Finding Lines of Connection and Belonging

Five Years of Community Art at Friends Park | Mindkshetra Journal

For the fifth consecutive year, Mindkshetra continues its community art initiative at Friends Park, celebrating October Mental Health Month and Diwali through art-making.  What began as an initiative to activate this tree through yarn, colour and creativity has gradually become a familiar part of our community, with people now enquiring whether the installation will return each year.  This year, we revisit our existing yarn installation, Threads of Diya, while inviting the community to explore connection and belonging in a different way. Just as the strands of yarn connect and weave around this tree, we invite you to reflect on the many ways we connect with ourselves, others, our culture and the community around us. Through simple drawing prompts, we encourage people of all ages to explore their identity, the little things that bring them joy, and what connection and belonging mean to them. Each drawing becomes part of this collective installation, reminding us that although our stories and experiences may be different, we all have something to contribute. In keeping with the spirit of Diwali, which celebrates light over darkness, and October Mental Health Month, this installation continues to advocate for creative art-making as a way of encouraging conversations, fostering connections and supporting mental wellbeing.

Come, draw and be part of our community artwork!

You don’t need to be an artist. Choose a question that speaks to you and draw your answer using colours, shapes, patterns, lines or pictures.

Download a copy of this activity if you need to take the inspiration home.

Mindkshetra_Community_Drawing_Activity_A4_Landscape

Explore these five ideas:

• This Is Me! – How do you see or imagine yourself?
• If I Were an Animal or Bird… – What would you be?
• Little Things That Bring Me Joy – What makes you smile?
• If Happiness Had a Colour or Shape… – What might it look like?
• My Connections – Who or what makes you feel connected?

Choose one, combine a few, or follow your own imagination.

Our journey through community art

2022 | Culturally Creative Me

Our first year began with yarn wrapping around the trees at Friends Park, alongside a separate exhibition of cultural artworks.

The project featured Gond and Lippan-inspired folk art created through Culturally Creative Me, showcasing the work of three young adolescent women exploring their connections to culture, land and identity.

2023 | Kaleidoscope: Creating Me & Creative Me

In 2023, we explored how every person contributes to the colourful fabric of community.

Each thread represented a community member, while yarn wrapping, mosaic art and knitting invited conversations about identity, cultural diversity, connection and creative self-care.

Inspired by the metaphor of a kaleidoscope, the installation celebrated how our individual experiences come together to create something collective.

2024 | Tapestry Weaving Community Together

Our Tapestree installation brought together pre-loved fabrics, each carrying stories and memories of the person who once wore them.

The idea began with my mother’s sarees and grew through donations of meaningful fabrics from community members.

Woven around the tree, these pieces became a tapestry of lived experiences, reminding us of the connections that bring communities together.

2025 | Threads of Diya

A single continuous strand of yarn wrapped around the tree, symbolising how creativity connects us even through life’s tangles.

Community-created lamp-like forms represented light, hope and shared resilience. A Lippan art board, inspired by traditional Gujarati mud and mirror work, reflected our connections to culture and roots.

Celebrating Diwali, Mental Health Month and Breast Cancer Awareness, the installation invited us to consider how art can illuminate, connect and heal.

2026 | What will we create together?

This year’s installation continues the story, but the drawings are yours.

What brings you joy? How do you see yourself? What helps you feel connected?

We look forward to seeing how your drawings bring new colours, stories and connections to this familiar tree.

After the community event, we’ll return to this Journal post with photographs of the completed installation.

A community wellbeing arts initiative by Mindkshetra, in partnership with Cumberland City Council.