Downtown Eastside Art Engagement Project

What was the purpose of your project?

By offering accessible arts and crafts workshops, our hope was that the Downtown Eastside (DTES) Art Engagement Project could empower participants to enhance their mental well-being and help create a vibrant community space where individuals could express themselves creatively, build meaningful connections, and foster a stronger sense of community.

As part of the Downtown Eastside Arts and Crafts Society, and in partnership with the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), we hosted a series of arts and crafts workshops from April–August 2024 at various DEWC and VCH locations within the heart of the DTES.

Our diverse workshops were designed to be inclusive and accessible and catered to the varied interests within the community, including jewelry making, sun-catcher crafting, DIY tote bag creation, and terrarium making. These sessions were not just artistic endeavors; they also served as therapeutic outlets and communal spaces for residents to come together, fostering a sense of belonging and shared creativity.

Who did you work with?

We forged collaborations with several key community partners, including the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre (DEWC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) clinics in the Downtown Eastside. These organizations play vital roles in delivering essential services to residents of the DTES, and they generously offered their spaces to host our inclusive arts and crafts workshops.

The project brought together local artists, students, and community workers who volunteered their time to support these workshops. This collaborative approach helped create welcoming spaces where community members could connect while engaging in creative activities.

At VCH clinics, the workshops provided a comfortable environment for community members to spend time before their medical appointments, while also learning about the various healthcare resources available at the facilities. Meanwhile, EWMA and various local organizations supported our efforts to connect with talented local artists who led these sessions.

What are some of the things you learned?

A key lesson that we learned was the importance of flexibility and adaptability in community-based work. We found that participants had varying skill levels, artistic interests, or physical restraints, which meant that our original workshop designs sometimes had to be adjusted/simplified to accommodate the specific needs of the folks who participated. This process reinforced the importance of ongoing feedback and being prepared to make real-time adjustments to ensure inclusivity and engagement.

Another significant lesson that we learned was the importance of building positive, trusting relationships within the community. We realized early on that participation increased significantly when community members felt a sense of familiarity with both the volunteers and the workshop setting. This highlighted the need for consistent communication with participants, as well as the importance of maintaining a regular, visible presence in the spaces where workshops were held. Establishing these connections made a noticeable difference in the level of engagement and the overall success of the workshops.

We also learned through one of our partners, the Women’s Night Coordinator, that the workshops had a significant impact on drawing in individuals who had previously been hesitant to engage with community services. They shared, “Your workshops draw so many people in and it makes such a big difference. People who wouldn’t have gone to Women’s Night are now going by themselves for the [arts & crafts] workshops!” This insight helped us realize that our workshops not only provided a creative outlet but also created a safe and welcoming environment that encouraged broader community participation, emphasizing the importance of art as a medium to help build trust within the community and strengthen connections.

What kinds of impact did the project have?

We measured success by tracking attendance and gathering verbal feedback from participants and local artists that we hired. We had a steady average of 20 participants at each of our workshops, with many participants attending regularly. Many expressed feeling more connected to others, less isolated, and experiencing reduced stress through their participation in the creative activities. All the local artists that we hired gave positive feedback on having collaborated with us and expressed gratitude for providing them with an opportunity to present their artistic skills and get compensated for it. The project’s positive impact on the greater DTES community became evident through the way the workshops fostered stronger community ties and helped create more inclusive and supportive environments throughout the neighborhood.

The project also deepened our partnerships with DEWC and VCH. Due to the positive reception and high levels of participant engagement, both DEWC and VCH requested that we continue offering arts and crafts workshops throughout the year, extending our initial collaboration through to January 2025. Given the aims of these organizations, this extension underscores the impact of the workshops in providing a consistent therapeutic and creative outlet for vulnerable community members.

In addition to deepening our relationships with DEWC and VCH, we also formed new connections with other community organizations, such as the Downtown Eastside Women’s Emergency Shelter and the Aoki Ross House (which provides housing for gender-diverse individuals). We have started running some arts & crafts workshops at these new locations, further expanding the reach of our arts-based programming and engaging a wider range of participants from the DTES community.