Strengthening Community: Forging Connections Through Art
Sunday, October 4th, 2026 from 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Workshop Descriptions
Lizabeth Cutler
The Ancient Art of Candle-Dipping:
Lizabeth Cutler, Founder of ArtWaves, will lead a candle-dipping adventure using beeswax, and simple invitations to conversation. As participants walk, dip, and build their candles - layer by layer, the warm aroma and repetitive rhythm of dipping create a calming, welcoming space for conversation - perhaps about our layers. Participants will be invited to make two candles—keeping one and giving one away. This ancient craft helps participants discover commonalities, and the layers of our stories while offering a small gesture of connection.
Gray Cox
All The Commons: We will celebrate and share reflections on our relationships to all the commons we are connected with locally through a participatory creation of a musical round, “Breath on the Waters,” and an art exercise to supplement its performance with visual images of sources and destinations for our care and love of the local commons. Participants will sing together and then working with markers and foam board will create images that captures loved commons on MDI.
Molly Dillon
Mask & Trust: Molly invites community members to let go of their individual selves and work hand in hand with another person, who may be a stranger. The activity that will be taught is called “mask work”, built off a technique created by Jacques Copeau in the early 20th century. What folks will do is wear masks that cover their whole face, if they are comfortable doing so, and stand facing another person. Molly will call out different ideas like “orange”, “elephant,” or “dishes”, and each pair will take turns interpreting these ideas with their body in whichever ways feel right to them. This activity focuses on partner work, engagement with another, and understanding and trusting another person. This sort of acting work is something that anyone from any background, age, or theatre experience can do. It is a great way to dip toes into the world of improvisation and theatre practice. Molly invites us all to jump in and try out new theatrical experiences. Come build community at a time when we most need it!
Neeraj Sebastian
Shapes Taking Place: A Collage-Making Workshop: In this workshop, participants will work from direct observation to make collages using colored paper, scissors and glue. Collaging with colored paper is a quick and direct way to make a picture. The idea of “composition” might be intimidating to some, but by making collages that involve choices of where to place forms and considering how different elements relate to one another, participants will get a sense for themselves how pictures can be constructed; how colors and shapes, and their placement and repetition can create different kinds of effects. We’ll be working from life, from direct observation; working with scissors, with a limited palette, invites a level of simplification and abstraction, while also asking participants to look closely, to find something new and surprising in the familiar and the everyday.
Karin Spitfire
Standing with Trees: Using prompts and free writes, Karin will encourage participants to delve into what lies on your hearts, creating community with our expressions of shared humanity.
Tammy Richards
Moving Stories: This session uses movement improvisation as a way to share our feelings and actions related to the current political environment. For example, participants will create a simple gesture in response to a prompt, such as “after the 2020 election, I…”. By sharing, expanding, and exchanging gestures with partners and the larger group, we will build a movement story about our journeys through challenging times.
Melissa Ferrari
Animated Nature Documentary: In this stop motion animation workshop, participants are invited to create a simple paper puppet of a migratory animal that lives in the skies or waters of our community. Participants will learn how to bring their creatures to life through animation, using free animation software and provided equipment. Together, we will create a collaborative animated nature documentary that celebrates the fauna that migrate through our landscapes on MDI. With field guides and reference books from the Jesup as aids for visual research, participants will utilize drawing and collage to craft their puppets. Capacity: 14 participants.