Recently I presented Point of Entry at Twelve Gates Arts and Batikh Batikh’s Community Night led by curator Sarah Trad! SWANA/SA creatives such as visual artists and writers presented their practice for feedback from other artists within the culture.
Thursday, March 16, 2023, 5:30pm
Twelve Gates Arts 106 North 2nd Street Philadelphia
The Asian Arts Initiative Town Hall is a networking event where artists, organizers, and organizations come together to support upcoming artistic projects and break bread over a potluck dinner.
I am presenting my expansion plan of the Point of Entry series!
Monday, March 13th at 6pm
Asian Arts Initiative
1219 Vine St, Philadelphia
Last exhibition of the year! Check out REMIX at Wanderlife Gallery.
Reception: December 9th 6 - 9pm
Wanderlife Gallery, 2231 S 13th St, Philadelphia
November 4th - December 3rd
Reception: November 4th, 6 - 9pm, Panel at 6:30
Wanderlife Gallery, 2231 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA
RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/point-of-entry-x-safe-horizon-atp-art-exhibition-tickets-423832704027
Point of Entry is a series of oil paintings depicting people’s scars and sites of somatic healing. Each intimate portrait is painted on a piece of broken mirror, allowing the viewer to see themselves reflected within. Together these pieces allude to being part of a larger, imperfect mosaic of community and invites the viewer to glimpse into a life outside their own and see a part of themselves.
Point of Entry seeks to amplify narratives from marginalized communities that disproportionately experience mental illness, but whose stories are vastly underrepresented in our conversations about mental health. In light of this mission, the project is collaborating with Safe Horizon, a non-profit organization that provides services to victims of crimes. Since 2001, the Anti-Trafficking Program (ATP) has provided trauma-informed intensive case management, psychotherapy, and legal assistance to trafficking survivors.
This project intends to enrich community discussions of trafficking while also portraying stories of how people heal, illuminating how we connect with others and hold space for their experiences. Butterflies created by trauma survivors and visitors will be intertwined throughout the exhibition, representing the color and resilience we possess. Vulnerabilities are universal yet idiosyncratic; more, they are seeds from which beauty creatively emerges.
Special thanks to Safe Horizon for their support of this project. We would like to thank the Puffin Foundation and ArtisPHL for their support of this project.
Krista Svalbonas and Natasha Zeta are pleased to present Cicatrix, an exhibition on how we ground ourselves after trauma. Drawing from personal stories, each artist illustrates acts of defiance, resilience, and growth despite devastation. Whether caused by upheaval from geopolitical warfare or from our own internal struggles, this collaboration explores the idea of a fractured identity and how we heal from our experiences to create a new path as well as preserve and honor the memory of where we have been.
September 19th - October 22nd
CFEVA Philadelphia Open Studio Tour: Sunday, October 22nd
Allens Lane Art Center, 601 W Allens Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19119
So excited to tell you that I have been awarded a $1,500 grant from the Puffin Foundation! The Puffin Foundation provides grants to artists who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy. This will go towards our Point of Entry Exhibition this Fall.
I am so happy to announce I’ve won the the ArtisPHL Grant for $1,000! Thanks to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority’s Fund for Art and Civic Engagement, and with support from the Knight Foundation, I am able to secure a Point of Entry exhibition in November at Wanderlife Gallery.
“We hoped that the second group of ARTISPHL would continue to use this opportunity to express themselves and represent their communities,” said David Thomas, CEO of PHDC. “These inspiring submissions allow us to rediscover the power of our communities and ourselves through art.”
I am honored to announce I am one of four Center for Emerging Visual Arts Fellows!
The Visual Artist Fellowship, the cornerstone of CFEVA's artist services, offers a customized platform on which emerging and mid-career visual artists in Philadelphia and its surrounding region can experience career growth, experiment with big ideas, and reach new levels of excellence within their practice.
Through a competitive process, CFEVA asks applicants to demonstrate a history of artistic excellence, a proven track record in project completion, and a clear plan for CFEVA’s proposed role in accomplishing their career goals. This year four Fellows and four Finalists were selected by CFEVA's Board of Artistic Advisors. See Advisors HERE
I am amazed to be chosen for this important opportunity. Thank you to all of those who have helped me along the way, and I’m excited to see what the future brings.
My work will be featured on the big screen at CFEVA’s Feel the Love Happy Hour at The Trestle Inn. Please stop by to help fundraise and friend-raise for Philadelphia nonprofit the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, providing opportunities and funding to local artists. Featuring Happy Hour Specials, our How Deep is Your Love cocktail, Philly Soul Hits and much more, 20% of all bar sales during the event will go directly to support the mission of the nonprofit.
My art will be projected on a big screen at the event, so keep an “eye” out!
Thursday, June 2nd, 6-9 PM
Trestle Inn 339 N 11th St, Philadelphia
At long last, I am finally launching the Point of Entry exhibition in November 2022 at Wanderlife Gallery in November 2022. First conceived of in 2020, I am excited to be this close to finally making a public exhibition of Point of Entry a reality. I have been working hard these last few months getting ready for it - interviewing, painting, grant writing, connecting and sharing.
I am raising funds independently. Please consider donating any amount towards this project - every little bit will help! Even just $10 would make all the difference.
Thank you so much, and if you cannot donate at this time, please consider sharing it on Instagram and Facebook!’
The Asian Arts Initiative Town Hall is a networking event where artists, organizers, and organizations come together to support upcoming artistic projects and break bread over a potluck dinner.
I am presenting my expansion plan of the Point of Entry series! Click here to see the presentation!
This is a virtual event! RSVP Here to join on May 19th!
I am pleased to announce that my Point of Entry project was a finalist for the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, a grant for feminist artists from the United States and Canada!
There are hundreds who apply and only around twenty winners and fifteen finalists, so it is definitely a feat to get so close!
Cracked Perspective will be published in literary magazine Sunflower Station Press! You can preorder the issue here. It ships out in June!
I’m happy to announce that I have had my first interview on Point of Entry! Scarred City Project is an online magazine that hosts a bicoastal roster of artists that explore trauma and healing through their artwork. I’m honored to be one of them and have met some new people along the way.
Myrtle & Magnolia are hosting local artists and vendors all through the holidays! Join me on December 4th for some special prices on Cracked Perspective and to meet up with some cool Philly businesses!
Saturday, December 4th, 11am - 2pm Myrtle & Magnolia Courtyard, 2421 East Gordon St, Fishtown
Pleased to be part of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation’s Virtual Holiday Market from Saturday November 27 - December 31, 2021. Stay tuned for more details and shop local!
Please join me for One for All’s Fall Ball, a fall fundraiser costume party!
Join One For All as we raise money for our free arts education programming this Fall for our Fall Ball costume party fundraiser! We will have a lot happening including raffle prizes, games, art vendors, poetry readings and an extra special DJ who will play family friendly tunes to dance to throughout the evening.
Friday, October 29th, 2022
One for All, 4751 Woodland Ave, Philadelphia, PA
I will be an artist featured at this year’s The Art Market at Tyler! Check it out here!
A virtual event, the website will be presented September 24–October 3, 2021 over Temple University's 2021 Homecoming Week.
It’s finally here! Poinfofentry.net
Fishtown Neighbors Association is promoting a neighborhood-wide Sidewalk Sale with tons of goods, crafts and more! I will be showing off my Cracked Perspective series, come stop by Dreer & Tulip to take a look!
Sunday, September 12th, anytime
Fishtown, Philadelphia