This space grew out of a group of artists who, since the start of 2024, have been trying to find ways to hold what is happening in Palestine: an ongoing, illegal occupation and decades of impunity, and since October 2023, a devastation that has shaken many of us to the core.
We believe that grief is not given the space it deserves in our world. And we believe that when we allow ourselves to truly grieve, something shifts. A sense of connection and responsibility. And from that place, a call to act.
As artists, we feel this acutely. Nina Simone said it is the artist’s job to reflect the times. We take that seriously.
Our aspiration is to grow a collective, a space run by us, for us: to grieve together, to make together, and to find what action looks like through our particular gifts.
If this speaks to you, read more below. All are welcome.
Our intention is to grow a collective of artists and creative people as a space to…
* Feel and express our grief
* Connect with one another
* Build community and support
* Strengthen and inspire each other to take action
* Use our creative skills to speak up and stand in solidarity with Palestinians and all who experience colonial violence and oppression
We want this to be a democratic, inclusive group. People in the collective will actively shape it. We are all equal participants with an equal say in what we do together.
Joe and Jean will gently lead the first few sessions. After that, we will invite participants to lead or shape sessions too.
This group is for anyone, anywhere in the world…
You do not need to call yourself an artist. You do not need to have done anything creative before.
This group is for people who are open to exploring and expressing emotion through creativity. We will be a collective of people who express ourselves in different ways.
This is a heart space, rather than a space for political advocacy or activism.
This space is not for political discussion, rather i(t is for being with our feelings together. We respect political action, but here we focus on the heart.
All feelings are welcome: rage, anger, despair, sadness, numbness.
We will practice deep listening and loving speech from the Plum Village (Zen Buddhist) tradition. This helps create a safe, respectful container for everyone.
We will meet online and use creativity to connect with struggles for justice.
We will use journaling as a creative container for our explorations. Each session will include:
Time to feel and express grief
Creative making (journaling, collage, or other forms)
Gentle conversation and connection
A process of moving from grief toward action, while caring for ourselves
No experience is needed. This is about expression, not artistic skill.
We meet online on the last Thursday of each month, from 7.30 – 9.00 pm BST/GMT (Check in on times)
We start on September 24th – 7:30pm
Optional – to inspire your creativity.
(No need to have one to join the sesssions)
We would like to offer a creative pack to send out to UK based participants .
The pack will include
A hand-made journal, and materials to create your own, a pack of collage materials, postcards and other artwork from Jean and Joe
For participants outside the UK: We will share a folder of printable materials. We will also share ideas for how to create your own simple hand-made journals to use in our sessions.
We invite you to contribute £5 towards the cost of materials and postage.
Joe Holtaway 