Lauren Woodcock (left) and Sharon Bailey (right) at work during a How Music Helps art workshop held earlier this year at Lincoln County Recovery Community Center. (Photo courtesy Peter Bruun)
As part of its ongoing “How Music Helps” project, Studio B is offering five three-hour art-making workshop sessions at various Lincoln County locations through the end of May. All workshops are free and open to the public.
Presented in partnership with the Lincoln County Recovery Community Center and supported by Merrymeeting Adult Education, the workshops take place at Rising Tide Co-op, Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, Southport Memorial Library, Broad Bay Church, and Inn Along the Way.
An opportunity to explore creativity for artists and non-artists alike, the workshops use as a point of departure the prompt: How does music help you cope with life’s challenges?
“We’ve held a number of art workshops at LCRCC in the past several months, and last weekend we had a session at The Peace Gallery,” said Peter Bruun, who as founding director of Studio B is leading the art workshops. “Music is such a universal theme, and everyone has life challenges, so put the two together and you get all kinds of ways of exploring the topic with art making. Even people who had never made art before are coming up with wonderful narrative work.”
With the mission of using art and story to create spaces where everyone is seen, heard and valued, Studio B is committed to providing art making experiences for anyone interested.
“There are not a lot of opportunities for Lincoln County residents to explore and express themselves with art, especially for free,” said Bruun. “Making the workshop accessible to all members of the community is a core value of ours.”
Made during a How Music Helps workshop held earlier this year, this painting expresses how music brings color to rainy days at home that otherwise would be lonely and depressing. (Photo courtesy Peter Bruun)
According to Bruun, the healing and community-building aspect of the art workshops are especially valuable components.
“We have folks saying things like ‘it has brought me joy to be expressive and make new connections with others’ and ‘the workshops allow me to work on not just my art but my mental health,’” Bruun said. “That’s really where the value lies, and we see it in every workshop session.”
After the art workshops are completed in May, Studio B will turn to organizing a July concert and exhibition series featuring the art from the workshops – four events with live music to celebrate people, art and stories, and draw attention to the community-building work of the project’s partners.
“People need to know more about the great organizations and community assets of Lincoln County, especially seasonal residents,” Bruun said. “They help people cope too. That’s what the summer series will be about. We want to shine a light not just on people’s resilience in the face of hardship, but also on the county’s amazing under-known resources.”
Online registration and information about the workshops can be found at Studio B’s website, bruunstudios.com/studiob, or individuals can reach out to Bruun directly with questions at 800-1640 or email peter@bruunstudios.com.
