On Monday afternoon, March 14, in the Quinn Administration Building cafeteria, Wendy Baring-Gould, Gary Duehr, and Cathy McLaurin spoke joyously about the much-anticipated workshops for the Arts on The Point Project coming this April. Both McLaurin and Duehr were recently chosen as instructors for the writing and arts sessions, each bringing a wealth of experience in working with people who don’t imagine themselves as artists. McLaurin is an experienced community-based artist and the Special Projects director at the Community Arts Center in Lawrence. Duehr has an MFA from the Writers’ Workshop of the University of Iowa, and is a published poet who teaches at Boston University and Lesley University. It is their hope that the project will help make Columbia Point a more attractive and welcoming place for everyone in the community. And it will be a chance for 100 neighbors, students, and co-workers to build relationships, a sense of familiarity, and community as they collaborate creatively.
McLaurin advises those who have an interest in the sessions to “connect with your community through the creation of visual work that will become a permanent part of the Point. Explore your own unique form of creative expression while working collaboratively alongside other members of your community.” She stresses that no special skills are needed, instead, “memories, experiences, enthusiasm, and willingness to share are welcome.” McLaurin went further to explain her goal and the goal of the project as well. “This is a chance for people to leave their mark in their community, and hopefully relationships will develop as a result.” Some materials will be provided, but McLaurin strongly suggests that participants bring any photo or image that they fell reflects their experience with Columbia Point.
Duehr agreed and added that, “the broad definition of what we mean by community, in terms of art and writing, is where the people come from and where they imagine going.” He went on to describe what he is looking for in potential participants for the writing workshops. “We are really looking for people who don’t think of themselves as writers. Maybe they’ve always thought that they might like to write. And the project allows them the added virtue of seeing their writing in print and out in the world, which is unusual for beginners.”
Both Duehr and McLaurin guarantee that creating the art and writing will be a fun and exciting process, and Duehr refers jokingly to poetry as “schmoetry.” He hopes this will take any anxiety first time writers may have about expressing their creativity and set the tone for the sessions. “This workshop will take you through the creative process in making poetry, from raw notes to shaping something more meaningful,” Duehr said. “Not that difficult-to-understand stuff that’s profound and beautiful, but pieces of language drawn from everyday life and thoughts. We’ll do all kinds of activities: a poem hike, writing letters, cutting and pasting on the floor, etc. And much of it will be in small groups or with partners.”
When asked about what sort of theme the writing and artwork will take, Baring-Gould, who is director and project manager of Community Outreach for the project said, “It can touch upon their very literal community or reflect their physical community. Their work can portray a sense of their surroundings and what it means to them. It will essentially be their interpretation of the community.” She went further to describe the importance of the workshops and the project as a whole, and how much it will mean to the Columbia Point community. “It’s an opportunity for people who have something to say about this place. People who should join are those that care about their experience on Columbia Point.”
The Boston Globe, Boston College High School, the MBTA, UMass Boston, and the McCormack Middle School are just a few of the businesses, schools, and organizations that are representing the Arts Project. The interests for the sessions are coming from all over these different segments. But, unfortunately, the maximum number the workshops can allow is 100. Ideally, there will be a third each of people who work, live, and learn on Columbia Point; an eclectic group of middle school, high school, and university students, as well as working adults. Even people who are not apart of these workshops will benefit, as the artwork will be permanently installed in clusters at T stops, along sidewalks and roadways in the form of totem-like poles. This will be after the completed work is exhibited in a community wide celebration in May. Each piece of art will be signed by its creator and complemented by a brief profile.
The sessions are flexible and designed to accommodate the busy lives of students and working adults. Cathy McLaurin and Gary Duehr will work with participants if there are scheduling problems. The sessions will be conducted at the UMass Boston campus from April 4 to the 25. Students should choose whether they’ll sign-up for poetry or art. And those that sign-up for the arts sessions will receive a sketchbook to keep at the first workshop. For the writing sessions, UMass will provide a free book of poems to participants, This Same Sky, a wonderful anthology of writing from around the world, as well as paper and pens. Lunch and refreshments will also be provided.
To sign-up or for more information please contact Wendy Baring-Gould at [email protected] or 617-287-5347. Participants will be selected on a first come first serve basis. The deadline is Friday, April 1.