SUMMER WEB SERIES | 8 EPISODES
h.e.ART & Soul
The arts are often seen as a source of entertainment, but they can also provide emotional healing. We’ll explore this concept in our new web series h.e.ART & Soul, a program featuring Black artists who will guide viewers through creative expression forms of healing, dealing and coping.
The h.e.ART in this series stands for “healing and expression through ART” — a process highlighted by Synetra Hughes in her personal journey, centered on the idea that creative expression can transform our painful reactions to traumatic situations, providing renewed strength of our identity and a way to give voice to difficult feelings.
EPISODE 1
Arts for Airiel
Our series begins with Synetra's story -- a Black woman who has experienced great trauma in the past year of losing a young child. Through her story, and the documenting of utilizing creative expression to aid in healing from grief, she hopes to normalize speaking power to truth in the Black community.
EPISODE 2
Dance — The Language of Freedom
Just as Blake thought his body had reached a certain limit, he discovered boundless ways to explore his true range of motion and creativity -- learning himself even deeper in the process.
EPISODE 3
Photography is My Happy Place
When a medical issue put Brandon’s mom in the hospital, he turned to photography to deal with the stress and sadness of the difficult situation.
EPISODE 4
The Power of Owning Your Story
"I always say the premise of my art is to expose and heal. But you can't heal if you don't see the parts that are broken..." Poet, writer and actress NaTosha DeVon shares how she uses story and exposure to stand in her truth & heal.
EPISODE 5
Expression Beyond Words
"I don't really consider anybody an artist. I think that art makes you and not the other way around...you can tell a lot about the type of person someone is by the things that they create or about their outlets."
12-year-old Cydney Thomas shares her eclectic view of the world - a Black girl in a predominately white space, exploring art as her personal, and very necessary, outlet.
EPISODE 6
Bars and Beats to Feel
Equipped with his pad and his pen, Mike Day lets the healing begin. When he's not directing another Black indie film for Dayvision, you can always find Mike vibin' to the beat of his own drumkit.
EPISODE 7
Create the World You Want to See
"How I love is through creation, and so I try to create in abundance." Jae believes in touching and spreading love to as many people as she can and she's doing just that through her craft: Illustrated worlds full of love, rich in culture and wonderfully melanated.
EPISODE 8
Art: The Highest Form of Expression
"When people come, the intention is that you leave the world outside and you allow your heart to be free..."
Lakisha Bradley, owner of the My-T-By-Design Therapeutic Art Studio in Fayetteville, Arkansas, shares how she introduces people to a safe space and pathway to using art to heal or express themselves to the fullest.