Description
I Am Wet Paint was first inspired by the godmother of artist Sophia Dawson who once spent time detained at Rikers Island, and was later sentenced upstate 10 years to Albion Correctional Facility. She only served 5 of those 10 years. As an attempt to keep her alive on the outside, the artist painted portraits of her godmothers life and coordinated an exhibition entitled WET PAINT. The name WET PAINT stems from the idea that we are all works in progress, under construction, and the paint is still wet¦ God is not through with us yet. I am Wet Paints mission is to influence each participant to view themselves as Wet Paint a work in progress. Our goal is for each participant to know and understand that their life narratives are still being written. Through the creation of individual and collective art projects, youth participants will learn various painting techniques and approaches. The skills gained to bring a work of art from start to fruition can be applied to every aspect of their personal lives. Through a series of hands-on art workshops with professional artist Sophia Dawson. Sophia Dawson, 31, is a Brooklyn based visual artist who has dedicated her lifes work to exposing the stories and experiences of individuals who are striving to overcome the injustices they face both individually and collectively. By raising awareness of these individuals she aims to humanize social justice issues and to prevent such experiences from being repeated in the future. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts and a masters degree in visual arts administration from New York University. Her work has recently been exhibited in Rush Arts Gallery and the Bronx Museum for the Arts. She is a recent participant of the Whitney Museum’s Independent Studio program and a current resident of the Bronx Museum of Arts first residency program. She leads art workshops at Rikers Island through Artistic Noise, a nonprofit based in Harlem that serves the growth of court-involved youth. Some of the subjects of her practice include mothers who have lost their children to police brutality both past and present, the Central Park 5, and political prisoners from the Black Liberation movement that are still incarcerated within the United States.