Projects
Sustainability Action Fund Pilot Projects
( at Batiment7/ Point Saint Charles Art School)
EcoArtWorkshops is a project that is based on many different models of community engagement :
Eco Art Therapy / Nature-based art therapy, EcoPsychology, Climate-Informed Counselling, Art Therapy, Land Art, Environmental Art, Public Practice Art Therapy, Community Art/Community based Art Therapy, Social engaged Art practices ,and Participatory Art Practices.
Eco-Art Workshops (EAW) started as a pilot project coordinated by Rachel Pochat Selby and Nina Marisa Pariser when they were art therapy interns at the Point Saint Charles Art School, in Batiment7. Both were interested in a form of art therapy that involved eco-psychology (eco-art therapy) and how the therapeutic aspects of artmaking and nature could be made more accessible through community programming. They received a grant from Concordia’s Sustainability Action Fund that helps student led sustainability initiatives, to run five workshops outside at Batiment7 as part of Pointe St Charles Art school programming, plus an additional workshop in collaboration with the @art.hives.hq.concordia was added. Past workshops have included exploring climate solutions through a recycled material fashion show for dogs in parc marguerite bourgeoys ( via @parkppl grant in collaboration with Point St Charles Art School, material donated from the St Henri Art Hive), creating kites with elementary school children to send wishes of hope for plants animals in the Lachine Canal for the “Voyage project” ( in collaboration with @tdhtheatre , @chaoticbodies , Pointe St Charles Art School and @batiment7anous ) and doing papermaking, suncatcher creation, bug creation ( invited artist @annajanemcintyre ) botanical illustration and natural dyeing projects (invited artist @andrealindaw ), as well as collaborations with Danielle Beaudet (arttherapy intern) , @pedalbox_gallery@galerie_pedalbox , @cuccr , Learning from St Lawrence Project ( Kathleen Vaughan, @davelerue, @jacob_le_gallais_art ) fermette at B7(@ecogardensbykiki , @hangedmagpie ) @famillesenaction , @black_girl_magic_fighter Sentier Urbain, St Colomba House, Fun MTL, UrbaNature, Le Petit Velo Rouge, McGill Education Garden
among others!
Rachel is back in Sherbrooke now so you can follow her for all the best Sherbrooke eco-art projects! 💜✨
Big thank you to Catherine, Simone , Nadia, Kristina and Dave and the rest of Pointe st Charles art school team for support during pilot programming!
You can follow their account here : @pointe.st.charles.artschool
and donate to the school here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/53204?v2=true
Always aiming to work in right relationship with the land and communities we are collaborating with, EAW facilitates workshops and programming that hold space for all forms of engagement, in all cycles of being.
When Rachel moved away from Montreal we decided that Nina would continue running workshops under the EAW name, since there was still community interest.As the coordinator of the program Nina helps facilitate or co-facilitate workshops and sometimes she helps support and produce other teacher/artist’s workshops.