Catching Up and Allied Arts

These last few weeks have been quite a blur. They have gone so very fast and I'm sure the next few will be just as hectic.

Since I last checked in my work has been accepted at Allied Arts in Richland, Washington. 

Only one piece went up since I was accepted only a day before new work wa to be hung. 

The awesome sauce news...that one piece sold in less than two weeks! Which means that the others will go up soon as well...

if you would like to see more timely updates on where my work is, be sure to like my Facebook art page. 

You&I

I have been accepted to You&I Framshop and Gallery as a part of the Kennewick Art Walk!

The walk is always the first Thursday of the month. My work will be up November and December which means the open house and walk will be Thursday, November 6 and Thursday, December 4 from 5-9.

Don't worry if you missed November. The turnout was perfect and December is coming and though I think my work will move back to make room for new art, it will still be up!

I will have some smaller pieces there that will make perfect gifts so be sure to stop by.

Home: Weekly Photo Challenge

This weeks challenge was home.

Within my first week of being in Brazil, I was sure to scope out a favela. As I walked through, all I saw was beauty all around. The people and the houses were captivating. 

This was one of the most beautiful houses that I saw while in Brazil. The colors of the door, the bricks and the plants in this photo are absolutely lovely.

After returning to the hostel I decided to draw this house as a part of my drawing a day project.

Art Lesson+ Resume

I am an artist and graphic designer. I moved to the Tri-Cities at the end of the summer after teaching art and English in Brazil for two months.

I spent the last two years teaching private lessons and teaching classes (art, yoga, blogging, language, etc.) to adults and youth with disabilities at the Cooper Center for Creative Arts.

I have a wide range of topics and levels that I can teach. I am especially interested in guided art exploration and cultural and travel inspired art. I love teaching book making, upcycling, watercolor, and drawing as well.

Please contact me if you or someone you know is interested in art lessons.
Contact info below picture :)

Me with students and a guest for my Indian Culture class at the Cooper Center for Creative Arts

Felicia Follum

Contact
email me
Find and follow my Art+ page on Facebook (This is my public business page)
Message me privately and/follow me on Facebook (I don't accept random requests but will respond to messages or share my phone number via Facebook)
@FeliciaFollum
+Felicia Follum
Find me on LinkdIn

Children's Art Competition, Vila do Boa, Brasil

Education

University of Wyoming 2012
B.A. Art
B.A. Humanities and Fine Arts
African American and Diaspora Studies
Philosophy
Art History
Religious Studies
Minor in Graphic Design
GPA 3.5

Teaching Experience

Summer 2014

Artist Residency, Brasilia DF, Sao Sabastion, Goias, Brazil
Worked with Brazilian artists, cultural and art organizations in pavelas and poor communities
Guest panel speaker for various events
Worked with artists to prepare a group art exhibition

US-Brazil Connect Fellowship, Joinville, SC Brazil
Taught English to high school students for 1 month in Brazil
Online coaching two months before and after travel to Brazil
Worked with the Brazilian government and schools

Making paper beads with women and children in Haiti

2012 – 2014

Teacher at the Cooper Center for Creative Arts, Laramie, WY
Teach creative arts and language arts classes to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

2013 

Afro-Caribbean Heritage Camp Art Instructor, Denver, CO
Led age appropriate art classes focused on “Sharing your Story”

Summer 2011

ArtsVan Teacher for Allied Arts of Yakima Valley Washington, Yakima, WA
Led art lessons with Spanish speaking children, often in low-income and gang neighborhood

Engage Haiti, Thaumazou, Haiti
Led art and English lessons with 30 - 40 non-English speaking children
Taught women and boys how to make paper beads

2009 – 2014 

Cathedral Home for Children, Laramie, WY Worked closely with an art therapist and residents Led therapy groups with youth Teach art lessons

Languages

English – Native Speaker
Portuguese, Sign Language – Working proficiency
Spanish, Hindi, Urdu – Beginner Proficiency  

Travel and Cultural Experience

Summer 2014

Art and Cultural Residency, Brasilia DF, Sao Sabastion, Goias, Brazil
US-Brazil Connect Fellowship, Joinville, SC Brazil
Working with a variety of students, artists, and educational institutes

Working with kids in Vila do Boa

Summer 2013

Art in India, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, India
Attended a preparation class in Spring 2013 to learn about the art, culture, languages, religion and life in India. Continued in depth study after returning.

Summer 2012

Arts Van, Yakima, WA
Traveled in and around Yakima teaching art to kids in the parks Worked in poor gang areas and wealthy parks and preapared Spanish speaking pre-k kids for school with basic English

Summer 2011

Engage Haiti, Port du Prince, Croix de Bouquet, Thaumazou, Haiti
Led art and English lessons with 30 - 40 non-English speaking women and children

Summer 2007 

Pine Ridge, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, USA
Attended cultural events and lectures with respected elders

Summer 2005

Mexico Mission, Tecate and Tijuana, Mexico Volunteered at a boys Orphanage Visited a village, some local clay pot factories and sweat shops

ArtLesson_2014

13 Things We Should Say More

This weeks assignment for my US-BRAZIL Connect kiddoes is to come up with 10+ things we should say more. So here is my list. 

1. I love you
2. Can I hug you (or just give hugs)
3. I'm sorry
4. Why?
5. Why not?
6. Who is this a problem for?
7. What can I do to help?
8. How can I make a difference?
9. What is the real problem?
10. What is your name?
11. Let's be friends
12. What's your opinion/thought/belief?
13. And honestly when there are no words...smiling or dancing can be enough

What are 10+ things you think should be said more often?

And a random side note... 

I'm just climbing away at a youth center in Brazil....there is some incredible artwork on the other side of this wall. 

Yep, this youth center also has a community art gallery as well! I is possible that one day I will have a garage or room or space with art and a rock-wall too :) now I'm rambling. 

Rad!

Tchau amigos!

Pay it Forward

Joinville from my window

We have all heard of various Pay it Forward (PIF) projects where you do something for people and they in return do something for someone else.

As a part of the US-Brazil Connect program I am required to complete a PIF project focused on culture or language. As an artist, I naturally chose to create and share some art. I am still working on this project and plan to for a little while, since my response to Brazil will be quite in depth and large and I still am not sure where it will go. I also expect my creative response to continue for some time.

My Project

I am creating artwork based on my experience in Brazil. Much of this work is in progress and still in sketch form. I have also been journaling a lot about Brazilian culture, my experience and Portuguese.
As of now some of the topics I am exploring include art, music, African diasporan culture, relationships between men and women, women’s roles, women’s beauty, religion, non-suggestive physical affection and more.

Joinville Rooftops

Artwork and Sharing

I created several drawings while I was in Joinville and had them in an exhibition in Brasilia for a month after. I am now taking these drawings and sharing them on YouTube and in my Blog. I will be uploading one or two short videos per day and creating a post every other week, so it is difficult to say when it will be finished. As I post them I will share them on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.

How To Follow My Brazil Response

I also have linked several blog posts to US-Brazil Connect's website.

The part for this assignment that has been completed so far can be seen on my Art+ Blog and on my YouTube Chanel Felicia Follum. Check back regularly to see new additions. You can also see my art responses to India and other travel. Check in the side bar.

 

Stranger Danger and Facebook

Why I don't add strangers on Facebook.

As a disclaimer: I am not the average 250 close friend Facebook user. I love people and diverse groups of people. I love followers and even follow people with interesting posts or art. So feel free to follow or message me on my personal page and like my art page.

But to the pointfugas of this post...

I have several reasons why I dont add people I don't know on Facebook.

First, it's my page so others don't get to choose who I do and don't add. I don't like it when people try to get me to do things I don't want to do. It makes me uncomfortable when people ask over and over. Once is enough...if I say let's just chat, then let's just chat.

Second, I really prefer to use Facebook for staying in touch with friends who have moved or I have moved away from. I also love  staying in touch with people who I have met during my travels.

Now I also have Facebook friends from high school (or before) that I don't talk to often. They may Facebook stalk me every now and then or like a post here and there, but I don't need random people that I have completely forgotten exist stalking my page in a few years.  That's not what my Facebook is about.

Third, it can be a safety thing. People are not always who they say they are...I have a friend (family) who is in prison and uses facebook. He added my friends little sister. She accepted because she saw I was friends with him. A few months later I sent her his mug shot saying that he was in prison for rape. And he lived only a few hours from her (his profile info was 90% fake). She immediately deleted him. Granted this is an extreme, but it still happens. No matter how much I trust someone they still know crazies and may even be friends with one. I don't like the idea of strangers friends adding me or seeing my info. I don't like that there is a good chance your friends even good people will begin to add me and then begin to say things like "you added such and such, so you need to add me."

Ok, yes, I do have friends that I have never met. Most are friends of friends or artists. Very few are language buddies. And none asked to be friends before I knew anything about them.

But lets go back to my first reason. These are all people who have respected me and my boundaries. We have chatted for some time (often 6 or more months) and I consider them friends, which takes me to the second point. I considered them friends before adding them. I can tell you their name, where they are from, what they like to do and more.

these are just a few of my reasons.

So my answer is still "no, I will not accept you random friend request" but we can chat on here facebook. And please do not ask again.

Before I get accused of being mean, again, I do love followers and even follow people with interesting posts or art just because. I also like to meet new artists and interesting people. If you are an artist and would like to collaborate or are someone who wants to know more about my art, dont hesitate to message me and explain who you are. As I woukd have the respect to do if I wete messaging you.

So feel free to follow or message me on my personal page and like my art page.