Elevate Minorities in the Arts Scholarship

Artivist. Art + Activist. The way artists promote social change is primarily through emotion, empathy, and sensation; qualities that many people lack in this society. As a dancer studying to be exposed to the performing arts industry, I have constantly been looking for ways I can translate my movement into visceral emotion and empathy. By utilizing multiple mediums to expand my research such as dance, film, photography and text, I yearn to engage the public eye to remorse over social movements that requires their utmost attention to promote social change. Promoting social change in art inspires me to push myself creatively and politically. It inspires me to join the two repelling forces of destruction and peace where us humans, the subject of destruction, must meet and interact with the calming yet sensitive qualities of art in which we can all fall into humanely agreeance of social matters. It is the same visceral emotion that I personally feel about certain social issues that I want viewers to feel while viewing my art. I believe art was created to heal the wounded, open closed eyes, and delve viewers into an alternate reality in which imagination and creativity reigns superiority over all mediums of interaction and thought. If I were to win this scholarship, I would utilize the money to fund a dance film. This dance film will showcase the detrimental effects of social media and how social media manipulates the viewer's interests through the traction of data. It will also reveal how social media has shaped many minds to become politically aware, yet damaging and sensitive; slowly deteriorating the idea of 'common sense' as false news, gaslighting, and lies fill our brains through each post, story, and comment. I aim to present this through proper filming, backdrops, costuming, lighting, and editing.

When I was in 4th grade, my school took my 2nd period science class to the Aquarium. I remember every detail of that day as if it was yesterday. I recall that I was late to school this day because as soon as my mom parked in the parking lot, the field trip bus pulled off. There was no point in me staying at school when all my classmates were gone so my mom and I had our own little field trip. She took me to the High Museum, an art museum located in Atlanta. I walked into that museum and I felt as if my eyes opened for the first time. The paintings, the sculptures, and even the architecture completely overwhelmed me. At that moment I realized what I was put on this earth for. Fast forward 10 years later, although the passion is still the same, the inspiration has definitely changed. I won't lie when I say that in the past what inspired me was being better than everybody else. It seemed so self absorbed now that I think about it. I would enter small art contest in elementary and middle school and would place 1st or 2nd place until one day I lost. I remember on that day I was ready to give up art all together until a 2nd grader by the name of Kayla came up to me and asked me if I could teach her what I knew. Knowing that we were some of the few black kids at the school, I knew how important it was for us to stick together. I sucked up my ego from losing and took her to the cafeteria and showed her a few step by steps of some basic concepts that I learned. I saw a light in her eyes that I remember feeling in mine the day I went to the art museum. From that day forward my inspiration changed completely. I draw not just for my love of art but because you never know who's watching you. I draw because I want to set an example for young black girls who think they can't get into the art industry because of lack of representation. I will use this scholarship to help continue to propel me through my higher education as I get closer and closer to earning my bachelors degree. Hopefully when I graduate and become a children's book illustrator, I can give not just black kids but all minorities a taste of what it feels to be the main character.