The Art of Justice: Art-Making workshop + community dialogue (3 of 4)

L.A. Lee YMCA Mizell Community Center and Niki Lopez of What’s Your Elephant present “The Art of Justice: Art-Making as Catalyst for Social Justice and Collective Action” an art-making series that features social justice-themed presentations, artist-led workshops across literary, visual, and performing arts, and culminating showcases that highlight the work created in the workshops while encouraging critical conversations about access, advocacy, agency, and collective action. This series will run from July 2021 – January 2022.

Workshop: Thursday, September 16; 6:30 – 8:30 PM EST
Artist leading art-making workshop & discussion: Adejare A. McMillan, author & poet

Special guest: Cathleen Dean, filmmaker/producer

Register: https://bit.ly/theartofjustice-workshop3

Advocacy: Skills to effect change

Advocacy is a deliberate process of influencing outcomes so that change can occur. It is necessary to be aware of a problem in order to develop a variety of approaches to create equitable advancement for the entire community. Developing the skills to successfully advocate for oneself or on behalf of others involves awareness, analysis of the different elements, and their impact on the whole. Following analysis, purposeful action plans must be designed to create a message, a way to express the message, and address the target audience. Individual and group advocacy can create a path to equity.

About Adejare A. McMillan (Author + Poet)

Combining Transformative Justice Practices with Clinical Counseling Techniques, Adejare (Ah-
Day-Jah-Ray) McMillan, is professionally known as The Transformative Justice Therapist. This
South Florida-based speaker, poet, & activist is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Family Therapy at
NSU and specializes in Race and Equity, Sexuality, Addictions, and Men’s Issues.

Special guest Cathleen Dean

(Filmmaker + Producer + Directory of Arts and Theatre Performance for the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center)

Cathleen Dean is an American film director, producer, and photographer who creates innovative work inspired by her experiences in South Florida. Dean captivates audiences by bringing her characters to life. She approaches her work from an anthropological point of view, aiming to uncover historical truths that have been lost, forgotten, or hidden with time. Dean is the Directory of Arts and Theatre Performance for the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center. She is most famous for her films Wade in the Water: Drowning in Racism, Being, and Runway Afrique. She has received multiple awards such as Suncoast Emmy, Sistrunk Artist in Residence(AIR), Roxbury Film Festival Best Documentary Short 2021, Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival Best Short Film Being 2019, Happy to be Nappy Cinemaslam Best use of archival footage (2019), Miami Fashion Film Festival Best Fashion Doc Runway Afrique. Her films will resonate throughout time in audiences’ hearts.

Moderator Niki Lopez

Niki Lopez Afro-Latina, Queer, award-winning interdisciplinary Visual Artist, Activist, Social Practioner, Placemaker and Cultural Programer. Lopez is best known for her vibrant color palette, masks and a collection of works dealing with some of her trauma and healing through the arts which inspired her to create What’s Your Elephant ®. Lopez produces “The Circle”, a weekly Facebook/Youtube live – video podcast sharing stories of our creative community, activists & social entrepreneurs. Niki’s advocacy includes mental health, self-care, and learning to swim.

Supplies needed to participate in art-making:

• Pen, pencil
• Paper
• Scissors
• Click for link to poem template
• Link to actual poem

To be included in the virtual showcase:

There will be a virtual showcase Saturday, September 25; 1- 3 PM.  We will showcase completed work, have a featured performing artist and other art.  To be included:

• Click to fill out our questionnaire
• Take a photo of the completed art piece
• Make a SHORT video of your completed piece 3 minutes max
• Email with with name or click art submission link

Zoom/Facebook live
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Each lens will have:
1 Day: art-making workshop day & community conversation centered on that lens.
1 Day: a showcase of work from the workshop, art from artists, open mic, community dialogue, featured performance artist

This series will culminate in January 2022 with some of the works from each lens, performances.

More info: https://whatsyourelephant.org/theartofjustice

Support for this project has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Oakland Park Woman’s Club, David and Francie Horvitz Family Fund, Ann Adams Fund and the Mary and Alex Mackenzie Impact Fund.

About the Community Foundation of Broward:

Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Broward helps families, individuals and organizations create personalized charitable Funds that deliver game-changing philanthropic impact.  479 charitable Funds represent more than $200 million in assets, distributing $131 million in grants over the past 36 years.  The Community Foundation provides bold leadership on community solutions and fosters philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. The Foundation empowers visionaries, innovators and doers to create the change they want to see in the community – and to BE BOLD. www.cfbroward.org