Name
Lewiston Is Our Hope: Collective Hope-making Through Art, Story, and Community Installation
Date & Time
Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Location Name
Hong Kong
Session Type
Promising Practice
Description

Lewiston Is Our Hope is not just about studying hope but creating it through community-engaged, art-based research developed in the aftermath of the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting. Through broad community participation, the project held more than thirty art and storytelling workshops at Bates College, the University of Southern Maine Lewiston campus, local public schools, farmers' markets, shelters, healthcare facilities, and food pantries. People who live and work in Lewiston created over 400 unique pieces of art reflecting their personal visions of hope. Grounded in Lear's (2006) concept of radical hope—the commitment and courage to pursue new forms of collective flourishing—the session will share community-engaged methods, sample artworks, stories, and themes that show how art and research can cultivate hope.