The Poetics of Deconstruction Through Artmaking

     Students now make up one of the most active and outspoken generations of our time, but many are unable to participate in protests on the street. We hope to empower students to speak out and make your voices heard through your art-making. In this experiential workshop, participants will explore activism through creative endeavors and how they can translate that work into taking action.

Presented by...

   ​  Javan Howard is a poet and writer from The Bronx, NY. He truly believes that the lived experience is the ultimate teaching tool and uses poetry as a social forum to foster discourse about love, culture, and identity. He is also the TAP Co-Director for Curricula, Mentorship & Facilitation at Community Word Project.  Howard's work has been featured online at WNYC News, The Broken Plate, The Watershed Review, and River Mouth Review. He has work forthcoming in  The Minnesota Review. He is a recipient of the 2022 Aspen Words Fellowship and has work forthcoming in several publications.

     Adriana Guzmán is a first-generation American and Queens, New York native. Her foundation in multiculturalism instilled a spirit of global citizenship at a very young age – prioritizing humanity while transcending geographically and politically imagined borders. This essence has carried through in her work as a Facilitator, Visual Artist, and Creative Educator. Adriana is also the Co-Director of Custom Training, Community Programs & Facilitation for the Teaching Artist Project. She has worked with students and adults of all ages, facilitating creative & restorative journeys of self-reflection and active hope, integrating a social justice lens.

     Reared in South Carolina, Dale Novella Anderson-Lee began teaching social justice through the arts after completing the Teaching Artist Training and Internship Program with Community-Word Project in 2016.  Since then, she has helped students throughout New York City find their voice and celebrate their culture through music; poetry, and digital media. As a  200hr Registered Yoga Teacher, Dale uses yogic principles to create a safe, trauma informed space for students to create and share.  In addition to being a working songwriter and performer, Dale Novella is also the Co-Director of Communications, Operations, and Facilitation for the Teaching Artist Project.