BURLINGTON - Carmen Ng was not one for the arts, but thinks it was fate that she found herself suddenly enrolled in a five-week art program at the Central Library.
Ng is one of 15 artists who joined the Art with Heart: Reflective Art Workshop Series, where the group met once per week to meditate, journal, and make art that reflected their mental health. Their works were displayed in the Central Library today (Dec. 11).
“It’s a neat idea to go through your mental state through art, and learn how to express it that way instead of the usual way of speaking to someone,” Ng said.
Ng, who had little formal art training but had worked on her own pieces at home prior to the workshop, is particularly proud of a watercolour she did in the first week.
She said it was an interesting experience to see how much her works on a canvas made sense to her mentally.
“It was a really good experience, and I hope to bring that into my regular life more,” Ng said.
Fellow artist Emmy Holub said she is probably the oldest person enrolled in the program, and that her experience may have been a bit different from the others.
Holub also enrolled late, after another member dropped out.
“It sounded interesting, and when I signed up it was full – so I didn’t think that much more about it,” Holub said. “Even when I did think about it, I couldn’t conceive of what it would be like.”
Holub added the workshop leader Lena Sarda – a local Burlington artist who studied in Italy – did a great job of finding new ways to look at one’s problems, none of which were familiar.
Finding new ways to face life’s challenges and face one’s self is what the program was all about.
“It was about combining the benefits of expressive arts, mindfulness, and journalling so people can engage in deeper levels of self-discovery and exploration through creative outlets,” Sarda said. “We know the benefits that engaging with art has on our mental health, so we wanted to create a space where people could get a sense of community and inspiration, to share their stories and narratives through art.”
The idea came to Sarda during the pandemic, where art was an escape for herself. As she discussed the idea with more people, journalling played a larger role in the workshop, and finding a way to combine art with mindfulness became something she needed to get into the world.
“I didn’t see anything that existed in the community, so I said what would I like to see?” she said.
The program was free for the attendees thanks to the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund, which helped a few of the participants get themselves involved.
The exhibit will remain open until around 7 p.m. tonight, and though the future displays of the works are up in the air, Sarda said there are more ideas in the pipeline.
“I don’t know the future of the program, I will definitely apply for the funding again,” Sarda said. “I would like to see the program be adopted somewhere within the Burlington community, or maybe even similar models in other communities, I think there are a lot of benefits to it.”