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 Education

HEALING ROOM

Inspired by the Mercedes Healing Room, we created the Healing Room SEPARATE from the MERCEDES project for more community members to have access to therapeutic art workshops!

We want to spread awareness of how one can heal through different forms of art, be it through writing poems or painting portraits and flowers, and create enriching experiences in community through art.

These therapeutic art workshops provide cognitive stimulation, encourage socialization, help reduce stress and anxiety, as well as enrich relationships, and promote self-expression. 

Video showed at The Goethe-Institut exhibition- Unlocking Sacred Spaces in Los Angeles, California on September 2023.

 
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All The Healing Rooms

  • 2022-Along with The Bushwick Starr, from May 4th until June 22nd, we held therapeutic art workshops at the Cypress Hills Senior Center led by art therapist Sarah Serrano-Esquilin, and teaching artist Angelica Aranda. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS created a zine with all of their art! (see here)

  • On April 2023 we launched a collaboration between ArtBridge’s Bridging the Divide program and our Healing Room program!
    For three months, starting April 21st, 2023, and ending on June 30th, 2023, we were at NYCHA Bushwick Houses, holding this space to heal through drawing, painting, and designing murals with lead instructor Giannina Gutierrez.

    Guest Artists included Fernando “Ski” Romero, Sasha Beliakova, Crystal Clarity, Sarah Serrano, and Amanda Everich. In August 2023 we will be showing murals done by Dana Robinson, Fernando Ski Romero, and Sasha Beliakova that have been painted on the scaffolding at Bushwick Houses.

    Thank you to Jennifer Gutierrez, 34th District City Council representative, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs representative, for funding this program!

  • For the second year in a row, we are holding a Healing Room at the Cypress Senior Center with last year’s lead teaching artist Angelica Aranda and art therapist Sarah Serrano three times a week throughout the month of June starting May 30th!

  • Led by Gia Gutierrez and Cristina Maldonado, from June 7th-June 28th, the seniors at the Diana Jones Senior Center expressed themselves creatively in all ways, including dance for the first time in the Healing Room, when the Mercedes Music Tour visited.

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Healing Room Instructors

 

Angelica with the seniors at Cypress Hills Senior Center 2022 on their last day celebrating all their work.

  • Currently completing a double major in Studio Art and Political Science at the University of Rochester, my work focuses on the difficulty in self-exploration and compatibility with different environments. In my travels around the United States, Europe, and my home city over the past couple of years I have found comfort in the relatability of small moments with strangers and the unknown. I use these moments as a point of reflection to further unravel my own emotional perspective of the world and my surroundings.

    Using visual art through bookmaking, photography, video, and performance documentation I have found a way to express myself and share the difficulties of exploration in a constantly changing world. I lean into the discomfort of intrinsic exploration and document that process through my artistic practice.

    WEBSITE: angelicaaranda.com

    INSTAGRAM: @angeliqrt

  • Giannina Gutierrez Is A Multimedia Artist Whose Style Reflects Her Wild Spirit And Zest For Life. Inspired By Nature, Spirituality And The Human Experience, Gia’s Eclectic Flair Encompasses Nature Themes, Bold Colors, Textures, And Exaggerated Shapes And Lines. 

    Gia Was Born In Colombia, And Raised In Jamaica Queens, New York, Where She Developed Her Urbancore Appreciation For City Streets, Nightlife, Graffiti, Hip-Hop Culture, And Music. 

    Attuned With Her Roots, And Reflected In Her Plantlike Forms, Colors And Ocean Life Images, Gia’s Work Is Instinctively Inspired By Her Colombian Heritage. Hence, Her Style, A Combination Of Cultural Instincts And Urban Influence, Perfected Through Coursework At The Student Arts League Of New York, And A Fine Arts Major, At Pratt Institute. 

    A True Mixed Media Artist, Gia Incorporates A Variety Of Materials, Techniques, And Processes In Her Practice. Her Body Of Work Is Composed Of Paintings, Drawings, And Mixed Media Assemblages/Sculptures. From Fine Art To Street Art, Gia’s Experience Includes Public Art/Murals, Exhibiting, Curating, And Teaching/Leading Painting Projects. Her Work Has Been Featured In Several Galleries, Public Art Projects, Publications Throughout NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, & Puerto Rico. Most Recently, She Was Awarded A City Council Citation By The City Of New York For Her Completion Of A Mental Health Awareness Mural Installation In JFK, Terminal 4. She Is Passionate About Empowering And Supporting Communities Through Art. 

    She Currently Is Based In East Harlem, Where She Supports The Community Through Arts Activities And Her Mural Work. As A Mixed Media Artist, She Is Continuously Learning, Expanding Her Skill Set, And Finding Inspiration.

    WEBSITE: gianninagutierrez.com

    INSTAGRAM: @ARTBYGIA

Giannina Gutierrez with the seniors and participants of the Bushwick Houses Healing Room visiting our Mercedes House at Governors Island 2023.

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