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Eradicating Factory Farming

flavours, food pairings, wine pairings + cooking.

I was a geeky, bookish nerd who joined the school orchestra in fifth grade to get out of gym class. I’ve been obsessed with the arts ever since. The arts have given me friendship and community, paid for my education, taken me around the world, helped me communicate with people from different cultures, given me a career, and introduced me to my husband. I believe everyone should be involved in creating things, and I’m especially interested in helping people who think they aren’t creative or artistic find a creative outlet. Young children are creative beings. We all instinctively sang, danced, and drew, and we loved it. But as we grow up, not only do we stop doing these things, we often think we can’t do them. That’s why I created the “I Can’t” workshop series at the Center for Creativity in downtown Tulsa. These free lunchtime workshops let people try everything from drawing to dance to digital fabrication. The goal is to get people to get outside their comfort zones, use different parts of their brains, and perhaps discover a new interest or hobby. I’ve convened arts organizations from across the city to bring these workshops to the public, in order to showcase what the community has to offer while giving people new arts experiences. In addition to program development, I run an exhibition space in my role as the Dean of the Center for Creativity. Our most unusual art exhibition was called “Please Touch the Art.” This exhibition engaged all five senses, with a focus on accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired. One of the best feelings I’ve had was at the exhibition opening, looking around the space and seeing hundreds of people touching, smelling, and even tasting the art. Many people commented that this was the first time they’d been able to experience an art exhibition. While my artistic career began in the performing arts, I now feel most fulfilled when helping facilitate creative experiences for others. I still play music, dance, and fill notebooks with abstract doodles, but I most enjoy helping you discover the joy of doing those things, too.

YOU SINGING!

About my growing family, reading, learning, and golf.

We are all seeking a safe place to belong Joy over happiness Creating online communities to make offline connections Reimagining cities where Black people can thrive Social connectedness being good for your health Discussing who gets to design and access spaces (and intentionally designing inclusive spaces)

My family and my work.