Spring 2021 Virtual Showcase - On Display Now

After another cycle of creativity, community, and flexibility, we are thrilled to present our culmination of amazing work from our Spring cycle participants. This term, we honed our skills in classic art forms and expanded our repertoire to new mediums. We are continually impressed by our survivors’ diversity of ideas and unwavering support that they offer each other to make their visions a reality.

We started our workshops with classic drawing and an added homage to the Zoom world. We combined lessons in pencil sketching with learning digital drawing apps- toying with the line of what makes for “fine art.” While some participants preferred to mimic traditional painting styles, others found their groove in the geometry of pixels. We explored whichever medium felt true to our inner artists.

Our next workshop helped us explore brush strokes and styles through classic painting. We practiced painting things in our worlds that brought us peace. Then, we took a step away from what we can see and were challenged to paint what we feel. We explored the concept of Mandorla, which is an “almond” shape that invites artists to consider where their spirituality and power intersect to create healing.

Continuing to look inward, we were led through creative writing exercises to shake our brains loose of traditional thinking. One word turned into a sentence, into a rich narrative of our survivors’ paths to self-discovery and happiness.

We also brought new purpose for household paper. One of our own participants led workshops in new rolling techniques that have helped us see endless possibilities in what we thought were scraps! We made dozens of paper beads and wall hangings with our new 2D-to-3D technique. We borrowed from the classic technique of paper mache and turned newspaper and tissue paper into functional decorative bowls. With our remaining scraps, we made homemade paper from paper and pulp.

Finally, we learned about the Japanese art of repair known as Kintsugi, during which broken pottery is pieced back together with metallic glaze. This practice can be metaphorical for human healing. It teaches us that beauty can be found in imperfections; that although trauma can make us feel broken, we can find a way to shine even brighter in a new way.

We are happy to have our final showcase accessible to the public with a feature on our website! Visit this link to see what our talented participants made over these 12 weeks. Or watch our showcase highlights directly below!

Miss us already? We will be starting a new summer cycle before you know it. Our summer term will run from July 15th to August 26th with a brand new curriculum. While we are eager to return to in-person workshops, this term will remain fully online. If you are interested in donating funds or materials to support a survivor’s summer project, visit this link.

Thank you for your support!

With love,

here there and EVERYwhere