‘Sanctuary,’ 2022. Acrylics on canvas. 9 ft X 13 ft. Sanctuary, London, ON.
The most useful strategic plan is one built from the voices of the people the strategy is meant to serve.
Sanctuary
What do the people closest to homelessness know that the organizations serving them don’t?
Sanctuary’s network of support organizations came together through an arts-based research process to listen differently. Through individual interviews and group sessions, participants shared firsthand stories of what it means to navigate homelessness and addiction in London, Ontario.
Those stories were translated through art-making into a large-scale painting that now serves as a living strategic plan — grounding organizational decision-making in the voices of the people those decisions affect most. Board members engaged directly with individual participant images and quotes, bridging the distance between governance and lived experience. Video.
Social Artist Lead & Facilitator: Melanie Schambach
Partner Organization: Sanctuary, London Ontario
