Over the past few weeks, I have found myself settling into new routines after the holidays and beginning of the New Year. Yet as we move into February, it has occurred to me that we are at the one-year mark of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how feelings about this anniversary will arise within community members and will show up in their art and their behavior.

Of course, this will be a first for all of us, how to cope with a year altered by a global pandemic. I’ve been tapping deep into the art-therapist within me to consider ways we could mark this time at common art through some sort of mindful artistic activity. Yet what I feel challenged and struck by is the duality of the experience, there is the grief for a year full of loss and changes plus there is also the sense of accomplishment and acknowledgment that we have carried ourselves through such a difficult time while supporting each other as a community. This duality has inspired me to consider arts-based activities that can honor both of these experiences. I have felt inspired to consider using blank puzzle pieces for some sort of activity on this topic as a way for many ideas and feelings to come together into a larger puzzle. This inspiration has come from an ongoing monthly puzzle activity in which the community has been illustrating a puzzle that represents the theme of the month. Perhaps some sort of altered puzzle could assist with the many feelings that come to my mind after a year in a pandemic. This is something I will to continue to consider and discuss over the next month.

As we navigate this anniversary, there is a beacon of hope for many community members as phase two of the vaccination continues to roll out. Within the last week I have seen many community members who were quite elated to receive their first dose of the vaccine. Some have chosen to write about their vaccination experiences in the weekly publication at the Black Seed Writers Group at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I have felt such joy to watch community members begin to receive their vaccinations and those who wish to spread facts about the vaccination through their creative writing to inform the community. With both community and staff receiving vaccines, there is a renewed sense of thankfulness for this blessing. With all of these reflections in mind, I will continue to consider artistic approaches to the one-year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gentleness by Isabelle Ollson for Common Art