the visual
The Visual is a space for visual art of many mediums. Each piece tells a story and demands attention.
“Hermanas.” Tab Gordillo (2020). “I am the artist behind Fémina. I began this art series back in April, as an escape from the fears and anxiety that the start of this pandemic brought me. It served as an outlet for self-expression, one that allowed me to turn inward and reconnect with the created Self. I take pride in my identity as a Latinx Woman and I wanted to create a personal project that celebrated all forms of Womxnhood, color, self-expression, and the first placed we called home- our bodies.”
“Meditation.” Faith Aya (2020). Faith Aya combines three things that bring her healing and tranquility: mālāsana yogi pose, being surrounded by the earth, and color splashes inspired by the sunset. Faith Aya is the founder of Poetic Stone - a poetic visual collective. She is also a painter, a poet, an illustrator, an animator, and a data scientist. Writing poetry and painting has been her saving grace to pour out her sadness, pain, love, fierceness, and self-love following her mother’s death in a drunk driving accident. Practicing meditation while painting and writing poetry anchors her and is where she finds the strength to compassionately confront pain in the eye. She can be found at aofaya.com.
“No More Stolen Sisters.” Hope Harjo (2020). Hope Harjo is from the Pawnee, Mvskoke (Creek), Choctaw, and Cheyenne tribes. She currently resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated from Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art. Hope is an artist that enjoys working in paint, watercolor, ink, and wood. This piece is dedicated to all the families of stolen sisters that have passed on before us. This piece was created as a healing depiction. Our stolen sisters are not and will never be forgotten. IG: @hiitaruhtu.
"Lil' Tinker Bells" (2020) focuses on a quiet moment in which beings seeking warmth and shelter in the body of a flower. By Corrine Slade. IG: @corrine.slade, www.corrineslade.com
“Ladies in Bloom.” Tabata Gordillo (2020). IG: @feminina_in_bloom
“Sitting Pretty” (2019) and “Shelves at Sunset” (2019). Corrine Slade. Slade is a painter that depicts Black women in sublime natural environments. She constructs retreats for solace that do not exist for Black women in this world. Her practice is driven by her ever-increasing need for escapism. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry’s “Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition.” She currently resides in Chicago.
“My lovely models are healing in very distinct and specific ways, and yet they have a lot in common because all of us are healing from our bodies through our bodies. Our bodies carry countless stories, from childhood to now, but they also carry us every single day as they are the only home we truly know. As our vessels hold us while we heal from our life stories, may we also heal from the strained relationships we have with them.”
Clockwise from top: “Jas is healing,” “Marley is healing,” “Annabel is healing.” Vayunamu Bawa (2020). Vayunamu, she/her, was born and raised in Abuja, Nigeria. She currently lives in San Diego, CA, which is Kumeyaay land. Vayunamu is a writer, photographer, podcaster, and is passionate about life and learning.
“This collection of comics all focus on the relationship with self. As I have grown older, growing to closer to my base, or core self, has brought healing, peace, and comfort into my life. The core self is the person that you always knew you were and have the potential to become and working towards that level of self is a lifelong journey.” Anna Nguyen (she/her/hers).
Grow as We Go: “CJ Martires, a close friend of mine, is truly the strongest person I know and someone I have seen grow into an amazing woman. She is someone who is healing constantly due to the wounds life have inflicted on her and goes through it with her head high. I based this photoset off her, because like flowers, she is constantly blooming and growing.”
—Gabrielle Ortiz (she/her/hers) a photographer who specializes in portraits from Sacramento, CA.
“Healing.” Ana Tejeda (2020). Ana is a 21-year-old of Peruvian descent. She currently resides in Queens, New York. She attends FIT and majors in illustration.
From “Healing” by Ana Tejeda. IG: @anactart.
December 2019. Jenelle Camarena (2020). After being away from home for months, it felt like I’d been stretched over miles and it hurt. The calm stillness of the drive back to my house was showing me a part of my home I was starting to appreciate.
Anna Nguyen (2020).
September 2020. Jenelle Camarena (2020). The past and present me, one who was scared and insecure, thinking I had to run away home in order to fix myself. And the other is me now understanding that it’s okay to heal where you were hurt. In doing so, it creates a place for you to alway come back to, a place called home.
Jenelle Camarena (she/her) is 19 years old and from the Tule River Indian Reservation in the Central Valley, CA. She is currently on a gap year and has always enjoyed taking pictures as a hobby.
“Divine Fémina.” Tabata Gordillo (2020). Fémina is a feminist art project that celebrates us and serves to cultivate a sisterhood that unites and empowers us all.
“Mixed Family Portrait.” Sasha Schwartz (2020). Sasha Schwartz (she/her) is a freelance theater scenic designer and artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. As a mixed first-generation person, she is an advocate for inclusivity and accessibility within creative teams, and more representation of BIPOC and queer voices in the arts industries. She is most invested in crafting environments for new work, and pieces grappling with relevant social issues. “I've been very lucky to spend time back home with my little Chinese/Jewish family during lockdown. I wanted to stage a family portrait to celebrate my dear nurse mom's fortitude while recovering from COVID-19. The paintings and collages making up the background are done by my wonderful autistic brother Alex Schwartz, beside me here.”
“I used to hate how I looked until I learned to see myself in the faces of my ancestors.” Johnny Clyde. Photo by Viveka Frost (2020).
A recreation of Carlos Mario’s great grandmother’s portrait. “Stepping into our ancestors shoes can help us heal from ancestral trauma carried within us.” Viveka Frost (she/her) is a queer Afro-Indigenous photographer and filmmaker currently based in Europe.
A Personal Story: Sunshine (Lawyer) is a client of Shree's "Spark You" service. With this service, Shree encourages clients to show up as they feel their most comfortable and she designs a photoshoot benefitting their personal style. Shree intends to combat the destructive effects social media has on self-confidence, and believes everyone, not just influencers or models, deserves to have their picture taken and, importantly, deserves to be seen.
A Mother’s Story: Supriya (Mom) communicated the her biggest hurdle ever was overcome the challenges of breastfeeding. This moment was captured to remind Supriya of the effort she expended to feed her child and the strength it took to do so. On days when it feels like she can't go on (with breastfeeding, a demanding career, or being a mom), she is reminded of this time when she surmounted taller obstacles, and she is reinvigorated to keep going.
A Model's Story: Kaydence (Model) (he/him) was the inspiration for Spark Pride photoshoots: photoshoots designed to capture the brave and important moment that is someone's coming out story. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are invited to share their story with Shree, so she can design a photoshoot best capable of documenting each individual’s unique story.
Shree Sharma is a professional photographer in San Francisco. Her studio exclusively focuses on photographing individuals to promote body positivity and diversity, journal talent and artists' process, and capture coming out stories of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Shree's practice is healing both for her clients and for herself. As a single woman, she finds it hard to recognize her own photo-worthy achievements. She created this project to remind herself of the important of celebrating individual accomplishments and surround herself with others who are proud to do the same.
R. Radha (she/her) is a 53-year-old Singaporean visual narrator. Her work is inspired by her time working with preschoolers and neurodivergent children, combined with her lived experience as an ethnic minority. She is an advocate of art as a tool for soothing the spirit, self-expression and sorting out difficult emotions when words fail. Her Blockheads series uses recycled wood discards and honors imperfections. @Artbyradha.
“Serpent in the Jungle.” Adamaris Flores (2020). Adamaris is an independent intuitive artist born in Flagstaff, Arizona. She currently resides in Chandler, Arizona where she spends her days diving deep into the unknown to discover the eternal flame that is lit within each of us. Adamaris is very guarded with her thoughts and feelings, she uses art as a medium to convey the hidden messages she feels within the realms of the tangible and intangible.
Justine Jacinto (she/her) is an Anishinaabe Chinese artist from Surrey, BC. She is early in her practice finding healing through her work. During COVID-19 she has found a lot of solace in painting. IG: @justicelandd.
“My words, my gratitude, and all my love.” Lillyanne Fisher (2020). “For me, healing has always stemmed from appreciation. The careful process of writing a Thank You card is often a delicate reminder of the love I am fortunate to have, and the beauty of the relationships and experiences I have endured. I write for others and for myself — that I have so much love (for others and from others), behind and ahead of me, remains as the most compelling reason to continue forward.” IG: @lillaneec.
“Smoke of Emotions.” Shonna Alexander (2020). Shonna is a Chukchansi and Miwok artist, originally from Coarsegold, California. This piece features the artist surrounded by smoke. On the left side there is blue smoke with words in Chukchansi that translate to several emotions and feelings, such as giving up, crying, embarrassment and nervousness. On the right side there is red smoke with several words in Chukchansi that translate to laughing, happy, and beautiful. This piece represents the many emotions that we feel, and the journey we take to learn how to live with these emotions.
“Long Time Coming” (above) and “Seated Bather.” Ladasia Bryant (2020). Ladasia Bryant is a Black woman from Chicago Il who owns Braided Magazine and her own personal brand of art and just anything she wants to make Dasia.Jpeg. She loves art, writing, and sometimes the outdoors. Both of her pieces here are from her series of healing from the erasure of Black art history.
←“Healing is not linear” and “Blooming.” Maya Joshi (2020). Maya is a self-taught visual artists of Caribbean and South Asian descent. Drawing and painting are her first love, but she creates graphic art and social media content for work.
“Rippled Cage” and “Propiedad.” Glorybelle Barrios (2020). Glorybelle (she/her/hers) is a photographer and prose poet based in Miami, Florida. As a native Latina from Managua, Nicaragua, she seeks to captivate how her "latinidad" and "indígenad" has impacted her perspective in the United States.
“Picking Up the Pieces.” Hyning Gan (2020). Hyning (she/her) is a 15 year old creative based in Hong Kong, but originally from Malaysia and Singapore. She is passionate about using different forms of media to express herself. She loves photography, journaling, graphic design and tries to incorporate all those skills into the work she does. She hopes she can inspire other young creatives to share their work and contribute to the wider creative community! IG: @hyning.gan.
“Love, finally.” Riya Mathew (2020). Riya is an 18 year old emerging artist currently doing a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Arts. She spends her days improving at her craft, and works in various different mediums and styles. Through the art she creates, she strives to get her viewers thinking and talking about topics that free yet challenge them. She aspires to create art that confronts society, and works to leave the world a better place than what she was brought into.
Yá’át’ééh (Hello). Shí éí Amber Williams yinishyé (I am called Amber Williams).Tséńjíkiní nishłį́ (I am of the Honey Combed Rock people clan). Bilagáana bashishchiin (I am born for the Anglo/white people). Kinyaa’áanii dashicheii (My maternal clan is of the Towering House clan). Mą'ii deeshgiizhinii dashinalí (My paternal clan is of the Coyote Pass clan). Ákót’éego Diné asdzáán nishłį́ (In this way, I am a Navajo woman). Tó Naneesdizí déé’ naashá (I am from Tuba City, AZ). Amber Williams is the founder of AWill Creations. She is a self-taught designer who customizes products to celebrate indigenous people authentically. Ahéhee’ (thank you) she would like to share her deepest gratitude to all of those who support her designs.
Sisters•Hermanxs• Ñañakuna Sisterhood: unity, medicine, love, and strength. We hold the wisdom of the Warmis (womxn) that came before us. We feel their power and strength roaring inside us. They’re still here, empowering and guiding us through our life journeys. Their presence is bigger than our fears! We heal through their gifts of knowledge and guidance. We nourish and heal our traumas through la Pachamama, ceremony, laughter, and unity. We heal to become leaders, to empower, and to heal those who can’t. We are the warriors of our communities. We are the the healers of our past and present. Our Warmis (past and present) are why we’re still here, we feel their warmth in those who surround us with love and inspiration. They are still here! We are still here. — Shawna Farinango, Indigenous Kichwa based in Hamilton, Ontario. IG: @jasmine_shawnaf.
“Northern Traditional” and “Ghost of Northern Traditional.” Delia Touche. Touche has she/her/hers pronouns. She is from Fort Totten, ND. Delia is a Native American artist that primarily work in printmaking.
“Black Women are Art.” Ashleigh Brady (2020). Brady (she/her/hers) is a Dartmouth College student from Wilmington, DE. She wants to one day start her own inclusive architecture and design firm that focuses on sustainability and innovation without displacement. Until then, she is selling prints of her Afro-centric artwork and donating 10% of the proceeds to Black-led grassroots organizations.