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Effective January 1: Masks are Optional in VisArts’ Classrooms and Studios
Welcome to the workshop!
We are all struggling with various levels of disillusionment – or just stunned by the state of the world, trapped in what we call the cult of paralysis.
We are here to help you, help each other.
We embrace delusions, as they are seen as possibilities.
Possibilities are born from movements.
Movements start with dreamers.
Dreams are born in community.
We all wonder what our role is in this changing world. The artist is here to serve the movement and welcome you into it.
– Aisha Nailah White
DC is the site of many monumental events in history. Unknown to most, there is an entire ecosystem and economy behind the production of the marches, protests, and activism that take place around us.
This exhibition is a peek into the revolving studio and organizing practice of VisArts’ 2024 Art + Social Justice Fellow Aisha Nailah White. White combines her internal conflicts and personal philosophy with her sign-making practice to create an immersive installation about process and community. She reimagines her organizing practice into a workshop of possibilities. Join the artist in her studio as she prepares for upcoming marches, while processing her role in the movement.
VisArts’ Art + Social Justice Fellowshipis open to visual activists whose research, curatorial work or visual activist practice centers on social, racial, economic and environmental justice.
This yearlong experience includes a $6,000 stipend, studio space and gallery activation. It provides an opportunity to explore how thoughtfully curated art, dialogue, communication, and collaborations between artists and communities can navigate political flashpoints, chronic systemic inequities, and entrenched perspectives to inspire change toward a more equitable, just and inclusive society.
Aisha Nailah White is an artist, organizer, and researcher with a passion for community building and social impact. A majority of her work centers on supporting her community of artists to build and grow projects, while her personal practices focus on public health and fellowship.
White’s background in social enterprise, community engagement, and sustainable development has informed her passion for socially engaged art. Her research in ethics and project development leads her to take a trauma-informed approach to all of her work.
White is the Founder and Director of RUMA Collective, an artist support collective. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA cultural policy degree in arts, enterprise, and development from the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK. In addition, she holds a certificate in mixed reality design from Oxford University.
OPENING CELEBRATION: FRIDAY, MARCH 21 | 7-9 PM Enjoy a night of new exhibitions, music, drinks, eats, and more! RSVP
GALLERY TOURS Let us be your guide! Schedule a free school field trip or group tour of our exhibitions. LEARN MORE
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