We were lucky to catch up with Lori Arbel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lori, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
#marks4theirlives Global Art Initiative
Honoring our place in this world as we leave our marks. Mark making, the first step to writing, communicating, inspiring, celebrating, and uniting us as global citizens.
Who: EveryONE
What: Take any size paper and make a mark for each year of your life.
When: Today
Where: home, school, office, neighborhood, community
Why: To celebrate oneness & diversity through art & remembrance.
Honor 1.5 million children’s lives taken from genocide and the Holocaust.
Promote mindfulness, tolerance, inclusion, & prevent genocide. Creating connections, conversations, and community.
How: Submit: www.loriarbel.com/marks-4-
#marks4theirlives Wants Your Art & Marks for an Ongoing Exhibit
The online project will include a traveling exhibit TBD; celebrating diversity and featuring thousands of global citizens’ artworks and collaborations, bringing awareness to the 1.5 million children’s lives lost to the Holocaust, and putting an end to global genocide.
Where did this project get inspiration from:
THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER
I went on The International March of the Living, an annual high school educational program, brings teens from around the world to Poland and Israel to study the history of the Holocaust. During college, I created an art project & memorial for the children killed so that I could grieve properly and provide a proper burial. It was painful and so I stopped talking about it. 13 years later I was working at a Jewish Day School and realized it was time to share again to Never Forget, and it was there that I created another project with my teen students. We attempted to whole punch 1.5 million butterflies. We got around 55,000, glued many together, and called the project a “Blanket in the Sky.”
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I am an artist, creativity coach and lightworker guiding moms and our community through personal journeys of self-discovery and, often, the discovery of their own talents. My passion to create mixed-media art and photography – and to help others bring out their own inner artists – has led me to teach in NYC and South Florida schools and community spaces for 19 years.
Whether finding personal expression and healing in art or helping clients and students do the same, I try to offer a positive, energetic perspective.
I’ve been pursuing my artistic muse since childhood. Later in life, I discovered that artistic expression could be a tool to heal. In college, I used art to work through the anger and pain of my Mom’s death. Later on, after the difficult birth of my child, I used art to sort through the emotional challenges and creative shutdown that followed. It was then that I was affected most profoundly by its power to heal. And it was then that I started teaching others how art could be used for healing in stressful situations. And how it can actually promote inner happiness and well-being.
I have two main collections. “Thought Patterns,” explores the inner psyche including the monotonous tasks of everyday life. Using marks and a reduced, neutral palette, I delve into thought patterns to question how we connect, respond, and make our mark on the world while embracing emotional introspection for content; creative expression as dialogue. Black pen and ink lines along with geometric shapes express visual patterns, as energetic and meditative renderings. The imperfections of the handmade paper and the pop of gold leaf illustrate metaphor, transforming sometimes negative energy into something positive and beautiful.
The other collection is a series of montages, titled “Ancestral Dialogues.” Each artwork blends original art with vintage images, collaborating with the wisdom and energy of our ancestors. May we pay homage and never forget their impact on the world while healing and inspiring new paths and legacies. These visual metaphors honor a rich past acting as a bridge into the future for generations to come.
To read more stories visit my blog and website.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was a passionate high school art teacher for 18 years. Towards the later part, I began doing a lot of personal healing work. Shadows and grief that needed to be explored; my mother’s death when I was 21, I was bullied as an adult teacher and went through a peaceful divorce. During this time I matured deeply. And during this time I transitioned into being called to work with women and the community as part of my healing journey. Helping a group that I saw suffering in and wanted to be of service in a new way. Still holding my heart for all humans and children I will continue to work in the community at large as well.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
When you have that sparkle of excitement support an artist! When you have that child-like curiosity to create art with an artist or visit their gallery. Reach out to artists to learn more about the concepts behind their work this may inspire you to collect and support another human’s talent. Share an artist with another friend. Commission an artist for your business. Find new ways in our business to incorporate art. A gallery, a new book cover, a wine label, a new artwork in your space. Together we can remember the past, live in the present with intention, and create a future rich in peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.loriarbel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loriarbelart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loriarbel
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loriarbel/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeN8pGh7Qy2eDZxGhlAo5lg
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lori-arbel-parkland-2
Image Credits
Opulence Photo & Moments by Mel