ART 180 invited me into a moment of expansion during the summer of 2024.

The organization was in the process of shaping the international dimension of its ATLAS Summer Residency, imagining what it could mean to host artists from global places in ways that built bridges beyond the States. The question guiding the work was free-forming and purpose-driven: how do you build an international residency that feels culturally grounded, relational, and sustaining, while also laying strategic foundations for the future of the organization?

My consultancy focused on helping ART 180 translate that vision into lived practice by centering care and deep listening as core values if the international residency. This meant serving as a cultural liaison, strategic partner, and creative collaborator, ensuring that the resident artists felt seen, resourced, and meaningfully connected to Richmond’s unique cultural landscape, while also reverberating these values as light beams in ART 180’s long-term planning.

As part of the Atlas Summer 2024 Residency, I worked closely with Xolani Sivunda (international teaching artist in residence from Cape Town, South Africa) and Virginia-based multidisciplinary artist Nastassja Swift (fellow teaching artist in residence), supporting their practices while helping to build bridges between artists, institutions, and community folk. Using the elements of air, water, earth, fire, space, and intuition, I created wrap-around moments for reflection, rest, and ritual through experiences we chose each week including kayaking, festivals, biking, visiting an amusement park, and intentionally gathering over food, music, and dance.

Scope of Work & Contributions

• Cultural liaison for two multidisciplinary artists, including South African artist Xolani Sivunda and Virginia-based artist Nastassja Swift

• Strategic support to build ART 180’s international residency framework and future planning; and facilitation of staff strategic visioning and implementation processes over two days

• Led the curation and design implementation of the Blended Identities exhibition at Try-me gallery (feauturing a live painting and works by Khalid Thompson and Xolani Sivunda); created intertextural installations at three (3) events and facilitated a student artist talk; designed and led a public ritual space for the Umama, and So She Sows opening; Facilitation of a youth focus group; design of promotional flyers

• Secured a physical location and a seven-month residency for the UMAMA, and So She Sows public art monument 

• Partnership development with Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia

• Secured a paid three-day residency for visiting West African artist Selorm Attikpo

• Development and presentation of a multimedia youth program shared across five stakeholder engagements

• Direction of a documentary crew and editing of four short film episodes (40+ minutes total); videography and editing of four (4) public-facing videos