Free Your Mind: A Social Justice Installation & TalkNone
Installation: Wednesday thru Saturday
Location: Exhibit Hall
Presented by: Theda Sandiford
Free Your Mind Project Statement
Free Your Mind project is a public textile art installation that collects, showcases, and liberates personal narratives about microaggressions. This project not only highlights these experiences but also provides a platform for healing and awareness through art.
Share your story, connect with others, and contribute to a larger narrative of transformation. Join us virtually here.
Identifying microaggressions and implicit biases can be challenging but asking oneself reflective questions can help uncover them.
Here are five questions people can ask themselves:
1. What assumptions do I make about people based on their appearance (e.g., race, gender, clothing)?
2. How do I react when I encounter someone who is different from me in terms of culture, language, or lifestyle?
3. Are there certain groups of people I tend to avoid or feel uncomfortable around? Why might that be?
4. How do I respond to media portrayals of different social, ethnic, and cultural groups? Do I notice patterns in these responses?
5. When I make decisions about hiring, mentoring, or collaborating, am I consistently favoring certain groups over others? What reasons do I give for these preferences?
Reflecting on these questions can help individuals become more aware of their implicit biases and take steps toward addressing them.
How microaggressions are like mosquito bites
https://youtu.be/hDd3bzA7450?si=SM_VSkZYMb7Gfdqa
Implicit Bias | Concepts Unwrapped
https://youtu.be/OoBvzI-YZf4?si=kAIQArYPzTv9APNR
Take the quiz
To identify your own biases, take Harvard’s Implicit Association Test. Your results might surprise you!
Theda Sandiford
Theda Sandiford: Crafting Change Through Art
Theda Sandiford is a highly regarded artist known for her unique approach to fiber and installation art. Drawing inspiration from the profound impact of racial trauma, she skillfully combines various fibers and found materials using techniques such as weaving, coiling and knotting. The materials she meticulously gathers, along with contributions from the community, serve as a representation of collective memory, forming what she terms "social fabric." This fusion of contemporary issues with personal narratives results in a vibrant tapestry of interconnected stories.
Central to Theda's artistic process is community art-making. She orchestrates diverse experiences that unite people through sound and artistry, providing a platform to explore themes such as equity, inclusion, sustainability, and personal well-being.
Theda's artistic footprint extends globally. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim and Pittsburgh Children’s Museum. She has showcased in prestigious venues such as World of Threads, Expo Chicago, Untitled Art Fair, SPRING/BREAK ART SHOW, Governor's Island NYC, New Jersey Arts Annual, and the American Contemporary Craft: National Juried Exhibition. Her work has received acclaim in Excellence in Fibers VI and Fiber VIII from Fiber Art.
Now, earning her the 2020 Jersey City Arts Visual Artist Award, the 2021 Fellowship in Craft from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the 2022 Jersey City Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship. She has been named a Fellow for the 2023-24 National of Leaders of Color Fellowship program.