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41 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T V O L . 2 W hen Jordyn Weddell first moved to the queer community in St. John's, it was her first time really getting to know and socializing with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Working with the Tessier Park Neighbourhood Association in partnership with other community organizations, Jordyn decided to put together a project centred around the installation of a mural in an income-diverse, gender-diverse, historically-criminalized neighbourhood's park. "One day, I had painted a picture of my chest and showed it to my roommate," Jordan recounts. "We talked about how I felt like I was reclaiming my body through the art a nd how cool it would be to do a sort of collage of body parts of our community members to make up a person. Well, we sort of asked around for people to participate and they enjoyed the concept." Seeing the support and encouragement from the community, Jordyn asked community members to submit photos of themselves showcasing a body part that they have had to overcome challenges with and to write a little blurb of their story. She then reached out and collaborated with an artist who interpreted it through a mural in the park. "It has helped us to create community connection, reclaim a public space where we often feel left out of, and make our homes feel a little more beautiful," reflects Jordyn. "Housing can often be an issue for queer folks in terms of safety and acceptance." The completed mural featured abstracted depictions of the people within the community, inviting each one into the process of creation to negotiate and interrogate themes of space, bodies, and identities. As one resident shared, "I love it! So happy to have my fence screaming out what's in my heart." Reclaiming Our Bodies Through Art Jordyn Weddell We talked about how I felt like I was reclaiming my body through the art... A blog post written by Jordyn about the creation of her mural.

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