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Emma Church

1,545

Bold Points

Bio

I am the mother of a 1-year old, and am looking to return to school to complete my Fine Arts degree. I attended Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design from ‘19-‘21. After giving birth to my 1st child in May of 2021, I chose to take a gap year to stay home with him, as to not expose him to COVID in daycare. After relocating to Philadelphia in February of ‘21, I decided that when I returned to school in would be with one of Philadelphia’s top Fine Arts programs. I have since been accepted to Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Moore College of Art & Design, The University of The Arts, and Tyler School of Art & Architecture. Each school has offered a portfolio based scholarship, but with my growing student debt & the need to provide for myself & my family, I am in need of additional financial support in order to return. My goal career is to work in Art Education for K-12, while also being able to maintain & grow my business selling art. I intend to achieve this by attending Tyler School of Art & Architecture, majoring in Fine Arts (painting focus) with Entrepreneurial Studies through Temple’s Fox School of Business, & an additional certification for K-12 education in the state of Pennsylvania. I am a domestic abuse survivor & I use my art to express my experiences as a woman and survivor. My art is a reflection of the trials women go through in society, and of the liberation and healing we so desperately need. I use both my art and my platform to be an advocate for women, and provide support to women who are currently experiencing or healing from domestic & sexual abuse.

Education

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

Bachelor's degree program
2019 - Present
  • Majors:
    • Fine and Studio Arts
  • GPA:
    3

Purnell School

High School
2011 - 2012

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Master's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Fine and Studio Arts
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Fine Arts/Painting

    • Dream career goals:

      Business Owner, Artist & K-12 Art Teacher

    • Owner/Sole Proprietor

      The Divine Devises
      2021 – Present4 years
    • Pharmacy Technician

      Weis
      2021 – Present4 years
    • Pharmacy Technician

      Meijer
      2020 – 20211 year
    • Recreational Therapists Assistant

      Wayne Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation
      2017 – 20192 years

    Finances

    Loans

    • The Federal Government

      Borrowed: March 9, 2019
      • 22,000

        Principal borrowed
      • 22,090

        Principal remaining

      Arts

      • The Divine Devises

        Painting
        2021 – Present

      Public services

      • Volunteering

        LA Foodbank — Volunteer
        2011 – 2011
      • Volunteering

        Habitat for Humanity — Volunteer
        2012 – 2012
      • Volunteering

        The D.O.O.R. Program — Volunteer
        2011 – 2011
      • Volunteering

        New Haven Evening Soup Kitchen — Server
        2005 – 2008

      Future Interests

      Advocacy

      Volunteering

      Philanthropy

      Entrepreneurship

      WCEJ Thornton Foundation Music & Art Scholarship
      Through my art I aim to dissect the Divine Feminine, by questioning what roles women have historically held, how women have been silenced and oppressed and the results of this long lasting suffering. In our modern age, women have found liberation through financial independence, gaining rights to our own bodies, sexual freedom & revoking the deep rooted concepts of patriotism. All of these freedoms are still threatened every day in America, and attempts are made to once again silence us and strip us of the rights we have to our own bodies. Through my art I seek to explore what it is to be liberated, and the divine aspects of femininity. What does it mean to be feminine? Is it to be gentle and docile like we were always taught? Or is femininity fierce and powerful and enveloping? Who are we when we are safe enough to be all that we are, without societies pressures and judgments that are meant to keep us contained? By ridding ourselves of these shackles placed on us by men and by society, we as an entire generation of women begin to heal ourselves and our lineage, making way for a younger generation who isn’t bound how we are. Through my art I try to give us a voice, to channel what it is to be free, unafraid and confident in all that we are and will ever be. I refuse to paint women as docile, coy or shy. All of the women I create are bold, and I paint them in a way that encourages viewers to be able to look at any portrait and say “that could be me. That IS me.” In my pieces where there is an exact narrative, I attempt to educate the viewer on the historical trials women have overcome. I aim to dissect the role of women, dating back to the patriarchal concepts of the Old Testament Bible, and pagan mythology dating far beyond our scribed records. I want women to view themselves as liberated, and to discover what that means to them. It is my hope that my art can move women around the world to explore what that looks like to them, and unlearn everything that has held them back until now.
      Bold Optimist Scholarship
      Over the last 7 years I have turned my story of surviving domestic abuse into motivation for helping other women. I spent my early adult life in a severely physically abusive relationship, losing my job, a pregnancy and nearly my life in the process. In 2015, shortly after escaping my abuser by leaving the state I sought professional help. I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and anxiety. Unfortunately, due to my finances at the time I was unable to receive valuable treatment. I began an independent journey of healing - though admittedly it wasn’t easy. Having previously studied Social Work & Human Services at Bronx Community College, I was aware of the statistics & effects of abuse. I further educated myself on the different forms of abuse, and built a platform educating & bringing awareness to Domestic Violence. I provided resources to other women who were looking to escape themselves, or were looking to provide support to their loved ones who were in abusive situations. I was able to turn my own trauma and abuse into a drive to support and save other women. I learned never to allow someone to apologize to me for what I had experienced, because I truly believe I experienced what I did in order to help other women and victims. I pride myself in not allowing myself to have become a victim of circumstance, and for having created a safe space for women to express themselves, to seek help privately, and to begin to heal with the support of someone who understands. I turned the hardest experiences of my life into the ability to save other women, and for that I will always be grateful for everything I have gone through. Every life I save is worth it.
      Emma Church Student Profile | Bold.org