“Black Imagination:

The contribution of black artists to the well-being of people and places”

From the WIN Network Community Digest February 22, 2024

Shared: 2/28/24

There are many organizations that support individuals and communities either at a local or national level. Once per month, for Wellness Wednesday, we will share one of these well-respected organizations in order to connect you with more resources that support Health & Wellness. 

As we close Black History Month, we are sharing a piece by the The Well Being in the Nation (WIN) Network, a growing strategic network working together to advance intergenerational well-being and equity. The WIN Community February 22, 2024 Digest is titled “Black Imagination: The contribution of black artists to the well-being of people and places”. The newsletter celebrates black artists and changemakers shaping history and reinforcing the WIN Network’s collective commitment to becoming a #betterancestor.

When we express ourselves and share talents with the community we all benefit. This notion of becoming a better ancestor is about working to improve the conditions around us so that everyone can thrive, taking constant steps toward leaving a legacy ensuring our children and children’s children have the best lives possible. For community wellbeing today and a better tomorrow for everyone, we lift up the voices of black artists making an impact not just during black history month, but all year long. We invite you to review the WIN Community Digest digest (consider signing up for the newsletter or becoming a part of the network) and consider how you may experience and support the contributions black artists.

Looking for local ways to do that? Here are two ideas:

  •  Support JAG. Their mission statement is:

    JAG Productions serves as an Artistic Sanctuary for Black Creatives in the American Theatre.We catalyze compassion, empathy, love, and community through the lens of the Black experience.

  • Go to the Hood Museum’s exhibit, Homecoming: Domesticity and Kinship in Global African Art. The Hood Museum describes this exhibit:

Emphasizing the role of women artists and feminine aesthetics in crafting African and African diaspora art histories, this exhibition surveys themes of home, kinship, motherhood, femininity, and intimacy in both historic and contemporary works. Homecoming breaks free of the binary traditional/contemporary to instead dwell at the interstices of history, futurity, and spirituality over the past two centuries.

To learn more about what the WIN Network, visit winnetwork.org, or reach out to Martha Tecca, Executive Director of CommunityCare of Lyme and a member of the WIN Network Measurement and Learning Collaborative. Martha would love to share more about the WIN and how it continues to inspire the work of CommunityCare of Lyme and welcoming efforts across the Upper Valley.

Every Wednesday, CommunityCare of Lyme lifts up a wellness topic, embracing the widest possible definition of individual and community well-being. We include local and national resources, individual and group programs and practices, and personal stories, videos, or songs that have something to teach us all. We are always seeking guest contributors! 

If you have a wellness-themed topic you would like to share or learn more about, please reach out to shelby@cclyme.org

Shelby Wood
Manager of Volunteer Participation
CommunityCare of Lyme
Shelby@cclyme.org
802-468-7776 (cell)
603-795-0603 (CCL office and help line)