Art on Purpose: Program Director Baltimore, MD 2005 – 2010

For five years, I created, developed, implemented and managed community art programs, workshops and exhibits bringing awareness to and advocating for social justice issues. Art on Purpose focused on topics ranged from individual issues to greater community concerns such as displacement, education, domestic violence, homelessness, and vulnerability to power structure.

During my time as program director, I worked with artistic director Peter Bruun designing programs creating open environments in which freedom of expression was encouraged and realized. In this position, I had the opportunity to develop my personal artwork (photography and audio stories) and at the same time learn and develop my skills in teaching, community organizing, engagement, and non-profit work.

Art on Purpose’s mission is to enrich, and inspire Baltimore communities by using, making, and sharing art to bring people together around issues that matter to them. Art on Purpose partnered with and collaborated with hundreds of local community organizations and institutions including city museums, galleries, community centers, libraries, schools, homeless shelters, non-profit organizations, and community associations. The organization connected thousands of Baltimore City residents including artists, teachers, school students, disenfranchised populations, city planners, and government officials to a myriad of social justice issues and artwork that reflected both personal and community stories about inspired by those issues.

Selected programs I created and directed:

Remington Youth Community Radio Baltimore MD 2008 – 2011: A youth development, community building, and organizing program that taught participants to create, collect, and present audio / visual stories about their community.

Middle East Baltimore Stories Baltimore MD 2008 to 2009:  Created an audio/visual book on the displacement of an entire neighborhood threatened by eminent domain. The book features recorded interviews and original photographs of lifelong residents. This accompanies an exhibition of still photographs.

Speaking of Silence Baltimore MD 2006 to 2008:  A multimedia program bringing voice and visibility to individuals and organizations that have been traditionally silenced. Exhibits included photography, audio montage, and a traveling listening and collecting story station.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.