Digital Greenhouse is a concept, an idea, and a hope.

The following is a collection of work exhibited at the request of the Blue Goose,

ArtistYear x Americorp Philadelphia.

From Summer 2019 to Summer of 2020 I was privileged enough to serve as an Americorp member. This year long endeavor was fully funded and in partnership with a multi-state organization. ArtistYear invited to partner with a school in Philadelphia as a New Media Fellow. During my time as a fellow I focused on both integrating emerging technology into the art curriculum and establishing sponsorship relationships to provide the technology. The focus of my role was on art and education, however the realities of the position also included being exposed to a surprising amount of abuse of power by faculty, both verbal and physical. My intentions for working inside of an institution like Americorp were two fold, to establish a service based practice and to pay off a student loan, both were accomplished. As a university graduate I felt like my art education failed to provide me with an understanding of how to actively pursue equitable Community Engagement or Social Practice. I’m grateful for the growth opportunity that this experience provided, I hope to build upon it by educating myself on Mutual Aid and Solidarity Economy work.

The highlight of my creative work during my time as a New Media Fellow was authoring an XR Introduction curriculum, that included a series of workshops and lectures open to the school at large. The technology and overall efforts were sponsored and provided for by PSTV Live, an innovative school district branch. The integration initiative focused on concepts relating to Critical Race Theory, Photography, and Women and Gender Studies. The work below was co-authored with an Emotional Support Learning classroom, this group was frequently intentionally excluded from public school events and field trips by administration. My position allowed me the freedom to work outside the bounds of administration and office politics. The photos below display the collaborative work that was both painted and performative. The work was photographed, rasterized, and tiled for scale.

Volunteer Coordination.

An areas of growth that grew exponentially during this fellowship included leadership, organization, and budget management. This was cohesively exemplified by one event in particular, the Martin Luther King Jr. Beautification Project I had the honor of leading. This project was organized by a team of three faculty member, and additional supporting staff. We were able to apply and secure 100 volunteers from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music. This half day event included an orientation, two hours of labor, lunch, and was beautifully ended with a community concert celebrating both Dr. Kings work, that day’s labor of love, and the sense of community.