On Wednesday, April 9th, we held the final Community of Practice (CoP) event for the 2024-2025 academic year. Thirteen SOPR students and faculty came together, both in person and virtually, at the J.C. Taylor Nature Center in the Arboretum. We are so grateful to our friends at the Arboretum for providing this wonderful space for the SOPR community to gather again! This space feels like our unofficial clubhouse!
For this event, CoP facilitators Naty Tremblay, Tehzeeb Bano, and Allison Bishop organized a guided arts-making practice with a community potluck. Thanks to everyone who brought tasty and nourishing contributions to share! The hybrid group included SOPR faculty, students from every cohort, a recent graduate, and a kiddo – what is socially engaged change making without the children?
Naty led the group through an opening circle, reflecting on their seed stewardship practice, teachings from seeds about “over wintering and stratifying” and the change of seasons as we move into spring. They invited SOPR community members to share metaphorical (or not!) seeds they have been stratifying and are nurturing into the spring planting season.
For the remainder of the event, we created individual art pieces using a variety of materials. We sat in a circle around many tables covered in diverse arts materials; collage papers, paints, markers, pastels, scissors, glues, as well as ipads for those who wanted to create digital images. As we worked we caught up, shared stories, shared art-making skills, and discussed the creative prompts. A queer abolition music playlist carried us in the background!
The following prompts were offered for folks to use as inspiration for their art:
- What smells, images, and/or sounds do you think of when you think of your research praxis?
- If you had to choose three symbols to represent your research praxis, what would they be? How do they relate to transformative change?
- How do you engage with the SOPR program pillars? How can you communicate that without (primarily) using words?
While we made our pieces, SOPR student Nealob Kakar took photos to document the making process. A big thank you to Nealob for sharing your talents with us! At the end of the event, we went around the circle, and participants shared their creations and the meanings behind them
SOPR student Lily Barraclough creating artwork 
SOPR student and CoP facilitator Naty Tremblay, creating artwork 
SOPR student Dave Heidebrecht creating artwork 
A messy table full of colourful art-making supplies 
SOPR affiliate Lauren Van Patter, is sharing their art work with the group 
SOPR student Tehzeeb Bano is sharing her art with the group 
SOPR student Lily Barraclough (right) is sharing her art work with the group. SOPR faculty member Robert Hawkins is watching and smiling (left). 
SOPR affiliate Lauren Van Patter is laughing (left) beside SOPR student Maria Didanieli (center). Recent SOPR alumni Amy Kipp (right) has her head down, creating her art 
SOPR student Amanda Buchnea joined the CoP gathering virtually! In this photo she is sharing her art work with the group
Nealob collected the individual art pieces and digitally scanned them to create a larger community piece. This quilted patchwork of art represents the various ways we are all engaged in critical praxis and transformation change as students and faculty.
It was a lovely final event of the SOPR school year! Thanks to everyone who made these Community of Practice events so generative, collaborative, and meaningful this year. Thanks to the Arboretum team for access to the ‘clubhouse’. And an extra big thank you to Nealob for documenting our community with such love!
A group of SOPR community members are surrounding artwork on a table. Nealob is taking a selfie in with the group in the background. 
A group of SOPR community members are gathered around a table featuring the art they have made 
A close up of art SOPR community members made laid out on a table with people surrounding the table 
A close up of the art that was made, arranged on a table
With gratitude, the CoP Facilitation Team
Naty Tremblay, Tehzeeb Bano, Leah Connor, and Allison Bishop