MMWIA : FCG, 2026

Art—Community, Science—Spirituality, and Nature: One Art Project Scaffolding New Avenues of Study 

That's a big title. It reflects who I am: an educator, a community-building architect, a social scientist, and, through all of it, an artist — and it captures where that path is now leading. This body of work, with all the activities, the diagrams, the outdoor site, and the gallery drawing, is presented here as the early stages of new social science research around issues of the social utility of art practice on community building and social coherence. 

Through MMWIA : FCG, research questions begin to emerge. What role can artistic practice play in community-building and social cohesion? What is the relationship between science and spirituality? Are there aspects of natural systems that model social structure and processes of community development? How does a place impact the character of human interaction? 

Phase 2 of the project, now on display and evolving in the gallery, demonstrates how scientific research ideas develop from a hunch and a favourable setting, to a series of unanswered questions that ultimately lead to formalized research study. The images and notes you see here are my observational notebook. It is a grab-bag of research ideas. This exhibition space is a laboratory, and you and I are co-researchers. In collaboration with Forest City Gallery, we are paving the way for future editions of the Meet Me Where I'm At series, and for robust academic study of the potential for artistic practice to play a codified role in social-science research and community resilience. I have so many questions.

Social Cohesion refers to the measurable bonds, trust, and sense of belonging that hold communities together.

Hypothesis: Art practice offers a uniquely nimble framework for social science research.