Community storytelling projects
Handmade Stories
Handmade Stories is about getting in touch with each other through our hands. I began this public art adventure, funded by Awesome PDX, in 2018 when I interviewed and drew the hands of 30 Portlanders. The interviews focused on how diverse vocations use the hands: ASL interpreter, massage therapist, cook, metal worker, and more! Drawings from the interviews inspired parties at public parks around town where original drawings and written stories were displayed along with the opportunity for more people to share their own stories on printed postcards. All participants received the anonymous hands and unique story of a fellow Portlander in the mail.
Oral history and storytelling
Good listening invites good storytelling. When I interview someone, I try to listen with my whole body and to be aware of not just their words but also their body language, emotion, and energy. I listen for what is not said and I ask questions to open up space for new reflection and revelations. The chance to hear someone’s story is a gift I want to honor by sharing their narrative in creative ways. While a typed transcript is an important historical document, I am most interested in sharing the content of interviews through poems, visual illustrations, audio compilations, performances, and community gatherings.
Let’s work together to gather and share the stories and wisdom of those in your community. Imagine an illustrated book featuring the stories of participants in a youth program or a performance of poetry that shares the life experience of elders or a public gathering with interactive audio booths that tell the stories of local business owners. The possibilities for creative storytelling are endless!
Flor, co-owner of Don Churro's food cart posing with the drawing I made of her hands preparing food
Artist, Maila, with the drawing I did of her hands weaving
Drawing and interviewing musician and bookmaker, Doug, while he played the Turkish banjo
Posing with journalist, Tania, after a live interview on her program Buscando America on KBOO Radio
Public display of drawings and stories from the Handmade Stories project
Public display of drawings and stories from the Handmade Stories project
Public display of drawings and stories from the Handmade Stories project
Community member writing about his hands on a postcard that will be mailed to another participant
Community members discussing and writing about their hands on postcards to be mailed to other participants
Postcards written by community members at the Handmade Stories public events
Performer and mask-maker, Robi, working on a new mask in his studio while I drew his hands in action
Handmade Stories participant experience
“I never put a lot of importance into my hands until Arcadia drew them. I felt proud of myself when I saw my hands in the drawing. It makes me admire myself more as a person. It makes me feel important that someone could tell me that my hands make beautiful things. I think the other people in the project felt and thought the same thing when they saw their drawings.”
- Yolanda Cabrera, participant in Handmade Stories Project
“Nunca le tomé importancia de mis manos hasta que Arcadia me dibujaste. Me sentí orgullosa de mí misma ver mis manos en el dibujo. Me hace admirarme más como persona. Me hace sentir importante que alguien podía decirme que mis manos hacen cosas bonitas. Creo lo mismo siente y piensa las otras personas que miraron sus dibujos.”
- Yolanda Cabrera, participante en el proyecto Historias Hechas de Mano
“In the Handmade Stories project, many members of our community were positively impacted by having their stories heard and shared, or by receiving the beautiful stories of others, and seeing how our stories touch one another. Arcadia has incredible artistic abilities, skills in whole-hearted listening and creative collaboration, and the capacity to follow-through.”
— Mira Wood Bolaños, Community Organizer at Leaven Community