Karen believes strongly in the potential of the individual, and the strength of community.
The arts have long been recognized to have the potential to promote health and wellbeing. They provide a different format to express oneself within, other than words. One of the most powerful contributions to health is that they reflect and create an inclusive sense of community. The sense of belonging and being part of a creative group empowers people. It creates a sense of wholeness and oneness.
The mandala in one of the greatest symbols of human experience. The word Mandala comes from the ancient text, Sanskrit, and translated means the centre and outer edge of the circle simultaneously. It represents the inner world of the self as a reflection of the universe. Mandala's are used in many cultures to express and explore the relationship that we have with our world and our selves and how that connects and inter-reacts.
The creative Mandala process allows parts of the unconscious mind to appear visually and fragmented parts of the psyche to be healed, either by creating Mandala's or meditating on them. Mandala's are easily accessible tools to use in self discovery and exploration.
They are particularly useful with children and young people because this form of creative expression does not require words.
Karen facilitates this healing in her work with
- Schools - primary and secondary
- VCAL students
- Youth at risk – ‘Connectus’,’Mission Australia’
- Terminally ill
- Corporate work
- Health and social workers
- Psychiatric units
- Family groups
- Government funded bodies – Vic health, Education Department etc.
- Community Houses
- Private work
- Artist in Residence
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE – LILYDALE WEST PRIMARY 2007
Grade 4 and some grade 5 students a Lilydale West Primary School were selected to work with Karen Scott, our artist in residence, and professional mandala painter. Karen has worked in a wide field with mandalas including, corporate work, ‘youth at risk’, terminally ill, with Victoria Health, in Psychiatric units, in secondary and primary schools, with teachers and health workers and private work.
The project was to create a large mosaic mandala (3 meters diameter) to represent the relationship between students and their world, suitable to blend in with a garden in six weeks.
Students chose images to represent concepts and explored their ideas before creating the design. The project ‘grew’. Each week saw new ideas and further developments demonstrating a greater field of creative expression and exploration.
The rainbow serpent from the indigenous peoples’ myth of the creation of the earth surrounds the mandala. Snakes symbolically are related to water and life is dependent on water. Snakes live very close to the earth’s surface, suggesting our need to foster a close relationship with our planet – to be sensitive to maintaining a balance for all life.
This snake is swallowing its tale (oroboris) representing cycles – ‘what goes around comes around’. Everything we think, say and do has an effect.
Different children said that the central sun could symbolize warmth and friendship, light, the centre of our universe, happiness, power and God.
The smaller faces around the inner circle were ‘us’ inside this world.
We are connected by the black pathway which is not always clear to us but what is clear is that we are together, people and creatures sharing the same world.
The blackness also symbolises night time when many animals and creatures become active. They are part of our world.
Black and white squares are an Indonesian concept of balance – good and evil. They show that there is a sense of equality which is important to practice. (This school has links with Indonesia)
Three large and bright faces are the protectors of the mandala. They symbolise our need to protect and guard our environment.
There are eight support mandalas depicting animals and creatures indigenous to our area. They need to be supported and protected too.
We are linked to our outer world and all that it contains – what we do today impacts on tomorrow. ‘What goes around comes around’.
This is what the 9 and 10 year olds at Lillydale West created.
The Mandala was blessed by an Indigenous Elder and a Tibetan Lama in the opening ceremony.
ARTIST BY INVITATION – Wantirna Secondary College 2007
Karen has been the guest speaker and visiting artist of the year 10 program for the second half of this year. This is an exploratory art and personal expression program involving 25 students at a time. Each student creates a 50cm diameter mandala, over a series of weeks representing their individual passion – what is motivational and inspirational.
SPRINGVALE HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CENTER 2007
Nine schools, both primary and secondary were involved in this project to paint a large wall mandala mural, and a set of mandalas (stepping stones) to represent the different cultural backgrounds of students from this area.
Designs and symbolism were selected by the participants.
- The ‘stepping stones’- 12 of differing sizes - show the diversity of pathways which we can follow to get to our destination.
- The wall mural depicts the world surrounded by hand prints with different flags in the palms. They represent the cultural experience and knowledge that each person brings and offers to this centre.