Meaning-making through art-making at a community-based art program.

摘要

This study explores how children make-meaning through art-making at a community art program in an inner city community in Toronto. Through five months of fieldwork research at A Home for Creative Opportunity, interviews with four of the staff and a literature review, a deepened understanding of the children's experiences in the art program was gained. In this inquiry the contextual forces of the Regent Park community are considered alongside the activities that take place on a daily basis at the Art Centre. Questions that fuelled the inquiry are: how does meaning-making evolve from art-making in a community-based arts program, for the children who participate? And how does engagement in art-making affect these children, particularly in light of the challenging circumstance of growing up in Regent Park? The researcher identifies tangible themes and forces informing the children's experiences in the program, and considers the importance of community-based art initiatives as a mechanism of both personal and communal transformation.