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Women Creating Public Art and Community, 2000–2014

  • Original Article
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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

This narrative describes a series of 15 short-term public art projects that were part of a program for women and girls in Lowell, Massachusetts, a mid-size city in the United States. The projects were designed to give public space to women’s stories and perspectives by exhibiting their creative art in response to suggested themes. A few thousand women and girls representing diverse age and cultural groups created art based on their lived experiences. The organizers of the program met people in comfortable settings, tailored their art-making approaches to particular groups, and used inclusive processes in developing and executing the program. Program successes and challenges were related to the organizational structure of the art projects, the annual themes and art media, the extent of outreach and support, the process of creation, and the impact of art exhibits. Using community psychology and feminist frameworks, authors reflect on the projects and their relevance across contexts, highlight key organizing strategies, and identify ways the project represents community psychology in action.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all of the women and girls who made art and members of the Lowell Women’s Week Committee. We thank Kathy Desilets and Susan Gaylord for their contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 113 Wilder Street, Ste 300, Lowell, MA, 01854-3059, USA

    Anne Mulvey

  2. Circle Home, Inc., Lowell, MA, USA

    Irene M. Egan

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  1. Anne Mulvey
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  2. Irene M. Egan
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Correspondence to Anne Mulvey.

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Mulvey, A., Egan, I.M. Women Creating Public Art and Community, 2000–2014. Am J Community Psychol 55, 115–127 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9689-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9689-4

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