December 2022 News: A Message From the Artist

I've been meaning to post an update since October, but it's been a busy autumn, so thank you all for your patience.

Back in September, I visited Sarasota to attend the REACH Fall Institute conference at the University of South Florida. Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton shared her TRUTH framework for educating students in a way that is racially and culturally inclusive, and we spent three days working in small groups to design arts integration units for our upcoming residencies.

The following week, I collaborated with two peers to teach our The Mural as Narrative unit to a small group of students at Accelerated Learning Academy in Flint. Students were able to practice responding to artworks as well as following the creative process, and were ultimately able to make a classroom mural exploring the theme of dehumanization. Some chose to connect to their prior knowledge of the Holocaust gained from reading Elie Wiesel's Night; others examined how Black Americans like George Floyd have suffered at the hands of police officers, or chose to share more intimate stories from their own lives. While some sought to preserve memories of the past and others focused on a message of hope for the future, each student's personally meaningful section of railroad track combined to make a cohesive whole.

This REACH project has since led to some professional development opportunities, and plans are underway for another residency coming in the spring of 2023. What probably excites me the most is having witnessed so many Flint-based creatives and educators meeting for the first time and discovering we have a common desire to work together.

In more personal news, I have completed grad school applications to begin my MFA in Painting next fall, and there is new flooring being installed in my home this week. It's not been a productive quarter for painting but I am looking forward to soon having the time—and the space—to work.