Banner image: Photo by Daniel Villaneuva at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
"A MassQ is a ritual application of paint to the face in order to reveal one's inner state of being."
~ Daniel Callahan, TAP Artist-in-Residence
The Transformative Action Project (TAP) Artist-in-Residence Program offers a social engagement platform for renowned Boston-based artists whose works and practices reflect the resilience of the human spirit in the wake of trauma. Best known for his painterly technique of MassQing - a ritual painting of the face used to reveal rather than conceal one’s inner essence, TAP Artist-in-Residence Daniel Callahan is a multimedia artist, filmmaker and designer. Merging a legion of disciplines including painting, digital photography, film, music, writing and performance, Daniel works to craft immersive experiences incorporating story, ritual, and the human form to explore aspects of resilience and mysticism.
In conjunction with mindfulness activities facilitated by Barbara Hamm, Co-Director of TAP, three Artists-in-Residence are currently engaging with audiences as part of our Spring 2022 “Let Us” workshop series. Here, members of small groups are able to experience the benefits of their own creativity while also bearing witness to the artistic, mindful process of others - sparking new ideas, relieving feelings of isolation, and offering new perspectives. In this Artist-in-Residence Spotlight, we interviewed Daniel Callahan about his art, his practice, and his philosophy.
TAP: Tell us about your creative practice. What inspires you to create?
DC: My creative process often begins with emptying and stillness. I am inspired by moments of clarity where connections between seemingly disparate things are uncovered and revealed. My practice is very much me trying to understand and express impactful experiences I have had to others. I consider myself a transmedia artist and designer; meaning that my work mixes, morphs and ultimately transcends the mediums which I use and the industries in which I work. Through my practice, I look to bridge the gap between art, artist, observer and environment. While my mediums are in constant flux, and range from film, photography, music, painting, poetry and performance what remains constant is my aim to create holistic, immersive experiences that promote wonder, inspire reflection and engage transformation.
TAP: Transformative Action Project's (TAP) Artist-In-Residence program asserts the creative process and mindful practice as complementary modalities to promote healing from trauma - which in turn opens pathways towards hope. How do you see your personal artistic practice in dialogue with transformative change?
DC: Therapeutic self reflection and expression are at the core of my work, and that is especially the case with my MassQing work, which uses the human face as a canvas to create “MassQ’s” that seek to reveal rather than conceal who and what we are. MassQing began as a communal celebration but quickly evolved into a personal therapy. During a difficult period in my life I turned to MassQing as a meditative way to process thoughts and emotions I was then unable to express in words. Similarly, people who have experienced trauma often lack the ability to express their experiences and therefore are unable to fully process them. MassQing can be a non-verbal way to process complex emotions through creativity and provide an active and generative way to tell one’s story.
TAP: What advice would you offer to those who seek alternative strategies of confronting and overcoming personal challenges of living with anxiety, depression, and other manifestations of trauma?
DC: I think the most important first steps are 1) acknowledging the challenge and 2) finding someone to talk to about it. But again, for those who cannot find the words to talk about it, the use of visual or movement based activities can be a helpful and necessary first step. I believe our personal challenges are not punishments or failings but opportunities for empathy and connection with others and ourselves.
TAP: As an artist, how do you sustain your creative practice during troubling times?
DC: Troubling times can be the richest times for creating. But they can also be the poorest. Sometimes rest and healing are more important than creating. The most important thing for me has been developing a healthy relationship with self, because only my self knows what is best for it. A healthy relationship with self consists of accepting who and where I am, finding and focusing on the good, and continually working toward realizing my fullest potential.
Daniel Callahan is a multimedia artist, filmmaker and designer. Merging various disciplines including painting, digital photography, film, music, writing, and performance Daniel seeks to create immersive experiences incorporating story, ritual and the human form to explore aspects of human resilience and mysticism. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, and Emerson College, where he received an MFA in Film and Video, Daniel is a recipient of the Donor Circle for the Arts and NEFA Creative City Grants. His work has been featured in the Museum of Fine Arts, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Queens Museum, The New Orleans Museum of Art and publications such as The Bay State Banner and Words Beats & Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture. As President of the Roxbury Cultural District, Daniel strives to preserve, support and weave the rich artistic and cultural fabric of Roxbury with the people, organizations and institutions that make up the Roxbury Cultural District.
For more information about Daniel Callahan, visit:
www.DanielCallahan.com
Learn about Daniel Callahan's film "Come On In"
www.comeoninfilm.com
Learn about MassQ Ball 2022
www.massqball.com
The Transformative Action Project (TAP) is funded by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) and is dedicated to serving individuals, groups and communities impacted by crime and violence.