concept of an open art space, and already committed to attending.
Herd is currently working on setting up social media pages for Art Hive to keep people informed and also engage the community to help with the paradigm shift of this new structure.
“My dream is to plant the seed, and help it to grow so that it’s something that’s visible and recognizable. Then we have mentoring volunteers come in and can also bring that generosity and kindness to this space so that this can be replicated on other nights,” said Herd.
