Poetry & visual art collaboration with artist Peng Wu, for a book cover

Counterspaces is a collective healing project for Rochester community members who have been impacted by the existing and increasing acts of racialized violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This space is dedicated for listening to the stories, thoughts, and feelings of marginalized community members. This space is also for all members to creatively share their thoughtful responses. Counterspaces are “safe social spaces… which offer support and enhance feelings of belonging”* in marginalized individuals existing in spaces that are not made with them in mind.

“Surviving Tsunami Waves: the Exhibition of Resilience through Arts and Narrative,” sponsored by Mayo Clinic Dolores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine, Rochester Art Center, and University of Minnesota Rochester was held from March 11-20, 2015. This event explored how resilience and healing are connected to arts and narrative and community engagement.

This event presented the stories of the residents in Tohoku, the northeastern coast of Japan, who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The exhibitions showed the artistic work of Sashiko (traditional decorative stitching work) which served the women in Tohoku as a source of resilience and healing.  Additionally, 22 art and writing workshops were offered to the general public.