Join me for an inspiring Free Your Mind artist talk at Touchstone Center for Crafts . Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 24 at 6 p.m. Whether you join us on Zoom or in-person, this is an experience you won’t want to miss.
My Vision
Free Your Mind project is a powerful textile art installation that delves deep into personal narratives surrounding microaggressions. This multi-sensory endeavor not only showcases these stories but also embeds and liberates them through art, creating a space for reflection and understanding.
Why Attend?
Hear from the Artist: Gain unique insights into my creative process and the inspiration behind the Free Your Mind project.
Engage and Reflect: Participate in a dialogue that challenges perceptions and fosters a deeper understanding of microaggressions through the lens of art.
Flexible Attendance: Whether you’re nearby or far away, join me either in person or via Zoom. Please remember to register in advance for the Zoom talk on September 24.
Register Today
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative artistic experience. Register now for the Zoom talk on September 24 and get ready to free your mind .
The “Free Your Mind” project is set to engage audiences in two dynamic locations this year: the Touchstone Center for Crafts in Pennsylvania and The Delaware Contemporary. This initiative will run from May 17 to September 20 at the Touchstone Center for Crafts and from June 7 to August 30 at The Delaware Contemporary. Here’s how these engagements will highlight the project’s commitment to placemaking through artist-guided community artwork.
From May 17 to September 20, the Touchstone Center for Crafts in Pennsylvania will host the “Free Your Mind” project, transforming the center into a vibrant hub of artistic expression and community engagement. Here’s what participants can look forward to:
Interactive Exhibition: Throughout the summer, the Touchstone Center for Crafts visitors are invited to release a microaggression they have experienced on a ribbon. This dynamic display will encourage ongoing engagement and dialogue among community members and visitors alike.
Community Events: Special events, including two artist talks and open studios, and weekly community gatherings, will be held to celebrate the project’s progress. These events will foster social interaction and strengthen community bonds, making the Touchstone Center for Crafts a lively and inclusive space.
From June 7 to August 30, “Free Your Mind” will bring its transformative energy to The Delaware Contemporary. This engagement will offer unique opportunities for community involvement and artistic exploration:
Public Art Installation: The Delaware Contemporary will feature an immersive public art installation created through the project. In addition to providing an opportunity for visitors to release their microaggressions, an audio and video projection enhance the exhibition space.
Engagement Programs: Participants are invited to explore their implicit biases and contribute to the project. This program emphasizes inclusivity, ensuring everyone has a voice in the artistic process. The project aims will bring together community members, artists, and visitors to reflect on the impact of microaggressions and celebrate the power of collective creativity.
Join Us in Transforming Spaces
The “Free Your Mind” project at the Touchstone Center for Crafts and The Delaware Contemporary offers an exciting opportunity to experience the power of placemaking through monumental art. By engaging with this project, community members can contribute to meaningful transformation that reflect their collective identity and aspirations.
I invite you to join this artistic journey, whether by participating in a talk or simply visiting to witness the transformative power of community-driven art. Together, we can create spaces that resonate with beauty, unity, and a deep sense of belonging.
Mark your calendars and be part of the “Free Your Mind” project as it brings communities together and transforms our collective consciousness.
In the heart of every community lies a unique tapestry of stories, histories, and shared experiences. These elements, woven together, form the vibrant fabric of communal identity. As an artist deeply committed to fostering this sense of belonging, I believe in the transformative power of placemaking through monumental, artist-guided community artwork.
Placemaking: The Art of Belonging
Placemaking is an action-oriented approach that brings people together to shape their public spaces. It turns physical environments into communal havens, fostering social interaction and engagement. Through monumental art, placemaking becomes an immersive experience where each community member has a role to play.
Monumental Art: A Canvas for Community
Monumental art transcends the ordinary, capturing the essence of a community on a grand scale. These projects are not just about creating impressive visuals; they are about embedding collective narratives into the landscape. Each element of the artwork, reflects the voices and visions of the community it represents.
Artist-Guided Collaboration: Uniting Voices
Guiding a community through the creation of an artwork is an enriching journey. As an artist, my role is to facilitate this process, ensuring every participant feels heard and valued. This collaboration infuses the artwork with diverse perspectives, transforming it into a mosaic of collective identity.
Impact Beyond Aesthetics
The impact of artist-guided community artwork extends far beyond aesthetics. It strengthens social bonds, fosters pride, and ignites a sense of ownership among community members. These creations become landmarks, both physically and emotionally, standing as testaments to the power of collective effort and shared vision.
Join the Journey & Free Your Mind
I invite you to join me on this incredible journey of placemaking through “Free Your Mind”. Free Your Mind is a public textile art project aiming to collect, exhibit, embed and release personal narratives about Microaggressions in a multi-sensory installation.
This year, Free Your Mind is engaging audiences at Touchstone Center for Crafts in PA from May 17- September 20 and the Delaware Contemporary June 7- August 30th.
Together, we can create work that resonates with meaning, vibrancy, and a deep sense of community. Let’s turn our shared spaces into living canvases, where every member of our community sees themselves reflected and celebrated. In the spirit of collaboration and creativity, let’s craft artwork that enriches our collective spirit.
Despite the growing commitment to fostering racial equity, the daily experiences of women of color show little improvement. The persistence of microaggressions remains a stark reality, echoing the challenges faced before the emergence of the BLM movement. These microaggressions carry significant consequences, fostering stress, anger, frustration, self-doubt, and, ultimately, a sense of powerlessness and invisibility. Within this emotional landscape, my Emotional Baggage Carts emerge as vessels for the weight of racial trauma, offering a transformative act of liberation.
Weaving the Sting:
The act of crafting these carts is a powerful mechanism for weaving the sting of daily microaggressions into a tangible form. As I engage in this creative process, the emotional weight of these incidents is incorporated into the cart. This act of making serves as a cathartic release, offering a means to free myself from the constraints imposed by these triggers.
Liberation through Creation:
In the intricate process of weaving, the emotional baggage is not merely contained; it is transformed into a symbol of strength and resilience. The Emotional Baggage Carts become vessels that encapsulate the stories of microaggressions, allowing me to navigate and confront the emotional toll. Through this creative act, I reclaim a sense of agency and freedom, breaking free from the shackles of stress and self-doubt that accompany these daily challenges.
A Transformative Journey:
Each cart becomes a visual representation of the emotional journey, woven with threads of endurance and empowerment. The transformative nature of this creative endeavor serves as a testament to the strength and resilience inherent in women of color. The Emotional Baggage Carts stand not as burdens but as artifacts of triumph over adversity.
In the pursuit of racial equity, acknowledging the persistent challenges faced by women of color is essential. The Emotional Baggage Carts represent more than vessels for racial trauma; they embody a transformative journey toward resilience and empowerment. As microaggressions persist, these carts become symbols of strength, enabling women of color to weave their narratives of endurance and liberation, reclaiming a sense of agency in the face of adversity.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres was a highly influential contemporary artist known for his conceptual and minimalist works that often explored themes of love, loss, and the fragility of human existence. One of the distinctive aspects of his art is its materiality, which often employed everyday objects and minimalist aesthetics to convey profound emotional and political messages.
One of Gonzalez-Torres’s most famous works is his series of “Untitled” candy installations. These installations consist of piles of individually wrapped candies, typically placed directly on the floor or on a plinth. Viewers are invited to take a piece of candy, gradually depleting the pile over time. The materiality of the candies, which are perishable and consumable, serves as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life and the inevitability of loss. As viewers interact with the artwork by taking a piece of candy, they become participants in the process of transformation and decay, reflecting the cycle of life and death.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s exploration of materiality sparks my imagination. Inspired by his adept use of everyday objects and minimalist styles, I aim to craft artwork that resonates both visually and intellectually. Much like Gonzalez-Torres, I seek to engage viewers in reflecting upon profound themes in unexpected ways.
