OCNews

When the pandemic hit last year, Okanagan College Counsellor Sarah Lefebure took to her creative side to explore the many facets of her covid experience, launching a mixed media collage series of art projects aptly named, the Staying Home project.

“Staying Home is a community art project to help us honour what we’re living through in these covid times,” says Sarah. “Initially it was a way to create an artifact for myself to remember this time – the good and the bad – but it has grown into a project that speaks to many and has really become about post-traumatic growth.”

The art project features 12 small houses collaged with a variety of imagery including empty calendar pieces and tape holding it together. The house is a simple yet evocative shape with open walls and contains artwork on all spaces of the house – upside-down, inside and out.

“Perspective is everything and I wanted that to carry through into these houses; you can look at these homes from any angle and begin zooming in on the little details and noticing the beauty where you can find it.” explains Sarah. “I wanted to capture the upside-down feeling of the pandemic and really acknowledge the fullness of this experience and the moments we’ve lived through.”

The project has already caught the eye of Penticton Arts Council who is currently looking at doing a show of the houses with the possibility of offering take-and-make kits, allowing community members to build their own homes and reflect on their experiences.

“As a counsellor, I was really intrigued by the concept of what we have lost, what we have learned and what we have gained from this pandemic,” says Sarah. “This project has allowed me to explore this and has allowed me to stay present, which has been really cathartic.”

Sarah has offered a word of advice going forward - be gentle with yourself.

“It’s been exactly one year since I last hugged a friend. I imagine some of you may be marking similar milestones. Be gentle and kind to yourself.”

Visit the Staying Home project