Community Collaborations

Inspiring Creativity Through Community Partnerships

Community collaborations are a way for our organization to get closer to the members of our community. Over the years, Creative York has been involved in a variety of collaborations, the most well-known being Yorkfest, the I’m Fine. Project, and the Spread the Love Campaign. Creative York also partners with other local non-profit organizations to offer custom art classes for the community members that they serve. All these projects would not be successful without York’s strong community involvement.

Creative York has had a recent collaboration with the I’m Fine. Project from Carlisle, PA. Maureen Joyce and Carrie Breschi founded the I’m Fine. Project as a way to create a discussion surrounding mental health and remind us that we are never alone. Having begun this project in Carlisle, their goal with this collaboration was to open the conversation to the members of the York community. During the fall of 2021 and early 2022, Maureen and Carrie held various workshops around York County for community members to make ceramic masks. Their reasoning for choosing masks as their product is “a mask can be an expression of an individual’s mood, deep-seated emotions, or mental health struggles”. Starting as a preview show in The Art Lab in the Fall of 2021, the I’m fine. exhibition returned to Creative York, as well as numerous other satellite exhibitions, in the Spring of 2022.

Another recent collaboration has been the Spread the Love Campaign. In an effort to promote public art and unity during a difficult time, Creative York has teamed up with Bill and Kim Kerlin to install three sculptures around York City that say the word “Love” in three different languages. These sculptures are publicly funded and with every $5,000 threshold, the Kerlins will match the donation. The first sculpture is planned to be installed in the fall of 2022. For more information about the Spread the Love campaign or to donate, click here.