The Arts of Healing Across Borders: An Exploration of the Arts and Entrepreneurship for Refugee Women in Phoenix, Arizona

Close to Thessaloniki, Greece exists the Diavata refugee camp, an isolated, desolate area of fenced in shipping containers, where one of the world’s most vulnerable populations, refugees, have been living. Overcrowded and insecure conditions within the camp cause refugees to fight daily for access to the most basic resources and health care, particularly with women and children at risk. Due to the distressing living conditions within the camp, many organizations have sought to provide aid to the refugees, through legal services, education, health services, interpreters, and safe spaces. The Diavata refugee camp is just one story in a multitude, as there are 43.4 million refugees worldwide, with women and girls comprising fifty percent. While they are resilient survivors, refugee women have experienced an unconscionable amount of suffering and still are left behind in the workforce, educational systems, health care system, and general opportunities today. And yet, amid the chaos and terror, the refugee women in the Diavata camp created numerous, dazzling pieces of art and jewelry, shedding light on their abilities to cope with their traumas and showcasing bold works that help share their stories. These art pieces reflect their hopes, spirits, and desires for the future that help them to reimagine and reinvent their lives, while also sharing their unique experiences with the world more broadly. The project, "The Arts of Healing Across Borders: An Exploration of the Arts and Entrepreneurship for Refugee Women in Phoenix, Arizona," explores whether these artistic ventures can be translated outside of the Diavata refugee camp into communities of resettled refugee women within Phoenix, Arizona, a state with numerous, and yet, disparate refugee communities. This thesis contends that artistic programs can encourage healthy coping mechanisms, create harmonious, peaceful, inclusive, and integrative communities, and foster social, educational, and financial opportunities for refugee women in Phoenix, Arizona.