A Community Visual Research Project
The following works were created from 2008-2009 as part of an undergraduate community arts project titled, The Stories Project. Now developing into a community initiative called WE ARE STORIED, these initial posters are grounding the way towards a body of work produced by multiple designers and artists as they visually translate personal life experiences into design.
The LayOff. December 2008. "My mother was laid off of her job for 6 months. My family was almost homeless, but through it all, we made it."
4 Months to Live. May 2009. "My stepfather was given four months to live. Our family went with him when he died. Finally, we are healing."
End the Silence. "I was raped my first year of college, and people figure that's why I'm gay. I was silent, and it almost killed me. I almost killed me. In this I found my life's work—to end the silence of voiceless minorities."
Hope. "In my life, I've learned to live without a lot of things, but I refuse to live without hope."
Overcoming Bad Grades. "Others may related to this: I received my first and last bad grade ever while in college. It affected my GPA and even my confidence at first, but I must admit that I definitely learned the most from this moment. It really made me realize that unlike high school, I couldn't just work hard enough jut to complete the assignments. I really had to focus, push harder, and learn—not just for grades, but for myself, and now I am excelling in many of my classes. Even I f I might slip sometimes, I know that I'm actually doing the best that I can."
The Markers Incident. January 2009. "A guy once took all of my (never used) markers and used them to draw swastikas on Jewish students' desks. That was the day I learned the power of art and decided to use mine to combat such hatred."
