Notebooks made to be placed in different corners of the neighbourhood to invite community voices
This week has been incredibly busy, but we’ve made significant strides—truly moving forward—after refocusing the direction of our final project. We decided to shift our lens toward exploring how women cultivate community and a sense of place through the neighbourhood art scene. With this new focus, we’ve also developed additional guiding questions to shape our research.
Accomplishments
Group Collaboration & Cohesion: Our group has been meeting more frequently outside of class, despite initially struggling with conflicting schedules. This increased commitment reflects our shared dedication to bringing our reimagined vision to life. Over time, we’ve grown more cohesive as a team. Each of us has naturally taken on roles that align with our unique strengths—often in artistic and complementary ways—which has made our workflow smoother and more effective. This organic collaboration marks a key success for us.
Interviews & Critical Conversations: Angelina has conducted four interviews, providing rich material for both our podcast and the final long-form journal. These interviews have not only deepened our understanding of the topic but also helped us forge meaningful connections with participants, enriching our work both intellectually and emotionally. We also had a critical group discussion around the themes emerging from these interviews, which has guided the development of a strong video component for our podcast. We’re currently working on transcribing the recorded interviews to incorporate into our final submissions.
Upcoming Interviews: Leticia has arranged an interview with Layla Zia, Manager of Operations and Strategic Initiatives at the Learning Development Center (LDC) in Regent Park, scheduled for Monday, March 24. The LDC is a key community hub that offers educational programs, including the Regent Park Sewing Studio (RPSS). We’re also hoping this interview will help us connect with one of the creators behind the Love Quilt.
Community Engagement: We placed sixteen notebooks in various locations throughout Regent Park, inviting residents to share their thoughts and stories. The response has been encouraging—several notebooks, especially those outside Daniels Place, have already been filled with entries. Even some of our classmates contributed. This weekend, we plan to attend the Pop-Up Market at the Double Take YSM second-hand store, where we’ll place an additional notebook. We anticipate participation from Regent Park residents, including local artists and crafters. This market not only offers creative expression but also a form of financial justice by allowing artists to showcase their work and build entrepreneurial skills.
Partnership with Fred Victor Drop-In Center: We’ve also connected with the Fred Victor Drop-In Center at 40 Oak Street, which will further expand our community reach and strengthen the social ties in our project.
Challenges and Setbacks:
Interview with Jennifer Lafontaine: Despite several attempts, we’ve been unable to finalize a time for an interview with Jennifer Lafontaine, former manager of the Women’s Program at Central Neighbourhood House (CNH) and creator of the Digital Storytelling program. Her work provided Regent Park women a platform to document their experiences during the area’s early revitalization—a perspective we deeply value and hope to include.
Contact with the creators of the Love Quilt: We’ve also faced difficulty connecting with the creators of the Love Quilt. While we did speak with Zakina Khanam, one of the quilt’s creators, she declined an interview due to health reasons. Though this was disappointing, we completely respect and understand her decision.
Stolen Booklets and Thefted Art: A funny thing that is also a bit frustrating is that some of our little magical booklets that we placed around the neighbourhood have gone M.I.A…. (very suspicious). Later on, we should be more attentive and careful about where we place them (especially since we haven’t even gotten a chance to take a look at most of them yet). A major loss that we experienced this week was losing a booklet that one of the artists on the Living Lane, Benny Bing, had written an extensive and detailed entry.
Even with a few setbacks, we are making steady and meaningful progress. We’re excited for the next phase—continuing our engagement with the Regent Park community, expanding our research, and finalizing both our podcast and long-form journalism pieces.
The team members of Ars Comnunitas are Sunnie, Leticia, Amie, Angelina, and Avila (Youjia).