LandArtGenerator 10/20

The Land Art Generator aims to accelerate the transition to post-carbon economies by providing models of renewable energy infrastructure that add value to public space, inspire, and educate—while providing equitable power to homes worldwide.

In October 2020, LAGI joined the AOR/C for a day of incredible panels and talked about equitable regeneration, creative placemaking, etc.

https://landartgenerator.org/

Loiter Pop-Up Galleries joins the Long Beach Business District.

"Art is Business" https://www.loitergalleries.com/about-us.

Established in 2018, Loiter Galleries' mission is to support local underserved artists by providing affordable gallery space, promotion, and general support even during the most challenging times. We also serve the business community and our Long Beach neighborhoods by filling vacant storefronts with art and optimism. 

We believe that art is a powerful tool in the evolution of neighborhoods and cities. And that the accessibility of art is of the utmost importance. 

 Additionally, Loiter Galleries fills a void. Mainly serving the various needs of underserved artists. The programs we develop directly assist the business district and the arts community. We supply affordable gallery showcases, marketing, supplies, meeting space, art business advice, and emotional support for the artists. Conversely, we aid local property owners by converting dark, empty spaces with art and positive activity. As a result, artists finally have a venue to display their art and receive the support they need to learn how to be successful. In addition, the property owners sell/lease their spaces more quickly via our projects' brightness, activity, and popularity.

Another core audience, naturally, is art lovers and supporters. We serve them by presenting them with artists we discover who are out of the mainstream. Although some of our artists are established, the shows they create tend to be more adventurous and push the boundaries. Again, this occurs through our direction and collaboration.

Many of our visitors have never been in a gallery previously.

Alpha Bruton, Chief Curator for the Phantom Gallery Chicago, has contracted services with the team at Loiter Galleries in Long Beach and is an art partner and cohort with a board of directors member Liza Simone with Space in the Gap, presenting  Popup Research Station CAFE. We welcome Loiter Galleries to our Network of Phantom Galleries. 

IN THE NEWS: C. Lee Cutchens, Community Contributor Verified User Badge

Posted Mon, Jun 4, 2018, at 7:42 pm PT

https://patch.com/california/longbeach-ca/loiter-pop-galleries-host-grand-opening-june-9-dtlb

Loiter Galleries has announced the grand opening of its newest pop-up collaborative, "Loiter Pop Up Galleries," on June 9 from 5–10 pm at The Streets, 375 North Promenade in Downtown Long Beach. While supporting local artists, guests will enjoy art discussions and refreshments and two-hour free parking at nearby public parking garages.

Led by Long Beach artists Vinny Picardi, Fine Art Photographer, and Monica Fleming, Painter, the "Loiter Pop Up Galleries" will run into the summer. Pop Up galleries provides local artists with a location to showcase their work at a low or no cost opportunity.

"We will be the debut artists of what will hopefully be the first of many pop-up gallery showcase opportunities for Long Beach artists in temporarily available storefronts," said Picardi and Fleming, co-proprietors of Loiter Galleries. "As cities redevelop, available gallery space is out of reach for most artists. We aim to ensure Long Beach artists always have a venue to present their work."

Art is a powerful tool in the evolution of neighborhoods and cities, and the Loiter Galleries Pop-Up project's goal is to aid in the responsible growth and progress of a city through art. Its purpose is two-fold: it creates temporary galleries in available spaces and serves to support local artists and their messages.

"We welcome Loiter Galleries to The Streets and look forward to their artists' showcase in our Downtown shopping center," said Tony Shooshani, Managing Member of Shooshani Developers. "Their presence will engage guests, residents, and employees with a unique local art experience in a central location."

Park(ing) Day is a month away!

"Art is Business" RSVP  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parking-day-global-placemaking-cohort-tickets-400374911137?mc_cid=f04f234d11&mc_eid=7e568d775d

Park(ing) Day is a month away! Join our global cohort for online gatherings to prepare your Park(ing) Day demonstration in good company!

RSVP

Placemakers worldwide are invited to gather online in August and September to support each others' collective actions for Park(ing) Day on September 23, 2022. We have planned a series of thematic web meetups in the following weeks to inspire, provoke and support you in delivering a temporary parklet in your local context.

For our kickoff webinar tomorrow, we are excited to have John Bela, an originator of Park(ing)Day over a decade ago, who will regale us with stories of Park(ing) Day's past, present, and exciting future! See you there!

Our Portland Mastery Program begins in PDX.

Placemakers have arrived in Portland, Oregon, to learn from one of the most livable cities in America as part of our deep dive Place Mastery Program! Day 1 started by peeling back all the layers and exploring the geography, ecology, natural forces, and native people who first carved humanity's relationship to this area. It's incredible how the freeways, roads, and mountains that guided native people through this landscape still dictate the  evolved into the current place dynamics.

Congratulations, Frankie!

Frankie McIntosh, a poet/placemaking from Flint, Michigan, successfully crowdfunded her trip to Portland, Oregon, to learn about placemaking and find out where in the field she can contribute the most with her time and talent.

Help Support our Work!

PlacemakingUS is now organized as a 501c(3) non-profit project of Social Environmental Entrepreneurs. Please donate and support our work!   What We're About PlacemakingUS is a national network organized to unleash community power to build living, interconnected places together. Through our "United Streets of America" program, we prioritize working with frontline communities that have been uprooted and looted by destructive urban planning, auto-oriented development, racist policies, and unequal investment. Our network is fighting back by equipping communities across the country with a range of tools, experiences, funding, and new relationships to regenerate their neighborhoods into complex, resilient systems transformed to face 21st-century issues like climate change, isolation/polarization, economic inequity, and public health.

Tactical Urbanism in the Horizontal Landscape Experimental Film Series

"Art is Business"

Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum Summer Tours

"Art is Business" Repost July 17th, 2021 Sacramento Magazine, by Dorsey G Griffith. 

Summer Fun: Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum

This museum displays artwork and historical documentation that illustrates Black struggle and achievement.

By

 Dorsey Griffith and Photography by Francisco Chavira

 -

July 17, 2021

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If you are lucky, you might find yourself in the capable hands of 17-year-old Saba Tesfay as your youth docent when you visit this hidden gem of a museum this summer.

The graduating senior and aspiring physician will lead you through the remarkable, 10,000-square-foot wall of African-American history murals, sharing her deep knowledge and sharp commentary. And she might begin the tour with this:

“I love history. We don’t get taught our part of history at school. We get acknowledgment during Black History Month, but we only learn about slavery and segregation.”

The Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum celebrates, through art and historical documentation, both Black struggle and achievement throughout history in Sacramento, the United States, and around the world.

Shonna McDaniels

Artist Shonna McDaniels, supported by a cadre of other creatives, developed the museum with grants and donations over many years. The busy, colorful place was designed to use art, much of it created locally, to educate the community, and to revel in the rich contributions of Black entrepreneurs, architects, educators, artists, entertainers, sports figures, racial justice fighters, and political leaders.

After struggling for years to land a larger location to house the museum’s growing collection, a tenant departure at Florin Square opened up another 2,500 square feet of space. The additional rooms are now full of engaging exhibits, many of which include explanatory audio recordings and artifacts to help tell their stories. One space, for example, teaches about Sacramento’s first Black-owned restaurant, Dunlap’s Dining Room, an Oak Park establishment that could serve only whites. Another celebrates Black people who escaped slavery and became millionaires.

“God has shown me that I need to stay put and stay focused,” McDaniels says. “We are able to serve the community in a way no other museum can.”

In addition to the murals and exhibits, the museum offers tours, workshops, and art experiences for student groups, as well as frequent events, including Second Sunday Family Days and Second Saturday with music, art tables, food, and films. Visitors to Florin Square also will find more than 75 minority-owned businesses from ethnic art shops to aestheticians and nonprofit social services organizations.

Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum

Location: Florin Square, 2251 Florin Road
Hours: Thursday–Sunday noon–5 p.m., Wednesday by appointment
Price: $4 for adults; $3 seniors; $2 ages 13–17; free for children 12 and younger
More information: sojoartsmuseum.org

More Museums!

Bronzeville Art District Virtual Trolley Tour - Creative Conversation Presenting Artists Speaking About their Art Practice

"Art is Business"

JOIN US ON AUGUST 21, 2020 AT 7PM FOR A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION

FACEBOOK LIVE LINK: https://www.facebook.com/events/3168078666607321

Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tour 2019, "Experimentalism"

Mother Bessie Turner's Tea Set Collection, gifted to Alpha M. Bruton 1998

Bronzeville Art District Virtual Trolley Tour- Phantom Gallery Chi Featured Artist Shonna McDaniels

"Art is Business"  visit SOJO Museum at https://www.sojoartsmuseum.org/

August 21, 2020, Featured Artist Shonna McDaniel's, Artist/Muralist/Museum Practice

Shonna McDaniels founded the Sojourner Truth Art Museum in 1996. In addition to her Executive Director duties, she is also a professional artist, teacher, muralist, and community activist. Prior to 1996, McDaniels was one of the co-founders and artists of the Visual Arts Development Project, teaching art classes, conducting workshops, and organizing art exhibits throughout the Oak Park and Del Paso communities. 

The Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum (also known as SOJO Museum) has been actively involved in serving youth and families in the South Sacramento area since 1996 when it developed numerous creative arts programs under the National Academic Youth Corps. Its purpose was to enable youth from culturally diverse backgrounds to stretch their minds and imaginations and to provide a safe environment that stimulates creativity, promotes healthy lifestyles, and develops social skills. After obtaining 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 2002, the Museum has offered scores of no- or low-cost programs, workshops, and activities on-site and out in the community to thousands of youth.

The Museum's programs have positively affected the lives of its participants and the cultural environment of the community. The Museum was founded as collaboration between Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum and the Florin Business Arts Complex where the Museum is housed. SOJO operates as both a traditional Museum and a learning and education center for children, youth, and their families. We offer programs that educate youth about diversity and involve them in hands-on art projects including mural development, clay sculpting, and storytelling. SOJO offers a diverse spectrum of theme-oriented murals, art installations, exhibitions, events, and programs representing African American, Mexican, Latino, Asian, Alaskan, Pacific Islander, Eastern, and Native Cultures. The Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum was awarded official Sacramento Museum status in 2008, and in February 2009, participated in the highly attended Sacramento Free Museum Day.

Leadership Statement
As the Founder and Executive Director of the Sojourner Truth Arts Museum (SOJO Museum), Shonna McDaniel's takes pride in ensuring community-driven projects come alive and enable underserved children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds to engage in creative experiences. McDaniel's is a highly qualified, professional artist that has an extensive background in art instruction and mural design. Shonna McDaniels also has over 20 years of managerial and executive experience from both the business and non-profit sectors. By providing access to art experiences, she aims to increase livability, spread cultural understanding, nurture healthy interactions, and support socially responsible programs.

GET IN TOUCH
916-320-9573
info@sojoartsmuseum.org
2251 Florin Rd #126
Sacramento, Ca 95822

The museum is located on the corner of 24th and Florin inside the Florin Business Arts Complex, in Sacramento California.

2020 Bronzeville Art District Virtual Trolley Tour

"Art is Business" RSVP on Eventbrite for multiple dates.



For our followers and collectors, the 2020  ZOOM Virtual Gallery/Open Studio will focus on artists "Examining the State of Our Environment"- having "Creative Conversations" with artists in their studios. Art Talks are an excellent opportunity to chat with featured artists and discover new ones, as well as to show your support.

The Phantom Gallery will look at how the city influences art and artists transform the city by contributing to civic dialogue and quality of life. These installations will produce "Creative Conversations," presenting artists speaking about their art.

2020 Bronzeville Art District Virtual Gallery Tours
Eventbrite to RSVP-
7pm - 8pm

"Examining the State of Our Environment"

ZOOM ROOM VIRTUAL GALLERY

Topic: Phantom Gallery's Personal Meeting Room

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7810713927?pwd=Sm1QbUNwWks4R2QxT0NvNko1UUpsUT09

Meeting ID: 781 071 3927
Password: Trolley

Forecasting what the future holds and how we adapt to new ways of presenting art engagement and audience development while practicing social distancing. Alpha Bruton, Founder of the Phantom Gallery Chicago, is moving to mark out a new and exciting program for the future of gallery practice in a virtual space.

The Phantom aims to examine changes in current curatorial production and develop innovative displays concerning virtual spaces. "Curatorial Practice" explores the impact of the urban environment on the artist and their work and the contributions that artists make to the vitality of a city. The place where art is imagined and made, whether in a physical or virtual space, affects the idea, the process, and the final product.

Phantom Gallery Chicago Artist in Resident –
Renee Baker, visual artist/media and film, is a resident artist/curator. She has invested in the Phantom Gallery Chicago Loft as an AIR to stage her experimental film screenings and as an ancillary gallery to showcase and exhibit her sculpture and paintings.

RENEE BAKER ANCILLARY STUDIO

Renee Baker, Chicago IL
Renée Baker has created sonic arenas and compositions for many museums, including MCA CHICAGO, MOFA St. Petersburg, Fl., Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MOMA, NY, ARTS CLUB OF CHICAGO, DESTEJILK MUSEUM, Zwolle, NL, MOMA NY, Spurlock Museum Champaign, Il, Krannert Art Museum, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Stony Island Arts Bank, DuSable Museum Chicago, Gardener Museum Boston, alongside prestigious music organizations, Symphony Center, Chicago. She has the privilege of being a Visiting Resident Artist of the CHICAGO SYMPHONY AAN 2017-2020. Her film scores for BODY AND SOUL, THE SCAR OF SHAME, along with two new opera projects, BALDWIN CHRONICLES MIDNIGHT RAMBLE and A SOVEREIGN POUT, both premiered at Symphony Center in 2019 and February of 2020.

July 2020 - September 2021  Featured Artists

 "Creative Conversations" BlogTalkRadio Tuesdays at 11am 

Alpha Bruton- Chief Curator at Phantom Gallery Chicago Network, a project that connects artists to temporary installation spaces. Regarding her social practice, Bruton looks at how the city influences art and how artists transform the city by contributing to civic dialogue and quality of life. These installations produce "Creative Conversations" artists speaking about their art practice. How does the current body of work, professionally and in your curatorial practice, intersect with the ideas of art and social justice, racism, art and wellness, spirituality, and other investigative questions?

Adero Knott- co-curator and founder CEO of A.K. Prosthetics, an emerging voice and activist on perspectives and clarity on topics that include disability and perspective. Her recent curating experience was at the MCA-Chicago. Bruton and Adero's artistic vision entails an intergenerational curatorial practice that seeks to provide a model for emerging and established curators to innovate in curating inclusive experience, gain practical curating experience and critically reflect on how their curatorial style will imprint on the Evanston community and the world. In four exhibitions, each running for two weeks, exhibiting artists will examine the state of their environment in society through themes of Racism, Spirituality, Documentation, and Art as Wellness.

Guest Featured Artists:

Caryl Henry Alexander, Environmental Installation Artist
Daphne Burgess Moulton, Alabama, Artist Gallery 157 Co-Owner
Talver Germany Miller, Mather, CA, Adjunct Professor of Art History
Shonna McDaniels – Sacramento CA, Executive Director SOJO Art Museum
Larissa AK Johnson- Chicago IL, President of Race to Knowledge and Beyond

Caryl Henry Alexander, Artist/Environmental Installation Artist:
For over 40 years, her work has harnessed the power of creative collaboration with multi-generational, multicultural, and interfaith communities. We conceive, design, and implement public art projects in diverse settings. She works with traditional and experimental media, often incorporating recycled or found objects and natural plant materials. This work has spanned painting, mixed media printmaking, paper making, textiles, installations, and sculpture in the studio. A strong long-term focus in my artwork is on ancestry, culture, environment, and nature. This art has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and internationally in small museums, galleries, and online.

Daphne Burgess of Moulton, Alabama, Artist Art consultant, Gallery Owner
Co-Owner of Gallery 157 was created to increase access to art and art experiences through collaboration, community engagement, exhibitions, and educational programming. She is an African American artist living and working in Moulton, Alabama.

Her work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions, including the Valley Artists Sculpture Exhibition, Sojourner Truth Art Museum, 1001 Del Paso Works, SMUD Gallery, CSU Sacramento, Brickhouse Gallery, Crocker Art Museum, the African American Museum and Library in Oakland, and the African American Historical and Cultural Museum of the Central San Joaquin Valley. In addition, Daphne has been leading artists for several grant-funded programs through the Crocker Art Museum and Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.

Talver Germany Miller-Mather, CA 

A native of Sacramento, California, received a B.A. in Studio Art, a B.A. in Social Science/ Anthropology, and an MS. Degree in Counseling Education from the California State University of Sacramento. Associate Professor of Art at Folsom Lake College holds membership in Placerville Arts Association, San Francisco Fine Arts Museum, Sacramento African American Art Collection, Phantom Gallery Chicago Network, and California Arts Association. Co-curator of the African American Art Summit at Sacramento City College and San Jose, CA. Presently Co-Founder and Director of the Visual Arts Development Project. Exhibited widely throughout Northern and Southern California, Folsom Lake College, Mc George School of Law, presenter Assisi Italy Third World Art Conference, and resident artist Montego Bay Jamaica, Mazine Inn.

Shonna McDaniels – Sacramento CA,

Founder and Director of the Sojourner Truth Art Museum (founded in 1996). McDaniel's is a professional artist/teacher/muralist and community activist. She has an extensive background in art instruction and mural design. 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, McDaniel's instructed art classes for two years on military bases and organized art exhibitions and programs. In addition, she has over 25 years of community involvement with various organizations that support the arts through displays, artist residences, community activism, community murals, and organizing community-based festivals in South Sacramento. Has contributed to over 150 murals to the  Sacramento, Stockton, and San Francisco landscape.

Larissa AK Johnson- Chicago IL 

Ms. Johnson is the president of Race to Knowledge and Beyond, successor to her late mother's organization, and founder of the Social Move. She received her Visual Arts Certification from the University of Chicago Graham School and Hyde Park Art Center in 2017, and her focus is on photography and curation. She is the curator for Sounding Bronzeville, a gathering space along the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. She was featured by the Phantom Gallery Chicago Network in "Experimental-ism." At the same time, we examined the state of our environment in 2019, presenting an outdoor video wall projection installation of animation and slides of Black Bodies/Black Life.

Ceremonial Teas in the Context of African American Socials Life

SALON SERIES:

February 15th, 2021, is not a well-known day outside the African American community as a memorable holiday. Still, it is just that to the 12 percent of the U.S. population of African American descent. The Tea Ceremony was thought to have been developed by house slaves during the final decades before Emancipation.

All programming will execute social distancing practices, RSVP limited seating, and join us on ZOOM.

Evanston Art Center Announces Inaugural Curatorial Fellowship 2020-2021

"Art is Business" https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/curatorial-fellow

JOIN US FOR AN INTRODUCTORY 

"CREATIVE CONVERSATION" WITH ADERO KNOTT

Adero Knott- Co-Curator and facilitator

Knott (she/her) is an emerging curator who debuted at MCA Chicago, curating "Disability and Perspective", one of four exhibitions belonging to the Commons Artist Project of Norman Teague + Fo Wilson's blkHaUS studios. Adero is a Prosthetics Designer and Founder of AK Prosthetics, Corp., an AdaptiveTech startup on a mission to make customized prosthetics and adaptive wearables accessible and inclusive. Adero has been featured in Forbes, Chicago Sun-Times, and American Inno for her innovative work in the community of Chicago. Adero is also an ADA 25 Advancing Leadership Fellow of 2020.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2020
Evanston Art Center
Curatorial Fellowship

EXHIBITION DATES: July 10 – September 5, 2021
CONTACT: Cara Feeney, Director of Exhibitions
Email: cfeeney@evanstonartcenter.org

EVANSTON ART CENTER ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP CO-CURATORS: ALPHA M. BRUTON AND ADERO KNOTT

The Evanston Art Center (EAC), an artistic hub on the North Shore for over ninety years, believes that some communities are all too rarely represented in the curatorial world. To address this situation, the EAC has developed a recurrent, project-based position for a curator of color with ties to the Evanston community to develop an exhibition of their choosing. It is the EAC’s intent that such an exhibit will both build new ties to historically underrepresented groups as well as introduce Evanston and the greater Chicago area to new curatorial and artistic perspectives.

In this, the inaugural year of the program, the EAC is excited to announce the appointment of co-curators Alpha M. Bruton and Adero Knott as this year’s Curatorial Fellows. Their final exhibition will be on display in the Evanston Art Center’s First Floor Gallery from July 10, 2021– September 5, 2021.

Bruton and Knott’s artistic vision entails an intergenerational curatorial practice that seeks to provide a model for emerging and established curators to innovate in curating inclusive experience, gain practical curating experience and critically reflect on how their curatorial style will imprint on the Evanston community and the world. In four exhibitions, each running two weeks, exhibiting artists will examine the state of their environment in society through themes of Racism, Spirituality, Documentation and Art as Wellness.

Throughout the exhibition, Bruton and Knott will invite artists, curators, and the Evanston Art Center community to participate in a series of public dialogues facilitated by Knott and the exhibiting artists. These dialogues will explore ways artists examine their environment through themes of Racism, Spirituality, Documentation, and Art as Wellness, as well as the intersection of art and social justice – how do identity and intersectionality affect our lived experiences, as seen in the practice of an artist?

This program serves as an extension of the Evanston Art Center’s nonprofit mission to foster the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences. It also fulfills its vision to be widely recognized as a dynamic art education and exhibition center that encourages freedom of artistic expression and enriches cultural life. The EAC strives to be a hub of artistic endeavors, a passionate advocate for the arts, and a valuable partner for arts initiatives in the Evanston community.

The Curatorial Fellowship exhibition will be exhibited in the first-floor gallery of the Evanston Art Center. 

Learn more about the Curatorial Fellowship: https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/curatorial-fellow

About the Evanston Art Center 
The Evanston Art Center (EAC) provides inspiring art education, exhibitions, and expression for all. The EAC is a non-profit that has supported the arts for more than 90 years. 

For more information, please visit us online at www.evanstonartcenter.org or contact Cara Feeney, Director of Exhibitions, at cfeeney@evanstonartcenter.org. 

Visit the Evanston Art Center on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EvanstonArtCenter;  follow us on Instagram: @EvanstonArtCenter.

Evanston Art Center
1717 Central Street
Evanston, IL 60201

Shonna McDaniel- Founder Sojourner Truth Art Museum Artist and Social Justice Activist.

"Art is Business"  Biographical Profile: The Artist Shonna McDaniels

Mrs. McDaniels is a committed “artist and social justice activist.

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 as well as organizing art exhibitions and programs.

Prior to 1996, Shonna McDaniels was one of the co-founders and artist 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 as well as helped raise money for charitable causes throughout the Sacramento Region.  She has over 25 years of community involvement, with various organizations that support the arts through exhibition, artist residences, community activism, community murals and organizing community-based festivals in South Sacramento.

Ms. McDaniels has contributed to over 150 murals to the landscape of Sacramento, Stockton, and San Francisco:
These include among others:

• The Sacramento Redevelopment Agency Downtown Mural Project
• Marian Anderson Elementary School Mural Project
• Hmong Women’s Heritage Community Mural  
• Oak Dale Elementary School Mural, Totem, and Stepping Stone Project 
• 
  
• PS7 Elementary School Restoration Mural 
• Breadfruit Tree Restaurant Mural Restoration- Stockton, Ca
• San Francisco Farmers Market Mural Project (Facilitated by Precita Eyes) 

• County of Sacramento WIC Program Floor Mural and two wall murals 
• Magic Johnson Center (5 community murals)
• Florin Business Arts Complex/Sojourner Truth Murals Project 
• South Gate Baskin Robins Ice Cream Community Mural Project 
• The Greater Sacramento Urban League Tobacco Education Program (3 murals in conjunction with the Sacramento Metropolitan Art Commission Neighborhood Arts Program
• Franklin Villa Resource Center—Franklin Resource Center Para-Transit Shuttle Bus Project (8 murals)
•  The “Green Dream” mural, commissioned for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2007 Inaugural, for example, depicts images of a healthy California.  

The mural displayed at Cal EPA and the California Museum for History of Women and the Arts.  Several of her murals advocate against tobacco use, such as the “Tobacco Education Mural,” Neighborhood Arts/Franklin Villa Resource Center. Shonna also travels to other states and cities (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Stockton, Yuba City, and Napa Valley) to help with community public murals and outreach.

As an Artist-in-Residence at Marian Anderson Elementary School (Sacramento, CA), McDaniels designed a mural framing contralto opera singer Marian Anderson in various stages of her life and career.  She also conducted after-school and weekend art workshops.

Ms. McDaniels believes that the desire to experience and participate in creativity is essential to optimum human expression and development. 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 look at 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 that I present. The education of youth for me is very important 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, cultural and historical understanding.  Art is an essential, encompassing life element that has the ability to produce an environment with a productive, cultural exchange of ideas. In addition, art promotes the acquisition of intellectual skills in literature, science, and math. Indeed, art should be a priority in human development.  Art has the ability to inspire youth to be creative, think outside the box and use their skills to beautify their environment.