ARTIVISM: ART TO EMPOWER WORKSHOP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILDREN OF PROMISE NYC

*Photo Courtesy of Children of Promise, NYC*

SHEER had the honor of hosting our very first creative workshop at Children of Promise NYC!

Children of Promise, NYC is a community-centered organization that partners with children and families impacted by mass incarceration to dismantle the stigma and heal from the trauma plaguing Black and Brown communities.

We had a chance to create with two groups of scholars through an affirmation focused workshop that involved taking Polaroids of the scholars and giving them the space to customize posters with their Polaroids and favorite uplifting affirmations surrounding them. ❤️✨

MAJOR thank you to the amazing team at CPNYC, the fantastic scholars, and all of our wonderful creative volunteers!: Henry Danner, Kamille Glen, Natiah Jones, RaSheba Jones, and Jessica Bruzanniti.

Check out more photos from the workshop below and learn more here about how you can support CPNYC’s mission.

MORE EXCLUSIVE SHEER FEATURES

ARTISTS TO KNOW: NIA WINSLOW

Photography by Nabila Wirakusumah

I first stumbled across Nia Winslow’s work, totally by accident, and there was a piece titled “Secret Keeper” which I couldn’t believe was entirely paper because of the intricacies and detailing of the bobos and barrettes that took me back to my childhood. While digging deeper into her catalog I was shocked to realize her art is entirely collage and paper-based. The level of detail and intention behind her work is so incredibly impressive and even more so once I learned she was self-taught and only started making art in 2019!! Nia’s collages connect the Black and African diaspora by portraying our shared experiences from the seemingly mundane to the more poetic while simultaneously using unique strips of paper to also highlight we are not a monolith and to honor our diverse range of cultures.

ARTISTS TO KNOW: DESTINY BRANAY

Photography by Jordan Carter

The star motif has become Destiny’s iconic artistic signature which she describes as “symbolic of the light that exists in Black people that refuses to be dimmed.” Through her thoughtful and colorful large-scale oil paintings, Destiny highlights Black folk in community with one another, centered around the idea of hope as an act of resistance against oppressive systems in America. Destiny’s work not only honors the resiliency of her ancestors who came before her, but serves as a beacon of hope in the midst of the work that is still left to be done.

ARTISTS TO KNOW: ROSSANA ROMERO

Photography by Nabila Wirakusumah

Rossana Romero is a prime example of what it means to be an artist. Not afraid to use her art to speak on topics such as colonialism and historical trauma, while creating a path to healing through her work that carves new, imaginative ways of being that ignite hope, resilience, self actualization, and self empowerment. Her preferred artistic mediums inspired by magic realism, are beautifully vibrant oil paintings of fantasy landscapes referencing the lush terrains of the Amazon featuring her iconic animal motifs which she also molds into textured paper mâché sculptures and frames.

ARTISTS TO KNOW: NADA ESMAEEL

Photography by Dana White

Nada Esmaeel’s work is alive and vibrant, rich in detail and color. In addition to paintings, illustrations and animations, she has also designed 3D gaming environments where woven rugs hang from the walls and colored lanterns are strung across an intimate courtyard. But in each of these varied mediums, the subject is almost always Palestinian people and their culture.

ARTISTS TO KNOW: KAARINA CHU MACKENZIE

Photography & Intro by Nabila Wirakusumah

When I first came across Kaarina Chu Mackenzie’s Night Market series, I could hear the chatter of crowds, the slapping of fish on butcher blocks and the thin but pervasive buzz of fluorescent bulbs illuminating each stand. I could smell the smoke wafting from the open grills and the sweet scent of batter cooking in cast iron. The paintings were depicting markets in Taiwan and China, but I’ve walked through similar scenes in Thailand and Indonesia.

ARTISTS TO KNOW: AUDREY LYALL

Photography by Nabila Wirakusumah

As soon as we arrived at Audrey Lyall’s studio in Brooklyn and she greeted us, her one-of-a kind creative eye could already be captured with her style. She embodies the confidence and vibrant energy of the maximalist subjects found in her artwork. Audrey uses a variety of materials such as acrylic paint, watercolor, clay, fabric, collaged paper, and more to create maximalist Afro-futurist works. To Audrey, “everything in the world is an art material”

events, art, photography, mentorshipBianca Jean-PierreApril 28, 2023children of promise, artivism, self love, mental healthComment