Heart of Stark: Canton Museum of Art launches community art project
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The Canton Museum of Art recently announced the launch of “You Are What You Bring With You ...,” a community art project designed to share the stories behind each individual’s personal journey and discover unique definitions of what it means to find home.
Inspired by the words and illustrations of artist Yuyi Morales, “You Are What You Bring With You ...” is a collaborative school and community art project designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage and traditions brought by immigrants and migrants to the United States.
Morales is one of the featured artists and authors in the museum’s art exhibition, Finding Home: Four Artists' Journeys, which showcases visual memoirs exploring immigration, cultural heritage and personal journeys. The exhibition features the work of master illustrators who bring the immigration experience to life, giving voice to the emotional complexities of traveling to America and adapting to a new world.
"My book celebrates what immigrants bring with them to the U.S.,” Morales said about her book, "Dreamers." “They bring their strength, abilities, talents and passion. It was not what I left behind, it was what I brought with me — my young child, the stories of my ancestors and the fabric my mother sewed."
The community aspect of this exhibition is designed to foster empathy and understanding within our community by promoting unity through diversity and shared experiences. Students and adults from Stark County and the surrounding areas are encouraged to participate in the interactive project by completing the submission worksheet that asks one simple question: If you had only a backpack to carry, what did you or would you bring with you on your journey to find home?
The submission worksheet includes space to describe your answer to the question through writing, along with space to tell your story through a drawing, painting or photograph using any art materials. The submission deadline is July 19, and entries must be created on the letter-sized submission worksheet found on the museum’s website. Participants can bring their completed worksheets to the museum or submit their work by mail or email.
Visit www.cantonart.org/you.are.what.you.bring.with.you for more information and to download the project submission worksheet.
The Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. Ranked in the top 10% of community foundations in the country, the foundation and its family of donors have granted $230 million to nonprofits since 1963. Learn more at www.starkcf.org.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Heart of Stark: Canton Museum of Art launches community art project
