“Justice grows out of recognition of ourselves in each other.”

Barack Obama

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I am committed to the pursuit of knowledge, meaning and purpose, to facing hard truths with courage and humility, to giving thanks and doing my part, to making beautiful things with my heart and hands and mind and teaching others to do so as well. 

 

Art is a tool of communication, arguably the first tool of communication. Ceramics is at least as old as written language.  The pursuit of excellence in its practice has been a life long obsession but not an end in itself.  What I have to say with my art is greater than any object I make, and certainly greater than myself.  My work has gradually evolved into what is now known as community art.  Community art generally results in a collaborative public art project that includes an educational, participatory component and is physically located in the community. At its core, community art is as much about social justice as it is about art.  I believe, “Education is the civil right issue of our time” (Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education). Professional artists at the Master’s level who design projects with a community engagement component to produce the artwork practice community art. Community art addresses the inequality in public art education by providing much needed arts classes and experiences for those who might not otherwise have access to them. Additionally, service-learning creates bridges between the professional art community, urban Baltimore, and Morgan students.   Morgan art alumni have gone on to achieve advanced degrees and assume positions of leadership in business, art, and education.  Many of our students stay in the region and become part of the arts industry, furthering the cultural capital and economic strength of the State of Maryland.