谢里登的艺术蜂巢创造归属感、社区和联系

There’s a friendly buzz of activity and conversation in the Learning Commons at Sheridan’s Trafalgar Road Campus on a Wednesday afternoon, and it’s coming from a group of students huddled around tables covered with colourful arts and craft supplies.

The students are hard at work, but the projects they’re working on here don’t have a rubric or a deadline, and they won’t be graded.

这是艺术蜂巢：一个安全、有创意的聚会空间，欢迎每个艺术家，不管他们的能力如何。 每周三上午11点至下午2点，谢里登社区被邀请使用免费提供的艺术和手工艺品材料进行探索和创作。

这一倡议源于艺术疗法，艺术疗法认为创造性活动可以治愈疾病，减少压力、恐惧和焦虑。 An Art Hive’s purpose is to promote wellness, equity, diversity, inclusion and sustainability through creativity. Alongside supporting student wellness, Art Hive works primarily with donated, recycled, upcycled and repurposed materials, aligning with Sheridan’s environmental sustainability work through 任务零 to advance the 联合国可持续发展目标 (SDGs).

Kirsten Abrahamson, an 艺术基础 professor in the 动画、艺术与设计学院 became the Art Hive Coordinator in 2021. 虽然该计划于2018年构思，但由于2019冠状病毒病大流行，该计划于2020年短暂关闭。 当亚伯拉罕森在2021年担任这个角色时，她自愿在网上运营这个项目，并于2022年在特拉法加路校区重新启动，作为每周一次的活动，在那里它继续受到欢迎。

“Participants have noticed that their stress and anxiety are lessened, and their sense of belonging and community are heightened.”

– Art Hive Coordinator Kirsten Abrahamson

“The impact of Art Hive on participants is profound,” said Abrahamson. “Participants have noticed that their stress and anxiety are lessened, and their sense of belonging and community are heightened when they spend time working creatively with their hands. We’re proud to be the only 安大略 college to offer an Art Hive as a means to support well-being in our community.”

Past participants have expressed the Hive’s importance in helping them make friends and feel part of a community. 目前正在计划在宾顿的戴维斯校区提供一个艺术蜂巢。

艺术之巢欢迎学生、教师、员工甚至家庭成员，并鼓励他们参与诸如串珠、感受等艺术项目。

艺术蜂巢也是一个学习和成长的地方，谢里登社区成员分享想法和技术。 Ideas are exchanged freely as students learn from each other and teach each other – known as the “each-one-teach-one" philosophy. 本学期，谢里登同行导师正在支持该计划和发展技能的领导，指导，团队合作，组织，规划和技术技能。

“Art Hive is a welcoming space where individuals from diverse backgrounds come together, fostering a sense of unity and community,” said Amninder Kaur, a second-year international student in the Computer Systems Technology – Software Development and Network Engineering program and a peer mentor who supports Art Hive. “It provides me with a creative outlet where I can relieve stress from my studies, express myself and leave with a renewed sense of joy and connection."

Creativity is the only expectation at Art Hive – students can take a break from academics and productivity in the creative pursuit of art for the sake of art. 他们带着一种新的平静和灵感回到学习中。

“It is magical to watch how folks look through the assorted variety of materials we put out each week and come up with the most amazing ideas for creating things with it,” Abrahamson said. “This free exchange of ideas is beautiful and really broadens our ways of thinking.”

If you have craft materials to donate, please email kirsten.abrahamson@sheridancollege.ca. 可接受的物品包括珠子、胶水、织物、丝带、纱线、纽扣、毛毡、画纸等。

If you are a faculty or staff member who is interested in volunteering at the Art Hive, contact kirsten.abrahamson@sheridancollege.ca.

Learn more about the history of Sheridan’s Art Hive.