Individuals may rack up 5,847 synthetic Facebook friends in our cyber culture. But, as isolation escalates and meaningful relationships dwindle, loneliness increases. To help address these relational needs, I create spaces, as a hospitality artist, to help viewers feel cared for and validated—through art. Our participatory art focuses on the viewer and on healing. To…
Kara, a young woman, had been battling cancer for several years. To portray her story for ArtPrize 2011, I combined the paintings of Kara in Braving the Wind with an interactive metal Healing Tree. Visitors were invited to write notes, honoring loved ones struggling with cancer and then hanging the notes on the tree. This…
Of all the places to visit in France, Omaha Beach was on our Top 3 list. Seeing thousands of white crosses, a few crumbling bunkers, and the uneven terrain from World War II bombers pelting the shoreline left an indelible mark on our hearts. Over nine thousand American military members are buried above the beach.…
My definition of being a human who cares about her world began to change in 2011, when I collided with Josephine and other Congolese refugees living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the time, my knowledge of Congo didn’t extend beyond a country located on the map. For the next year, I began to research Congo’s…
Told in Josephine’s own words “My husband and I heard a man knock on the door. The door was largely open. Soldiers were emerging inside the house; we made a loud noise and asked rescue to anyone who could hear us. “I started to cry, and my husband cried too. I could not imagine that…
Viewer Responses Amazing process in how you work the face. The mouth being the last part of the painting. Women who had been seemingly silenced by horrific circumstances—reawakened with the restoration of their voice through accompaniment of listening hearts and ears that gift compassion and hope. Maura I see the past pain in her eyes…