Story by Bridgette McAuliffe, Contributing writer
Photos by Brock Kirk/The News
Art is something that everyone appreciates in different forms. It connects us all together and to some degree, it is something that we can all understand. The Murray Art Guild has started a project called Interwoven in an effort to show how our community is “woven” together regardless of age, race, gender or religion.
Interwoven is a community-wide art project put on by the Murray Art Guild.
Debi Hohman, Executive Director of Murray Art Guild, said the project is speaking to the idea that everyone in the community is inextricably connected.
“You know, there has been so much divisiveness locally and nationally that we really wanted to do a project that spoke to community,” Hohman said.
Hohman said people of all ages in the community are invited to create a “circle weaving” project.
“Some of them are made on old CDs and then others are made on cardboard,” Hohman said. “Next week, all of these will be tied together into one big installation…It’s that idea of the individual, and that the individual fits into the whole.”
Many people never decide to get involved with art because it seems hard. People go to museums, look at these beautiful paintings and think that since they aren’t at that level, art isn’t something they can participate in. But Hohman and the Murray Art Guild wanted to show how art can connect the entire community together, regardless of age or skill level.
“It’s the kind of project that anybody who wanted to could have success,” said Hohman. “I’ve had children as young as 6, and the oldest person I’ve had do it was 100 years old.”
The instructions for circle weaving are on the Murray Art Guild website, making it possible for people to create one without going to the Guild. There have also been workshops put on throughout the community by Hohman and other members of the guild to teach community members how to circle weave and create a piece of the final project.
Stephanie Rea, professor at Murray State, is one who attended a workshop, taking along her young daughter. This isn’t the first time Rea has been involved with the Murray Art Guild.
“My kids have had classes at the Art Guild off and on since their toddler years and I’m on their mailing list,” said Rea. “I attend events from time to time throughout the year and I sign my kids up for classes.”
With projects like Interwoven, the arts are used to pull the community together to feel more connected.
“Events like Interwoven bring people together through the actual act of making art,” Rea saidsaid Rea. “I took my 8-year-old daughter thinking that doing something creative on a Saturday morning would be a great way to spend time together. When we got there, we knew at least four other people and seeing those people outside of the regular places I know them from is refreshing and fun for me.”
Art is one of those parts of culture that throughout all of history has proven to bring groups of people together and allow them to see where they fit in the whole, as well as express themselves. Art has a profound impact on the lives of those who create work.
Rose Bowman, sophomore from Loretto, Kentucky said that art has allowed her to creatively work out any issues she’s had. She also said that the arts important in bringing our communities together.
“I think it’s really important to get communities working together with arts because even small projects could be fun and anyone and everyone can do them.”
To find out more about the Murray Art Guild and to get involved with Interwoven, visit their website www.murrayartguild.org.