AIS Grantee Highlight: PivotPoint's Dedication to Art Empowerment
Thank you to Steamboat Creates for providing this wonderful piece about these inventive art efforts. Since 2020 has become one of the strangest times in recent history, this initiative shares their approach towards remaining an open source for art opportunities and therapy.
Responsive measures are still continuing at PivotPoint, making their efforts all the more accessible and important. Although originally dedicated to sexual-assault survivors, Pivot Point increased its dedication of arts towards a broader spectrum of coping to those who need it most.
To support or register for Pivot Point, please visit them at www.steamboatcreates.org/pivot-point.
Healing Through Creativity: A Key to Healthy Learning
The first indication that life in our small community was going to change was when Ski Corp announced they were closing the ski mountain and ending the ski season early.
Then news came out that we would have to close our historic Art Depot due to COVID-19, along with every other non-essential business in our tourist-based town.
The impacts and implications of this virus were much larger than anyone originally thought. People we knew were laid off from their jobs. Uncertainty and anxiety pervaded every decision people had to make.
When we contacted Arts in Society to see if we could use the grant funding for the fall program to address the immediate emotional needs of rural Routt County, they agreed.
Without their support, there is no way we could have launched this program, be able to pay instructors and mental health professionals, create orientation manual/orientation training for instructors and administrators, or market the program to the people in the community who need it the most.
As an organization, we are facing a huge deficit due to our inability to hold fundraising events, community events, programs, and loss of sponsorships. The Arts in Society grant allowed us to serve our rural community and provide a no-barrier access to mental health treatment and new coping mechanisms.
Expressive Writing workshops orchestrated by Pivot Point allows participants to practice communicative skills and self-reflection.
What is Pivot Point?
PivotPoint helps people cope with stress, grief, and trauma through creative disciplines so we adapted the curriculum to address the stress, grief, and loss people were experiencing due to COVID-19.
Within a month we launched free weekly classes that used expressive movement, sonic arts, expressive writing, and visual arts to help with the emotional effects of COVID-19.
Even as we were launching the weekly program we began developing more intensive sessions lasting from four to six weeks where participants could immerse themselves in the creative discipline that was most comfortable for him/her/them.
Since we launched the program in June, we have served over 250 community members. We have seen tears, laughter, movement, heard voices sing, hands draw and thoughts released onto paper.
When COVID-19 arrived, we were standing at the edge of a cliff, not knowing what was in front of us or below us. We had a choice to stand and quiver or jump and know we could fly.
The Arts in Society grant has allowed us to fly and has given wings to the pain, fear, and uncertainty many of our community members continue to face. The impacts of this program will be felt for a long time to come.
Professionals and participants are able to collaborate on expressive movements that translate into therapeutic dance.
Thank you to Steamboat Creates for these amazing efforts during this time. We continue to look forward to new experiences and opportunities thanks to this organization.