Healing Together: Visualizing the Power of Community in Holistic Healing

Academic Mentor | Catalina Alzate
Community Partner | Urbana Acupuncture

Project Description
This project builds on the foundation that strong communities are critical and indispensable to improve people's well-being, and that visual culture and graphic design have an important role in supporting community wellbeing. The project is part of a research agenda that studies the historical and contemporary visual culture of Community Acupuncture. The focus in the summer is in developing graphic materials that expose the nuances and intricacies of the concept of community in healing, in partnership with our local Community Acupuncture clinic: Urbana Acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a safe, gentle and effective way to relieve pain, tension, and stress, and promote good health. The model of Community Acupuncture derives from the work by the Lincoln Acupuncture Detox Collective in New York City in the 1970s, and follows a history of radical provision of healthcare to underserved populations in the US. The model has devised social, technical and economic mechanisms that lower the barrier for patients to access healthcare, adhere to a non-invasive treatment, and engage in a holistic healing journey in a group setting, improving their quality of lives, and that of their communities.

In partnership with Urbana Acupuncture, we will conduct various forms of research to deepen our understanding of the nuances, intricacies and contradictions in the act of healing together, and devise graphic design materials that communicate these aspects to larger audiences, and continue the visual legacy of a powerful community healthcare model. The graphic design outcomes will be displayed in the clinic and other relevant local venues.

Role of the Community-Academic Scholar
The scholar will play an integral role in every phase of the project and:

• Conduct primary research on Urbana Acupuncture’s archives and community initiativess and secondary research to understand the history and practice of community acupuncture in the United States
• Collaborate with the academic mentor and community partner to design and co-facilitate participatory sessions, helping guide patients through visual storytelling and creative exercises
• During these sessions, the scholar will assist in preparing materials, fostering a collaborative environment, and documenting insights
• Contribute to developing the final graphic materials, ensuring they are culturally relevant and reflective of the patients’ collective experiences