This picture was taken in a moment of being present earlier this week.
The NM sky seen through the sunroof in my car. I paused to embrace
the present before heading to work. Find more articles from Dr. Fleg's blog series, Writing to Heal, by clicking here. Find Dr. Fleg's book, Writing to Heal by clicking here.
Albuquerque is a medium-sized city with small town sensibilities. You start seeing the same faces over and over again. Many of the faces in Albuquerque belong to talented artists of all mediums. Living with and around artists (painters, musicians, actors, writers, photographers…) for these last several years has allowed me to “discover” a fascinating link between them: the ability for their work to transcend the everyday tasks demanded of us by our current economic system (work, pay bills, uhm work some more, bury somebody and work some more).
For those unfortunate folks who work somewhere that is not contributing to their happiness, the arts can provide an escape, a refuge from their daily “reality.” But can the arts “create” reality or better put change our current paradigm from a “war-based” one to a “peace-based” one? The power of Art Therapy is well documented. But for folks who are not “conscious” of their affliction, the arts also have great power.
We have all been immersed in a good book or movie. Similarly many works of literature inspire, rejuvenate and/or promote motivation. Just as advertising/marketing pros capture our minds through carefully crafted uses of words, colors and memes, we can as a global society capture the power of the arts to move us towards a peaceful future.
At the core of war is fear. The way I see it, sociopath leaders create the conditions for war and rush to use the tools of communication to convince us that war is ok, acceptable, necessary even vital to our survival. War is only necessary for their survival. The answer to war comes in breaking down walls created by fear. Grammy Award winner Omar Akram (Afghani American) explains that he plays instrumental music so his art can be communicated to everyone regardless of culture, nationality etc.
The key is “Arts Immersion Therapy.” Arts Immersion Therapy is not covered by your health insurance but it is available right outside your door. It involves visiting the wonderful galleries, independent book stores, local music venues, local watering holes and eateries that provide a space for the arts. Unfortunately too much of our “national” media are focused on war – Corporate TV/Film. Avoid those and visit small local movie houses, and live-theatre venues. Your support of the arts has reciprocal benefits: the dollars spent in a local establishment will allow that establishment to pay artists to display their work and in turn benefit society and move us in a positive direction.
“We often think of peace as the absence of war, that if powerful countries would reduce their weapon arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds- our own prejudices, fears and ignorance. Even if we transport all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the roots of bombs are still there, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we will make new bombs. To work for peace is to uproot war from ourselves and from the hearts of men and women. To prepare for war, to give millions of men and women the opportunity to practice killing day and night in their hearts, is to plant millions of seeds of violence, anger, frustration, and fear that will be passed on for generations to come.” Thich Nhat Hanh
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It is important for the well-being of society to have positive outlets of expression. Art gives people a way to process their emotions and experiences and share them with others in a manner that makes them feel like they are part of that society.
When people make and share art in a public space they are having the opportunity to be contributing members of the town they live in. When a person feels like they get to actively participate in their community through art it breaks through feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Sharing art through Free Art Friday can be a healthy outlet for sharing your art and being an active member of your community whose voice is heard with vivid colors! Find some more of my Free Art Friday Albuquerque articles here. Thank you for supporting local arts!
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Stephanie Galloway
Stephanie Galloway is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has been writing poetry since she was a child and still loves to explore the magic in words and their power to touch others deeply. She taught art to children as the Children Zone Leader of the Rail Yards Market and is the founder of Free Art Friday Albuquerque. Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as Multimedia Books while promoting literacy in our communities.
Curated by Mary Ann Gilbreth, Ed.D., Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy, at the University of New Mexico. This collections includes the work of her students from several of her Reading Methods Classes, promoting cultural diversity in the classroom.
Alex Paramo
