I am thinking of endings today as I recently announced to the community that I only have a short time left at common art. I expressed my gratitude to everyone and told the community how much they have helped me grow. I shared with them the site where I’ll be going for my second internship and explained how my experience with them helped me get this opportunity.

I shared how the program has helped me realize that a space like this is what I want for my future career. I wanted to make sure the community not only knew how much I appreciated them, but also what their hosting of interns could do for the future. They play an important role in shaping the careers of mental-health professionals. So does Emmanuel Church by providing an internship site. I also shared with everyone my plan for my final project. Having prepared for this announcement for some time, I felt relief in making it!

I’m also relieved to have a finished plan for my final weeks here. Having just finished creating trading cards with the community artists, I think they perfectly represent our diverse abilities and the many forms of expression we take. My final project will be a large woven tapestry, in which all of the artists participate by weaving a chosen yarn or stringing objects like beads onto it. In the end we will have a tapestry made up of stripes added by everyone. My plan is for this piece to be a permanent artwork for display at 15 Newbury. I’m thinking of placing it in the Ecclesia office, but I’ll ask the community for their ideas, as it will be for all of them. I want my gift to stay when I depart.

– Marielle Carpentier, 4/3/2022