By Maisha Hasan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A flurry of watercolours and thought-provoking words coat canvas boards, each piece giving a glimpse into each of the artists’ thoughts and feelings — the artwork by regular Burlington citizens who were a part of Lena Sarda’s “Art with Heart” workshop.
On Dec. 11, throughout the day and into the evening, groups and individuals showed up for the Art with Heart exhibition in the Burlington Public Library. The show was to display the culmination of the work done in Sarda’s workshop, which was funded by the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund.
The reflective workshop that took place in the fall consisted of five weekly workshops that combined art exercises, mindfulness practices, and journaling to foster an enriching environment that provides wellness. These sessions were led by project coordinator and facilitator Sarda. Using her expertise as a therapeutic art instructor, she coordinated mindful learning experiences each week.
As Sarda began the opening remarks, she spoke on her role and the importance of her work.
“This was a labour of love for me, promoting causes and issues close to our community.”
Similarly, there is labour that we all perform each day, which Sarda brought to light alongside a reminder that “we’re so busy doing…we forget to be.”
Jessica Wilkinson, a mental wellness and happiness coach, was the keynote speaker of the evening. She stressed the importance of mental well-being, to “observe without judgement,” and to learn about the many ways to approach healing, such as art.
The uplifting speech reminded listeners of the silent struggles people go through:
“It’s not like you get to walk around with a gigantic mental health poster board on the back of your shirt.”
As the speeches came to an end, program participants went around to observe the work of others and see their own art on display. Yvonne Zhang was an attendee of Sarda’s classes and shared her personal insight on the experience.
She first signed up not entirely in search of a way to keep mindful of her emotions, but rather, in search of community.
“I just moved back to Burlington after living in Montreal and downtown Toronto. Moving back here, I didn’t have lots of friends, which was tough, so I started searching for events to do after work. This caught my eye because I’ve always been into mental health and just have always been aware of my emotions — I do yoga, exercise, and similar art sessions but online because of COVID. It was great to try something in person.”
When asked what the workshops were like and if it was challenging as somebody from a tech sales background, rather than an artistic or holistic/mental health one, Zhang answered: “It’s very well-structured, we’d meet up every week. Five weeks is something I can easily come into.”
On whether she found what she was looking for in terms of community, Zhang said, “Yeah, I really enjoyed every week, just coming here and being creative with others and at the end, you can see everyone’s work. It’s very interesting.”
Although Zhang, like others, didn’t go searching for mindfulness but community, the workshop was a testament to something bigger than the search for third places in Burlington (third places are neither home nor workplaces, but somewhere people can gather and build connections and community). When art is used as a tool for mindfulness, it can bring one back to the wholeness of focus of sidewalk chalk or recesses spent in art rooms. As adults, it becomes harder to participate in those things, or at least the feelings of mindfulness they bring.
Workshops like Sarda’s remind us that healing and connection can bloom from even the simplest creative expressions.
