Artful Dodgers Studio relocation marks exciting new chapter

Last week, Jesuit Social Services celebrated the grand opening of the newly relocated Artful Dodgers Studio in Brunswick, now co-located with our Ecological Justice Hub.

Previously based in Collingwood, Artful Dodgers Studio provides trauma-informed, multidisciplinary, arts-based engagement for young people aged 16–28 experiencing psychosocial and intersectional life challenges. The move marks an exciting new chapter for the program, creating greater opportunities for creativity, connection and community in a vibrant shared space.

Following a smoking ceremony by Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Colin Hunter, the launch’s 85 attendees were invited to explore the newly renovated space, including the art studio, music room, and the existing thriving garden area – which has provided fresh food for the local Merri-Bek community for years and serves as a place for learning about ecological ways of being.

Former music facilitator and peer mentor for the studio Jesse says that being surrounded by green space will create new opportunities for creative growth for the participants of the studio.

“I feel like just being outside as a songwriter, with the sun shining and the birds chirping, that sense of nature can be really influential on creativity. There’s so much exciting environmental influence that will happen in the creative collaborations here.”

Bianca, former ecological justice coordinator for Jesuit Social Services, shared Jesse’s affinity for the programs now working with and alongside each other: “I think both creativity and engagement with the natural world connect us to love – and that can often get eclipsed in the social services sector when we are focused only on crisis or what is going wrong. Creativity and art reconnect us to why we do this work in the first place.”

When asked what she hopes the studio will become over the next five years, Bianca returned to that same principle of love.

“I hope this becomes a place of love – a place where people feel welcome, where different voices are present, where lived experience guides decision-making, and where people feel a sense of agency and belonging.”

After being welcomed into the space by CEO Julie Edwards and hearing a lively panel discussion, guests were invited to close out the event with a hands-on creative activity, decorating their own plant pots to take home, complete with a plant included.

“We hope that when you look at your plant at home, that you’ll remember today and this place, that you’ll reflect on what this program means for our community, and you’ll ask yourself the ways in which you might be able to show up to support that vision,” says program manager Merryn.

The relocation of Artful Dodgers Studio represents an exciting new chapter for the program and the communities it supports, creating a shared environment where art, ecology and justice can intersect in meaningful and transformative ways. For Jesse, though, it was important for him to note that the program has always held deep value, even during its more humble beginnings.

“[Volunteering] has probably been one of the most amazing periods of my life. To see music being used not just for commercial output, but to help empower people to connect to community, build their capacity, their confidence and their friendships…”

“This place was so special, is so special, and will be so special again.”

Learn more about the program and explore the studio’s new class timetable via the Artful Dodgers Studio page linked below.