Community Engagement
Over the years, I've been privileged to partner with several artists, businesses, and organizations to help promote visual arts initiatives.
I've advocated and assisted in setting up gallery exhibitions, public art installations, public events, and festivities in the City of Burnsville, Lakeville, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Brooklyn Center.
I've also coordinated events for economic revitalization in East Lake Street through CLUES Arts and Culture Department thanks to their funders: Bush Foundation, Knight Foundation, St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation, Mardag Foundation, Mcknight Foundation, Ford Foundation, City of St. Paul’s Cultural STAR, City of Minneapolis’ Violence Prevention, Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and Minnesota Humanities Center.
Burnsville Fire Muster: Kidz Korner and Artist Demo during Block Party
ART FETE XXXVI, XXXVII & XXXVIII - Celebrating the heART of the City
Art Fete art exhibit at the Ames Center gallery encouraged high school artists to participate, creating a youth category presented by long-standing art advocate Jeanne Fournier (1927-2022)
BVAS & the City of Burnsville. Public Art events during Art and All That Jazz & Fire Muster Kidz Korner Festivities
As a visual artist, community engagement, and event organizer, providing intergenerational experiences to underrepresented groups, including the elders, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ community, is one of my most significant accomplishments.
2020 brought a new set of challenges. To help overcome some of them, I promoted the Rainbow Campaign to instill ESPERANZA (hope) in the community by inviting children and their families to color rainbows and then place them in their windows. In collaboration with CLUES Arts and Culture Department, artist Flor Soto's paper flower-making skills created this public art installation outside gallery walls.
Until the COVID-19 restrictions lifted, we invited the community via social media to pick materials for a six-month online art cohort.
I served, facilitated and lead as the Arts and Culture Engagement Coordinator at CLUES to promote resilience and wellness for the City of Minneapolis and St. Paul.