“If you had a place of your own, what would it be?”

Photo: Janet King

PLACE workshops provide guided creative healing processes, intuitive, stair-stepped approaches to address generational trauma from wounding. 

Intentional art based projects provide a deliberately considered set of experiences and modalities to practice new thought processes and test new insights.

PLACE and its offerings are born from lived experiences as we commit to healing ourselves. We teach what we heal.

We provide visual modalities of storytelling to give voice to the parts of us that were once hidden connecting us to one another and our authentic selves.

Emily Yaumachi, PLACE alumna

Workshops

PLACE provides trauma informed artistic tools, creative thought processes and community to help explore hidden causes of heartache and family patterns. Workshops are based on our personal artistic healing journeys. 

PLACE encourages internal inquiry, group sharing and development of  intuition. Participants begin a journey that invites them to explore and practice self-agency and leadership through contemplative experiential workshops, exhibitions, speaker programs and public events.  

For the public, through the public art exhibitions and presentations, we  seek to spark curiosity and compassion for women and communities of color.


Our programs take many forms:

  • Workshops

  • Exhibitions

  • Public presentations

  • Alumni leadership evolvement

  • Private coaching: Intuition, Artistic Identity, Family patterns and Finding Self-Agency


Purpose:

  • Bring awareness of beliefs that hold you back and the influence of  family patterns

  • Learn and practice using creative tools to release limiting beliefs and lean into your intuition

  • Activate Self-Compassion to instill self-agency and advocacy for self and community.

Themes:

Turning On Intuition

  • Beliefs That Hold You Back

  • Exploring Patterns: Awareness of self and family patterns

  • If I had a place of my own, what would it be?: Art creation and public events (building self-agency/advocacy).

Each class offers facilitator-led and self-guided healing modalities through intentional, intuitive art making using our hands, hearts and eyes.

Workshop Types

Residency (6-month to 1 year)

This is a guided healing process, a considered, deliberate, intuitive, stair stepped  thought process and journey. We usually meet weekly for 4.5 months, the final 1.5 months usually includes a professional art exhibition and or an Artists’ Talk. Then we keep in touch as a group throughout the year.

  • This is not a general art making, you will experience and practice self-awareness thought processes individually and as a group.

Individual Workshop Components (2-5 sessions per theme)

Understanding that there are situations where attending a 6 month residency program may not be practical, we are beginning to offer individual components. This provides a small taste of the transformation inherent in PLACE.

Delivery style: Online, Hybrid and In-person (Workshops can be customized to the specific group’s needs and goals)


Alumni Development Program

We believe healing is a long term process. Through evolving modalities, some as simple as a text thread, PLACE provides ongoing guidance, encouraging Peer mentorship, alumni gatherings, public presentations and leadership development opportunities.

Alumni can participate as workshop facilitators, art exhibition co-curators, operations, PR, social media and grant writing opportunities.

  • Cultural Community and Intergenerational Stories

  • Found Object based Art work, sparking intuition

  • Participatory and curatorial opportunities for Alumni

  • Organizing speaking engagements

Artwork by: Crystal Fiel

Art Exhibitions

A PLACE OF YOUR OWN: If you had a place of your own, what would it be? - Art the represents one’s healing journey toward self-awareness and self-Agency.

The HUNGRY GHOSTS: Navigating Chronic Heartache to Resilience - An internal archaeological dig into beliefs that hold you back and the family patterns as an practice to release them.

Each exhibition includes:

  • Inspiring ART work made with “found objects” making it easily accessible for any age and expertise level to engage. This work is created with intentional attention to our intuition. 

  • In preparation to share with the public, artists are guided to become versed about  the meaning of their work. (only if they are comfortable)

  • Public Interaction components: A project with intergenerational engagement prompts and art materials.

Speaker Series

Public/private presentations: Artists’ Talks, Panel Discussions, Group Discussions, “In Conversation With..”

We share the healing journeys, creative thought processes and artwork with slides and videos.

In-Person, Via Zoom, 24/7 access to archived talks on YouTube channel.

  • Upcoming

  • Recorded links

  • Schedule a speaker, panel discussions or workshops

    • Topics based in trauma informed and contemplative changemaking  art practices

      • PLACE Artists’ artistic healing journeys

      • The PLACE creative healing process. The 5 Phases.

      • Cup of Tea and a Chat: How do we use art to help alleviate stress, discover and challenge family patterns, and use our innate creativity to heal.

What People Are Saying

 

“The personal benefits I have gained from being involved with PLACE since 2010, has far exceeded my expectations. I discovered that I am a visual artist and want to share my stories. Most importantly, I have become more aware of my deep trauma stemming from my violent Vietnamese French ancestry and have gained the courage to face issues head on enough to seek professional help.”

— Isabelle Thuy Pelaud

“I am a survivor of domestic violcence and fought in courts for custory of my children since 2002. I was able to escape my abusive environment, but could not retain my kids. I have been trying to process this devastating turn in my life. I am very grateful to PLACE, which gave me the means and courage to express my feelings about my situation and to share it with the general public. My art for PLACE is all about finding a connection with my children.”

— Xiaojie Zheng

“This project has helped me to take control of a range of experiences and memories by allowing me to articulate, process, and transform feelings and thoughts into a way that enhance personal growth instead of dismissing them, belittling them or allowing others to dictate what they are supposed to mean to me.”

— Irene Wibawa

Disclaimer: Cynthia Tom, PLACE founding director, is not a therapist. She is a professional artist and curator of over 32 years, who uses intuitive art making to heal herself. She shares her experiences through self-reflective, creative arts making processes to explore underlying beliefs and family patterns, aspirations and internal thought processes.