The Holyoke At Work artwork and discussions will be displayed at a potluck dinner.
HOLYOKE — Poetry and other kinds of art were used to improve communication among elected officials, city employees and others in the community in a series of meetings that culminate Wednesday.
"Holyoke at Work has been a great collaboration between city officials, residents and community activists. In these workshops, there are no titles, and we get beyond the typical barriers that too often divide us as people," Mayor Alex B. Morse said.
Art and other parts of the meetings of the past five months will be discussed from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Senior Center, 291 Pine St.
The event is a potluck with participants urged to bring a dish to share.
The Holyoke At Work meetings sought the "creative engagement" of someone's verse or photographs as launch points to get people who might otherwise not talk or have difficulty doing so involved together. The result was often brainstorming and laughter, a press release said.
Among those who participated were Police Chief James M. Neiswanger, Fire Chief John A. Pond, Morgan School Principal Aliza M. Pluta, Officer James J. Bartolomei, president of Local 388, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, Lyman Terrace resident Marcella Jayne, Lauren Helm of Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke, or CRUSH, and Michael Gallagher of the Department of Public Works and United Food and Commercial Workers, the press release said.
Residents Megan Barber and Javiera Benavante led the meetings, Morse said.
Holyoke At Work sprang from similar ventures used elsewhere such as Art At Work in Portland, Maine, where it was described as an "initiative to improve municipal government through strategic arts projects with municipal employees, elected officials and local artists."