Noticing & Naming the Elephant in the Room
Noticing and naming the elephant in the room requires attention, courage, trust, and hope.
Noticing the elephant in the room requires attention.
To attend and attune to both the obvious and the subtle. The shifts of bodies, glances, and energy. The things implied but not spoken, the unwritten rules that govern by insidiously operating in the shadows. They lose their power in the light. They lose their grip when voiced.
Naming the elephant in the room requires courage.
Courage to make what’s invisible visible. The courage not only to stand in truth, but to take a stand as you step into your power. Bearing witness. Being a force of love.
Naming the elephant in the room requires trust and hope.
Trust that it will be met, heard, held, and shifted. To hope for change when outcomes are largely out of your control, but the power is in the willingness to name it and do your part to bring the vision of change to life.
What began as an inkling of an idea unfolded into a powerful community-created art experience exploring the unspoken burdens of gendered expectations and the possibility for healing, visibility, and cultural change during the YWCA Gender Joy Art Show in May.
Together, we moved through 4 phases: (see the video of the unfolding here https://www.artofpresence.org/co-created )
Release — naming the harmful messages, expectations, and double binds that attempt to contain and control.
Reclaim — layering paint and new truths over the old, not to hide, but to transform.
Reimagine — inviting joy, play, color, and carefree creativity back into the process.
Reveal — making the elephant in the room visible and holding the possibility for a brighter future.
And now, the Elephant in the Room has not only been noticed, but named: Introducing Jubilee.
Jubilant: adj: feeling or expressing great joy. Perfect for the Gender Joy Art Show.
And what a fitting name for this elephant and this community created project with the intention of transforming the unspoken burdens of gendered expectations inviting connection, healing, visibility, and cultural change. This elephant represents the hope for a shift toward a majestic, magnetizing matriarchy, captivating but never captive. One that centers children, elders, and those most harmed by current systems in a circle of collective care. Rooted in reciprocal relationships of attending and attuning to each dear heart. Power with and power within. Knowing the Weight of Wisdom. A collective force of love and fierce compassion. Badass and Brave. Flourishing in Jubilation and Rebellious Joy.
The Elephant in the Room project has all been guided by intuition.
The vision came before the plan.
The canvas came before the project.
The project came before the process.
And now, the next chapter is arriving before I fully understand the logistics.
I went to visit Jubilee recently because I missed her.
A friend who hadn’t seen her yet came with me and was immediately moved to tears by the experience of being with her. A family member visited her separately and later texted me (shared with permission):
“It’s very powerful and I’m so mesmerized by the elephant, especially that eye. That elephant is the kind of being that a person wants looking out for them.”
As I listened to these reflections, had meaningful conversations and sat with my own reflections, another knowing dropped in.
I can’t sell Jubilee. Our work together is not done.
This entire project has been guided by intuition and inspiration, and what I know is that she is both mine and not mine.
She was created in community, and she belongs in spaces where she can continue to be seen and known and where she can see and know others.
I believe she is a traveling elephant.
An elephant that visits organizations, community spaces, and gathering places where her story can spark conversations, invite courageous truth-telling, and remind us to keep naming the elephants in the room.
I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet.
I trust the logistics will come later.
For now, I’m following the next breadcrumb.
And because Jubilee was co-created in community, I’d love your help imagining what comes next.
If you helped create her, witnessed her unfolding online, saw her in person, or have ideas about where she might travel next, I’d love to hear from you.
I’ve created a short survey to gather stories, reflections, and possibilities for her next chapter.
Because maybe the painting was never the outcome.
Maybe it’s just the beginning...
Learn more about Jubilee & opportunities for co-created art here:
https://www.artofpresence.org/co-created
Share your Experience of Jubilee & help shape next steps.
https://forms.gle/CW1sHqNm3wnUJPnP8
May this be a reminder of the power of collective co-creation and a call to courage to continue naming the elephants in the room, because something beautiful happens in the process: the release that comes from no longer holding it alone or biting your tongue, the freedom to begin a new foundation with support, the permission to invite wild and carefree creativity, and the ability to imagine a world where everyone is free to be their fullest selves.
Deep gratitude to YWCA Duluth and PAVSA for coordinating this powerful event and project. To Avery Makesroom for curating the amazing artwork from talented local artists, and for Zeitgeist Duluth for hosting in your beautiful space.
