Exploring social issues and forming friendships through art
A group of individuals in Melville, Perth is exploring how the arts have the power to transform hearts, strengthen understanding and transform communities.
The Arts Talks program started as an individual initiative with the first session organised in 2023. It began with a few friends who formed a taskforce exploring how the arts could be used as a portal to bring people together.
“In reality, you can find art in every aspect of life, from painting, to music, architecture, furniture design, fashion, cooking and food,” the team reflects.
Sessions so far have covered everything from painting to music, writing and crochet, and zen doodling. They will continue to explore other areas of interest to bring people together for learning and sharing their creative ideas and forming new friendships.
“Something happens when people gather around art,” the team reflects. “You don’t need fancy words or any background to respond to a song or a painting. Everyone has a way in. That’s really the heart of why spaces like Art Talks matter to us.”
The team has noticed that as people enter the program, they come in as watchers and slowly become makers. Ideas about service, unity, and the soul start to take on meaning when participants have the opportunity to create with their hands. “And funny enough, a chat about art usually turns into a chat about the kind of neighbourhood we want to live in.”
It feels timely too. With artificial intelligence and all new digital tools changing how art gets made, the team says it can be easy to forget about the human element. “We’re not against the technology at all. We just keep asking, how can these tools bring people closer instead of further apart? Technology is a tool, not a master.”
“And honestly, the mix of people is the best part. Youth from the neighbourhood, local artists, curious neighbours, grandparents, kids. Everyone learning together.
“What people walk away with isn’t really a skill. It’s more of a shift. Art can be a form of worship. Expression matters more than perfection. Creativity belongs to everyone.”
In its message dated 30 December 2021, the Universal House of Justice stated that:
Indeed the arts as a whole, so integral a part of the development of a community from the start, stand out in such settings as an important means of generating joy, strengthening bonds of unity, disseminating knowledge, and consolidating understanding…
The Universal House of Justice
“We’ve genuinely felt all three in these sessions,” the team reflects. “The joy of making something together. The understanding that comes when words on a page turn into something you can see and touch. And that quiet sense of unity when so many different voices come together around one purpose.”
…increasing attention needs to be given to other processes that seek to enhance the life of a community, for example, by improving public health, protecting the environment, or drawing more effectively on the power of the arts.
The Universal House of Justice
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Art Talks
The Arts Talks program started as an individual initiative with the first session organised in 2023. It began with a few friends who formed a taskforce exploring how the arts could be used as a portal to bring people together.
Published in September, 2026, in Individual Initiatives > Initiatives
Available online at: horizons.bahai.org.au/individual-initiatives/exploring-social-issues-and-forming-friendships-through-art/
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