Shrine Workshop at The International Art In Response to Violence Confrence

I was invited to give a talk and host a workshop at the 1st International Art in Response to Violence Conference at Northeastern Illinois University held September 30-October 1, 2010.

This event was sponsored by the Illinois Art Therapy Association, Adler School for Professional Psychology, as well as the MA in Counseling, Fine Art, and Psychology departments at NEIU.

I gave a presentation about my experiences working in communities as an artist since moving to Baltimore in 2008 and hosted a workshop on building shrines.

Creative Activity Workshop

Workshop Title: Shrine Building Workshop

Proposal: I have been building small shrines from things I find on the streets of Baltimore City. I collect objects and arrange them in handmade boxes, creating something beautiful from a very turbulent and violent city. In this workshop, materials will be provided for construction of a small shrine or amulet. Participants will be guided through quiet personal reflection on a difficult experience, and technical assistance will be provided for the design and creation of an object to symbolically transform or commemorate their survival of the situation. Participants will keep their shrines or amulets.

These are some of the end products:

I would definitely give this type of workshop again. I enjoyed the atmosphere working with a group of artists and art therapists, but I could see doing this with many different groups of people. The participants in this workshop really liked the way the it was organized and I was satisfied with the outcome of the prompts I used for the project.

This was the description I submitted for my presentation:

Paper presentation

Presentation Title: UnWIREing Baltimore

Proposal: The Wire, a popular television series, has familiarized people all over the world with Baltimore’s story- the corruption, the high murder rates, the 42,000 abandoned houses, the heroin and gang activity…but there is another story that needs to be told. I would like to share my field experience as an artist working with inner city youth in those neighborhoods of Baltimore. In my presentation, I will share art programming and student work from these neighborhoods, as well as a slide show of several of my own shrine installation and sculptural art works that have emerged from their stories and my own reflections. I will provide information, stories, and effects of other activists’ projects and partnerships with the city- such as murals and community gardens that have transformed abandoned lots where drug and gang activity had been taking place. Such undertakings in these neighborhoods provide a source of inspiration and hope for the community.

The presentation was very cathartic for me. I have had a wide range of experiences in Baltimore and needed to mark my growth since leaving Chicago. It was very helpful for me to take the time to process my experiences and have a venue to share with an interested audience.

Presenter Bio

Lisa Krause (b.1979) is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. A native of Illinois and 2007 graduate of Northeastern Illinois University,she focused her BA on art-based research with youth in psychology and recycled materials in sculptural installation. Currently, Lisa facilitates art workshops for youth in rough neighborhoods, builds shrines and bear-bombs, & participates in solo, group, and puppet shows.