Thursday 24 February 2022

Providing a chance for local people to come together 'post-lockdown' and connect through art is the objective of our Creative Collective Memory Arts (CCMA) workshops. 

Geelong Regional Libraries' staff member and Project Lead, Georgia Carter, says that the CCMA project has provided opportunities for our communities to reconnect with each other in a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment through multiple creative experiences.

"The last couple of years navigating COVID-19 has been been really challenging for our communities. Everyone has been affected and everyone has a story," Georgia says. 

"The art workshops we have programmed have allowed people to share their stories as they make, create, find joy in free expression and are guided through the creative process by talented local artists."

"Art brings people together and into the present moment; it can be incredibly healing."

"Through the CCMA project, we have been able to focus on our remote and rural communities, and those people who might be quite isolated. It's been exciting to explore new partnerships and truly connect with our organisation's purpose by genuinely contributing to our communities’ health, prosperity, connectedness and belonging."

"The feedback from participants so far has been really amazing, and the artworks produced at each session have been stunning."

"I think the unique part of this project has been that we haven’t shied away from the COVID experience. The workshops have been about bringing the Pandemic front and centre and allowing people to express all their experiences from the past couple of years, share their stories with each other and hopefully walk away feeling uplifted and a little lighter in spirit," Georgia concludes. 

The CCMA project - and an interview with Georgia and workshop facilitator Samantha Thompson - will be featured as a case study at the launch event of the Public Libraries Victoria / State Library Victoria’s Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Strategic Framework on 1 March. 

The artworks will also be individually photographed by local camera clubs and uploaded onto our website. Essentially capturing a snapshot in time and building a memory bank for future generations.

Find out more about the CCMA project, including upcoming workshops. 

The Creative Collective Memory Arts project is funded through the Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Program; an initiative of State Library Victoria (for the Library Board of Victoria) and Public Libraries Victoria under the banner of the Statewide Public Library Development Projects 2020 – 2023.