Thriving Artists Exhibit: This exhibit will visual art from Hanaa Babieh. Hanaa Babieh was inspired to create her collection, The Journey, after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was able to express herself through artwork, which gave an experience that “brought [her] back to life for a reason.” She hopes to heal others as she was healed through the use of art.

 

Youth Art Exhibit: This exhibit will feature the poetry-informed research of the Fearless Writers (FW) and collaboration between Rogers High School and UToledo social work program. This year, the students have focused their writing exploration on youth leadership and human trafficking. FW was also part of an ongoing conversation about gun violence, trauma, and grief. The artwork of Dr. Natarajan will be highlighted. There will be an added component of the exhibit this year that brings in the community artwork of the Young Artists at Work program.

 

Arts-Based Research Exhibit: This exhibit will include the research of Dr. Rogerio M. Pinto, professor at University of Michigan and Heather Sloane Cleary. Dr Pinto’s work looks at the complex experience of immigration in the United States. Dr. Cleary will be exhibiting artwork and writing inspired by Fearless Writers first Community Empathy Write activated by the queering of the poet Emily Dickinson. 

 

Mental Health Exhibit: This exhibit will highlight the work of artists who are also mental health consumers. These artists explore the power of creative expression to healing. Individuals with mental illness are marginalized in communities based on stigma and stereotypes firmly held in U.S. culture. Visual art is a way for the marginalized to take back their narrative and create a new story as artists.

“I Want You to See Me” Performances: “I Want You to See Me" is a short film that amplifies the voices and stories of individuals who have been marginalized, misunderstood, forgotten, or silenced. These stories are raw and real, and invite the viewer to explore the human experience through a new lens.

 

An art piece will be dedicated to the memory of Sierah Joughin.

 

Exhibit Objectives:

·  Raise awareness of the power of art to connect an audience to the lived experience of injustice

·  Combine research, program, and narrative methods as an important way to better understand social injustice

·  Provide inspiration for creativity as a possibility for healing

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