An arts recovery program in Wangaratta is helping participants re-establish positive connections to nature after the 2020 summer bushfires.
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The Wangaratta Art Gallery's 'SPARK' program lets participants practice art, while creating community and prompting emotional healing.
Participant Janet Campbell said the first of five online nature journaling sessions had been meditative.
"It was quite nice," she said.
"It was an hour of actually focusing on what you were doing instead of getting distracted."
"In this case I had a leaf that I'd picked up from the ground and it was a beautiful leaf and I actually really looked at that leaf."
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Program facilitator Annie Brien said the program revealed how scary the fires had been.
"In talking with different people in the Wangaratta community, the threat of these fires and the impact of these fires was really the fear of the environment and no longer feeling safe in that space," she said.
"So the nature journaling is about how can we come back and connect with nature in a way that's positive for us and re-establishing those connections as something that's really good and uplifting for ourselves."
Ms Brien said the artistic process connected people positively to environment so they could heal.
"Because of the compacted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on top of the bushfires it's even more important now than ever before that our community has an opportunity to come together, connect, find solidarity and have an opportunity to find new pathways for connection," she said.
"That will support the community in coming out of the bushfire impacts and leaning into a future that means they're able to deal with any issues that come up with future disasters."
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