>I'm assuming you're in the visual arts... what is your
>specialty?

i have an mfa in art and technology. this includes visual art, digital art, or digital media.

>What type of vision do you have for your arts and
>how it will aid people?

when I was in high school and volunteering i noticed that when i did art with sick kids it cheered them up and i felt good, as well. sometimes i would draw something when a kid was crying or in pain and it distracted them and before long we were making art together. it meant a lot to me that i had the time and freedom to do this. sometimes i volunteered 2-3 times per week and earned assistant nursing privileges like being able to person a station or play with babies and kids on my own.

one of my h.s. art teachers told me i was going to become a teacher and that was the last job i wanted. when i was 19 i became an art and tech intern for a summer arts program for talented teens. it was there that i realized my "purpose". the program had previously served surburban teens and when i was hired it was the first time they had a majority of urban teens and youth of color. i was given the freedom to create classes and enrichment activities for the art & tech students, so i ran a series of evening film screenings/forums. after each film we would have a discussion, or create a group project. this was before i even knew how to create a lesson plan. i screened Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Marlon Riggs' Ethnic Notions, and Style Wars. After the latter we had a big discussion about hip-hop and later we created a mural.

while i was teaching art in community-based programs all over New York i noticed that i was also advocating and mentoring young artists. it seemed to come naturally to me. i'm still doing this work. at some point i expanded the work to include adults in workforce development/training programs...then i became a visiting lecturer/professor. right now i am coordinating a pre-college digital art mentoring program that matches students from urban, or underserved high schools with college students. this semester they are working on a video p.s.a. to educate peers about art college life.

i also started an organization that provides resources for youth practitioners who want to develop their own digital art programs