An audio & visual project documenting what community wellness looks like, driven by and for the community. Including narratives & reflections from across the Berkeley community. 

The project includes reflections from folks from across generations, races, abilities, gender and sexual identities, cultures, neighborhoods, and practices. Including: activists, advocates for houseless communities & Housing Counselors, Berkeley Black Infant Health, the Cheeseboard Collective, community healers & leaders, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone, the Ecology Center, Franklin Bros. Market, Healthy Black Families, Lifelong Medical, Malcolm X Elementary School, Mental Health Specialists, Multicultural Institute, Waterfront, West Berkeley, and Wee Poets. 

Community members were asked to identify spaces, meaningful items, locations, and/or activities/practices that represented their wellness. In addition to each photoshoot, participants were asked to share reflections on the following questions: 

What does wellness look like for you?

What are your personal or cultural wellness practices? 

Do you have a space that represents your wellness? 

How do you define wellness?

What message(s) do you hope to pass to future generations about wellness? 

Complete this sentence..."Wellness is_____" 

Endless gratitude to every community member who invested their time and energy into participating in and creating this project: 

Aimee George & her children (Pilot, Defcon, Malak, & Zahra), Alicia Carrillo, Ambri Pukhraj, Ashley Aaron, boona cheema, Caleb Smith, Corrina Gould, Daniela Gonzalez-Perez, Dechen Tsering & Victoria Lopez (The City of Berkeley's Department of Health, Housing, and Community Services), Ellen Lake, Meg Pohlod, & Mayumi Hamanaka (Kala Art Institute), Enrique Hernández, Giulia Pessano, Jennifer Freese & Sy Katten, Jennifer Lovvorn (Civic Arts Commision, City of Berkeley), Jessica Ory, Josah Perley, Karma Smart, Kenta Hollins, Kirk A Adams, Kym Upton, Mama Ayanna, Marcel Ramos, Martha Wold Cornwall, Minna Toloui, Moni Law, Ms. Sally Baker, Nahier Tesfagabir, Nazim Porter, Pavi Lella, Radcliffe Eccleston, Rivka Mason, Rudy Jimenez & The Green Thumb team, Themba J. Mashama, Themba Mashama, Vanessa Vichit-Vadakan

Please consider donating to the Shellmound Defense Fund - https://shellmound.org/learn-more/ohlone-vision/ 

This project was completed between January 2021-January 2022 through The Kala Art Institute Print Public residency. Through the municipal artist-in-residence program, I partnered with the City of Berkeley’s Department of Health, Housing, and Community services focusing on connecting with the community to document narratives related to community wellness, resiliency, and recovery during the pandemic.

Please access interview transcriptions here.