One Piece at a Time: Building Community and a Mosaic Mural

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of community members who worked with a social work community practice class to create a participatory mosaic mural in an ethnically diverse and rapidly gentrifying area of a small city in New England. Community members in this project included peo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Paula Gerstenblatt, Caroline Shanti, Samantha Frisk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The University of Alabama 2022-11-01
Series:Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship
Subjects:
Online Access:https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/477
Description
Summary:This phenomenological study explored the experiences of community members who worked with a social work community practice class to create a participatory mosaic mural in an ethnically diverse and rapidly gentrifying area of a small city in New England. Community members in this project included people working in the community at agencies and schools, artists with studios in the neighborhood, residents, and business owners. Seven community members participated in the study and completed hour-long semi-structured interviews. Analysis revealed three primary themes: (1) artist and community match, (2) what it takes to make it happen, and (3) mural legacy. This paper contributes to literature investigating the value of participatory art projects as a strategy to build collaboration and connectedness utilizing critical service learning and creative placemaking approaches.
ISSN:1944-1207
2837-8075