The Voice of the Artist as Researcher, Homelessness In Toronto

Reflection of Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice – Edited by Cheryl McLean

This text is full of examples of artists using the arts to conduct social change, many of whom are using community-based participatory research.

In The Voice of the Artist as Researcher, Homelessness in Toronto, Nancy Viva Davis Halifax writes of her efforts as a writer, poet and a photographer to understand and portray homelessness in Toronto order to create awareness of this growing social problem. Her work is marked by deep reflexive thinking and writing which seems to capture the essence of the homeless. In an especially poignant piece, she writes of a 21 year old woman who has been on the street since she was 13 years old. In other piece, she shares the words of a young man who has no hope.

Her work reads more like an editorial on homelessness rather than research project. It is only near the end of the piece that she describes the research efforts by she and her fellow artist-researchers which involved running an arts collaborative. This community space is where they would spend time with women from a local shelter who have experienced one or more of the following: homelessness, disabilities, chronic health problems, violence, trauma and oppression.

Several of the author’s quotes speak to me, for example in the following indicates how the researchers are involved with not only art-making, they are sharing food and drink with the other participants. I also especially like her metaphor about knitting and braiding their lives together.

“In this group we eat and drink, take photographs, draw, knit, crochet, braid our lives and selves together.”

In this next quote, the author describes how “language unfolds” through art-making, in this case friendship bracelets. This is an interesting phenomenon that I have read and heard about many times; people involved in art-making begin to communicate with each other during the process of making art, and inevitably, deeper thoughts, issues and concerns rise to the surface.

“Speaking the self through aesthetic texts provides a symbolic space where safety can be woven through metaphor and media. Speaking through the development of a collage, a knitted scarf, the creation of a series of friendship bracelets language unfolds.”

I like Davis Halifax’s word choice in the next passage. She is listening to the entire person; their voices and their bodies. She shares her insights with us; she senses frustration at others who do not listen. Ironically, by listening she is channeling their frustration into something positive.

“When we sit down over our cups of tea, I listen to bodies and voices. I perceive frustration, the violence experienced because other do not listen. My work is to bring their stories to a broader community, and at the same time to maintain an ethical and safe space.”

In this last passage, the author quotes Suzanne Lacy, who speaks of redefining art as a process not just a product; and not just an art-making process, a “value finding” process which is an aspect of a “larger sociocultural agenda.” These are simple, yet elegant examples of viewing art in much broader ways.

“The making of banners that incorporate the women’s art is one way of working between community, shelter and each women’s story. The women respond in a positive way to this notion. This way of working is in accord with Suzanne Lacy, who suggested that art be redefined less as a product and more as “a process of value finding, a set of philosophies, an ethical action and an aspect of a larger sociocultural agenda’” (p. 46). Working with these guiding principles we will be able to work toward social justice through the arts.