Pictured is a collage made by one participant at the first community art therapy event on Jan. 8. (Photo courtesy of Amy Rynn)

ISHPEMING — In the wake of the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis, several business owners in Ishpeming came together to provide a space for reflection, grief and community support through art therapy.

Held in The Burrow, a mixed-use community space on Division Street in Ishpeming, local art therapist Amy Rynn of Woven Path Art Therapy and Counseling facilitated the first of these events on Jan. 8.

“It grew from a conversation with my friend and the owner of Bats Amore Used Bookstore (Kitty Raymond), where we were discussing feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed by the recent shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis,” said Rynn. “I offered an art therapy technique I was using in individual sessions to support clients with similar feelings, and we decided there was a need for this kind of creative expression in our community.”

Rynn has been an art therapist for 11 years. Most of her experience has been in Chicago, where she worked with a community mental health agency. She moved her art therapy practice to the Upper Peninsula in 2024.

“I decided I needed to continue achieving a balance in my work, one where I could sustain my business through clinical therapy while expanding into offering community-based support through the arts,” said Rynn.

The turnout for the first community art therapy for political grief event was so great and the response from attendees was so positive that Rynn decided to hold one each month.

“Making the event a monthly occurrence helps build continuity and community rather than treating political grief as a one-time conversation,” said Rynn.

“Art therapy offers an avenue to slow down and process political grief without the need to explain or defend your feelings. Many people are carrying fear, anger, sadness, hopelessness and exhaustion related to the current political climate.

“Often in our day-to-day lives, these emotions have no outlet, which can leave us feeling more irritable and run down. Creating art allows people to externalize what they are holding inside, which can reduce feelings of overwhelm and create a sense of grounding.

“The group community setting also reminds people that they are not alone in these emotions. Even when participants have different perspectives, the shared experience of grief, uncertainty and fatigue fosters empathy between neighbors. Our focus is to tend to the emotional impact these experiences are having on our nervous systems.”

Since the focus is on creating an outlet for emotional expression rather than on the product itself, these community art therapy events are open to all, regardless of artistic experience or ability.

“Kitty (Raymond) with Bats Amore, Kimmie (Conrad) with Snowday Fibers (both neighbors to the Woven Path Community Studio) and myself created a space outside of traditional therapy where people could gather, make art and process these feelings collectively,” said Rynn. “Art showed up as a way to hold the complexity of these emotions without forcing any resolution, which feels especially beneficial in this moment since so much is out of our personal control.”

The next community art therapy for political grief event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 200 E. Division St. in Ishpeming. To help cover the cost of supplies and to make the event sustainable, Rynn suggests a sliding donation between $5 and $20 per participant.

“More broadly, I hope events like this send a message that caring for our emotional and creative lives is not separate from civic engagement,” said Rynn. “Processing grief, stress, and fear is part of how we stay connected, resilient and capable of showing up for ourselves and one another.”

Those looking for more information can visit www.wovenpatharttherapy.com or the Woven Path Therapy Facebook page.

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.