Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum- Big Day of Giving is 365 days.
Shonna McDaniel's the Founder and Director of the Sojourner Truth Art Museum (founded in 1996). McDaniels is a professional artist/teacher/muralist, and community activist. She has an extensive background in art instruction and mural designs. She has studied under some of the finest professors in the Los Rios Community College network and master artists in the San Francisco Bay Area. While residing in Germany, McDaniels instructed art classes for two years on Military Bases and organized art exhibitions and programs.
Before 1996, Shonna McDaniels was one of the co-founders and artists of the Visual Arts Development Project (founded in 1988); McDaniels taught art classes, conducted workshops, and organized art exhibits throughout the Oak Park and Del Paso communities. She has donated art to various organizations and helped raise money for charitable causes throughout the Sacramento Region. She has over 25 years of community involvement with multiple organizations that support the arts through exhibitions, artist residencies, community activism, community murals, and organizing community-based festivals in South Sacramento.
Ms. McDaniels has contributed over 150 murals to the landscape of Sacramento, Stockton, and San Francisco:
These collections can be found: in Sacramento Unified School District, Sacramento Arts Commissions,
County of Sacramento, Florin Business Arts Complex/Sojourner Truth Murals Project
And her artistic legacy within the community is renowned to grassroots, professional artists, politicians, and the business community. Her contributions have been recognized by Council members: Lauren Hammond, Bonnie Pannell, Larry Carr, Mayor Kevin Johnson, Congress Doris Matsui, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Entertainer Russell Simmons. Mrs. McDaniels is a committed “social artist-activist.” Her work is dedicated to creativity and social change within the context of an evolving, healthy community.
Personal Statement: My purpose as an artist is to leave a legacy for future artists. I want young black girls and boys to see my art and experience something of worth, pride, and value. For this reason, I strive to have the essence of my work reflect dignity, strength, and the beauty of each subject I present. For me, youth education is critical, and I have spent a large part of my career as an artist educating youth. I feel today, more than ever, that art is needed by young people as a forum for safe expression, communication, exploration, imagination, and cultural and historical understanding. Art is an essential, encompassing life element that can produce an environment with a productive cultural exchange of ideas. In addition, art promotes acquiring intellectual skills in literature, science, and math. Indeed, art should be a priority in human development. Art can inspire youth to be creative, think outside the box, and use their skills to beautify their environment.
