Public history, and especially community projects, have the tendency to sanitize the past. This project does the opposite. Just as Michelle has loved having the opportunity to portray real...
That Word “Community”
We have to keep reading and writing. We have to keep reading with close attention and deep reflection. We have to keep writing with care and honesty and ambition for excellence.
The Stars in My Eyes
My heart leaped. It’s funny to recall now how much it meant to me to see this Asian man doing something banal and recognizably human on TV.
This Side o’ Town: Black Art in America Reflects Upon the Community It Serves
Given the need for such a resource—one devoted to documenting, preserving, and promoting the contributions of the African American arts community—the popularity of the company soared as...
Family Secrets: Kith and Kin
When I allowed this idea to take shape I never dreamed it would grow into such a “Big . . . Smart . . . Silly thing.” But I did know it would indeed take a lot of bravery and be a...
Cassilhaus. Where Art and Community Meet
We knew from the outset that having artists in our home would be a rich experience but we never could have imagined how it would transform our lives and enhance our appreciation of their...
Traveling the Road to Damascus
For me, art and community are tightly woven together; they are essential to one another, and yet sometimes we need to devote our attention to one at a time to be able to discern how they...
Porfolio: Paintings
Art seeks common references in order to create new paradigms, and it engages in emotions that reach society at large, enriching it by elevating its consciousness.
On Being a Community Artist
Over thirty years of service to the arts in our community have taught me a lot about making my own work relevant to the times. I have shown in a number of climate change/action exhibitions,...
Alaska Native Art in the Rural Northwest
Living in a small rural Alaskan community has many advantages. One of my favorite perks is our community-centered art workshops our local tribe hosts.
Art in the community provides a space for collective creativity that may reflect a geographic location or ethnic heritage and bring together artists in disparate fields to support one another’s talents. It encourages, sustains, and showcases creativity and collaboration in what is often described as a lonely vocation, that of artistic endeavor. Moreover it fosters the appreciation of art in the community at large through accompanying lectures, workshops, and exhibitions, touching and enriching every member and potentially nurturing generations of artists to come. In this collection of essays and artwork, we offer a springtime’s bouquet of pleasures.