Throughout my life, two things have been constant: the practice of drawing and my desire for community. Wanting to merge these two aspects has taken me on a lifelong journey, culminating in this graduation project which explores how collaborative art-making can foster a sense of belonging. Specifically, within my art mentorship program in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, called ‘Redefine Arts’, I investigate how drawing together can facilitate vulnerability, conversation, agency and creativity. Since the summer of 2018, Redefine Arts has provided its students with an open studio environment where they can create art and be inspired. Beyond creating opportunities for students, I wanted to extend my focus to creating a safe space for students to grow relationally with each other.

Guided by Paulo Freire’s Spiral Model, feminist thought, and radical pedagogy, I used the existing practices and rituals in the studio to delve deeper into the research with my students. The cornerstone of our afternoons was the practice of drawing together, which prompted exploration of its various aspects, such as the way we draw together, the contextual influences on the drawing process and the underlying factors that contribute to a sense of belonging. By looking at Community Art and after-school art programs, I constructed a pedagogical framework that both underpins Redefine Arts and supports an ethical position essential for my personal engagement in community practices.

This practice-based research formed a cyclical process, an upward spiral, where theory informed the practice, and practice refined the theory. To strengthen this concept, I utilized the metaphor of a garden, presented in the form of five sketchbooks. This format symbolizes the dynamic nature of drawing together – an ongoing process embracing change, rejecting perfectionism, celebrating experimentation, and resisting the notion of completion.