OUR WAY HERE: A SHARED JOURNEY

Cultured Creative Studio's two-day workshop brought together newcomers and emerging artists in Halifax to explore identity and belonging through collaborative art. Led and curated by Nahom Assefa with co-facilitators Macarena Carreño, Leen Bakri, Claudia Manco Peña, and Annie Basu at Wonder'neath Art Society, participants articulated their journeys of finding home through individual paintings, then connected their canvases with colored thread symbolizing shared emotions.

The resulting interconnected installation was exhibited at The Garden Retreat, attended by professional artists and cultural organizations, including the Immigration Museum of Pier 21, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, and Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. The exhibition featured live performances and provided emerging artists with crucial exposure to Halifax's professional arts community.

This project was supported by a micro-grant from The Howl Experience, which funded a five-day creative retreat at The Deanery Project in Eastern Nova Scotia. The retreat emphasized community-building, sustainability, and Indigenous "two-eyed seeing" approaches, informing the studio's ongoing commitment to transformative, culturally-grounded artistic practice.