Heart and Soul Wheat Paste Locations

The Heart and Soul wheat paste pieces are mini photo murals hanging all over Cincinnati. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement. I photographed 18 amazing Black Womxn with the intention of elevating their voices and to add inspiring images to the community. I asked 8 youth apprentices to collaborate with me by adding their own art to the images. The finished pieces have been wheat pasted throughout Cincinnati. I am grateful to Artworks and FotoFocus for making this project possible. I am especially grateful to all of the amazing Womxn who shared their stories with me throughout the project.

My collaborators who added design elements to the pieces are Izzy Chinchilla, Jessi DeNoma, Hafsatou Diakho, Shawn Kuchenmeister, Destine Laudat, Elizabeth Poselski, Rory Walsh, Myles Williams, and Chris Harrison.

Here is the list where you can find the images:

• Annie Ruth, Bailey, and Skye at Avondale Business Center, Avondale – 3635 Reading Road

• Nancy, Crystal, and Taren at Cream + Sugar Coffeehouse, Evanston – 3546 Montgomery Road

• Aliah at The Welcome Project, Camp Washington – 2936 Colerain Avenue

• Ewaniki and Adalia at CampSITE Sculpture Park, 2866 Colerain Avenue

• Bebe and Nia at Artsville, Madisonville – 5021 Whetsel Avenue

• Schera and Amber at New Generations Banquet Hall, Bond Hill – 4595 Paddock Road

• Aprina, Kimberly and Honour at The Neighborhood House, West End – 901 Findlay Street

• Sesheta at a private residence, West End – 1801 Baymiller Street

• Kimberly at a private residence, West End – 1900 Baymiller Street

Heart and Soul Amber

This is my last Heart and Soul feature. I have been working so hard over the past few of months creating these images, working with the young artist on the designs, editing 10,000 images, learning to accept the love I have been graciously given by everyone involved. It has been one of the most beautiful, eye opening experiences of my life. I am looking forward to finally being able to sit with this project and really see it now that it is almost finished. Artworks is finishing up the install next week. I will then be able to share a map of all of the locations.

One of my favorite quotes that I play in my head daily, especially when I feel overwhelmed and helpless is “Tend to the part of the garden that you can touch” It is easy to get so wrapped up in fear, and a feeling of not knowing what to do that we get paralyzed and end up doing nothing. I have been stuck there many times. Right now, that feeling can be intensified for a lot of people. Your heart is good, you want to help but you dont know where to start. I suggest you start with asking yourself questions and make the changes within yourself to make sure your life is inclusive, inviting, and loving. Think about your own biases and where they come from. We are programmed to think a certain way and we can be unprogrammed. It takes work. Look at your family, your children. What are you teaching them? How inclusive is their life? Are you having the difficult conversations necassary to make change. I encourage you to talk to your Black neighbors, your Black co-workers, your Black friends. Tell them you love them. I encourage you to stand up for them even when they are not there. I hope you will lead with your heart and with empathy. Love your neighbor, because your neighbor is you.

This is my friend Amber, who I have admired from afar for years. She was supposed to be part of a big project I put together last year on my birthday, but recently told me she didn’t come because she felt uncomfortable knowing she was the only Black Womxn there. This broke my heart, and opened my eyes. I appreciate her honesty in everything she does. She is an activist, a model, and a muse. My time with her was so inspiring, the way she opened up to me and mused with me was beautiful. Watching her dance across the field, laughing, and feeling so confident and free was a feeling I wish every Womxn could experience. I am so grateful for Amber and for every single Womxn who trusted me to tell their story. My heart is full. <3

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul Kimberly

Kimberly’s story was so touching and inspiring. She runs an amazing organization called Ladies of Leadership. A description from their site. “We are an organization that is focused on building and enhancing leadership and interpersonal skills for inner city  ​young ladies in impoverished communities.  We build sisterhood and trust through mentoring so that young ladies develop a sense of worth and confidence.”

Kimberly took her own life experiences and used them to help others. I think that is one of the most important things we can do for each other, share our stories and learn from each other. If you have been down and got back up, share that with others so they can pull from your strength. If you are in a position to help, Ladies of Leadership accepts donations to help cover the costs for young girls to be part of the mentorship program. You can donate to this amazing organization here.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul Aliah

Many times throughout the pandemic I have been immensely impressed by young adults. Just like us, they are going through some of the toughest experiences in our lifetime. All of the events and milestones that we have celebrated without thought, have been altered or cancelled for them. They miss their friends and freedom. They are inheriting a world that is deeply divided and hurting, yet their optimism is unwavering. Children and young adults are resilient and strong, we all have so much to learn from them.

Aliah is a high school senior this year. At a young age she is already very responsible and creative. She wrote a very potent piece called Racism in Waldorf which digs into Waldorf founder, Rudolph Steiner’s many lectures which contain openly racist ideas, alongside her own experiences with racism at Waldorf schools.

A small snippet from her piece…

“Just as older conditions which have degenerated to the ape species seem grotesque to us today, so do materialistic races remain at the standpoint of evil, and will people the earth as evil races. I​ t will lie entirely with humanity as to whether a soul will remain in the bad race or will ascend by spiritual culture to a good race.
—Rudolph Steiner, ​Theosophy of the Rosicrucian: ​“The Future of Man” (1907)

Steiner believed that white Europeans were the most superior race, but he also argued that people of other races could ascend to be white through reincarnation (another one of his beliefs) and spiritual awakening. Dr. Peter Staudenmaier, a philosopher from Cornell University, argues: “Waldorf advocates and sympathizers may unknowingly help prepare the ideological groundwork for another unforeseen shift in the broader cultural terrain, in which notions of racial and ethnic superiority and inferiority could once again take on a spiritual significance...in a changed social and political context.” Staudenmaier worries that well-meaning Waldorf teachers may be instilling racism in their charges because although Steiner’s lectures and books are not widely read by ​students​ of Waldorf schools, Waldorf ​teachers​ are required to read his works extensively. Exposure to these harmful ideas may have an impact on how Waldorf teachers handle (or don’t handle) racism in their schools.

Modern Waldorf schools have tried ​to purify​ Steiner’s ideas and accept students of all races and religions. In 1999 the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America denied all allegations of racism, announcing: “We explicitly reject any racial theory that may be construed to be part of Rudolf Steiner's writings. The Anthroposophical Society in America is an open, public society and it rejects any purported spiritual or scientific theory on the basis of which the alleged superiority of one race is justified at the expense of another race.” “

I hope the entire work is available for everyone to read soon.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul Skye

I have been a big fan of Skye’s photography since I first saw it via a friend’s Instagram feed. Their work has so much power and conviction. When I contacted them to be part of the Heart and Soul project I explained I was celebrating some of the amazing Womxn in the city. They told me they loved the idea, but they did not identify as a Womxn, they identify as non-binary. This opened up the project to an even broader level of representation, and helped me understand so much more about my new friend.

I want to share a bit of what Skye wrote to me after I asked them to be part of the project, “I think including Black gender variant femmes/trans folx is really important. We are disproportionately harmed, seconded only by Black women. The erasure of an intrinsic part of my identity is something I face often. As a queer body, people don’t see you and that leaves us vulnerable to harm from all directions, even within our own community".”

I am grateful that Skye took the time to help me understand them. Opening myself up to empathy and understanding is my number one goal as we move through so many cultural and community changes. Respecting pronouns and how people are identified and addressed is very important. It is a way to make sure everyone feels seen. One of my youth artist in this project also identifies as non binary , learning about Skye made them feel represented, they were able to connect with Skye and choose to work on their photos. This made the project become even more meaningful for all of us. Our capacity for learning about one another, growing, and changing is everlasting.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul Kimberly

When you become a Mother, you become a worrier, it is inevitable. Your heart is walking around outside of you in a big scary world and every terrible scenario of terror has runs through your head at one point or another. You would sacrifice anything for your children and you want to protect them with everything you have. You love so much it hurts.

Now, I want you to imagine what it is truly like being the mother of a Black child. You are shown day after day that all of those worries in your head are not just your own self induced fears, but real life horrors that are broadcasted daily. No matter how much you know your child is good, that their heart is kind, they will still be seen as a threat to some people. Their beautiful, perfect skin that you have looked at and loved since the day they were born will become a barrier in a world that has been programmed to believe that somehow being born Black is wrong. It makes my heart break every time I think about this, it should make your heart break too.

I created this project to elevate the voices of some of the amazing Black Womxn in our community. I want to celebrate Black Joy because I know there is so much of it that gets ignored, I wanted to celebrate Black success, because as a society when only acknowledge it when it benefits us, usually via entertainment or sports. I want to show you Womxn who who have worked their entire lives to elevate voices in their own community not because of accolades, but because of love. These are Womxn who have carried hope in their hearts despite deep generational pain that has been carried on over and over again. They are mothers who matter, with children who matter, and husbands who matter. The Black Lives Matter movement is necessary because for so many years we have ignored the pain of Black people in our country. We did not want to look at ourselves and admit that we were wrong about so many things. We believed this made up narrative that has been fed to us by a system that benefits from the lies it tells. We are all guilty of buying into a way of life that only benefits a select few people while the others have to work twice as hard just to survive. I am so tired of screaming into the abyss but I keep screaming because my tiredness means nothing when I think of the many years my fellow brothers and sisters of color have been screaming and crying and dying in the name of white supremacy.

I have been showing you lots of pretty photos over the past month. I hope in my heart you have been able to see beyond the beautiful photos to the souls of these absolutely amazing Womxn I have photographed.

I hope it has changed the way you see your neighbor, your co-worker, your friend, a stranger. These are Womxn just like you, they are mothers, healers, artist, friends and wives. They are patiently waiting for you to see them. Begging you to stand up and use your voice to help them. If you have been touched by this project, I hope you have taken the time to look within to see where you have contributed to the problem of racism in your own life. It is not easy, it is uncomfortable. We can be uncomfortable together. It is ok to admit faults, to grow from mistakes, to unlearn old patterns. You are not alone, this is a revolution of our hearts and how we treat fellow human beings.

I wanted to start this post on Kimberly with this info, because her story touched my heart so deeply when I met her. She fell into some serious depression for a period of time. Her depression was triggered by her fear for her son and her husband. Yes, those terrors I talked about that are so real, they paralyzed her. But, her story doesn’t end there. She decided one day she had to get out of bed, she started doing yoga on a regular basis. It was there, on the mat, that Kimberly started her path to healing. She showed up for herself even when she didn’t want to. She spent months working on herself and finding new ways to fight her depression. I am so proud of Kimberly, her story is so inspiring to me. I read this quote recently about true healers being people who help you find your own path to healing. No one can heal you, but you. Kimberly is a healer, she is now helping others find their way by teaching yoga and listening. After our photo session together, she sat with me as I cried and shared my own journey. She offered wonderful advice. We went from strangers to friends within an hour just because of our stories. It was such a loving experience that I will always be grateful for. Let’s keep these conversations going.

Find Kimberly at Just Be Connected Yoga where she is offering virtual classes.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul BeBe

As we have navigated through the pandemic I think one thing that we can all agree on is that nurses are angels. They are the caretakers of the world. My sister is an ICU nurse and I have always had such admiration for her ability to give and care for others with such an empathetic heart. Their roles goes beyond healthcare, they comfort families and patients during some of the most difficult experiences of their lives. All the while they have their own personal fears, family issues, health problems that you would never know about because when they are working their patients are their priority. I could go on forever about how much I respect nurse, I have had so many very beautiful experiences with nurses. Though I am not happy about the situation we are in, I am glad that more and more people see just how important our health care workers are.

I knew including a nurse in the Heart and Soul project was a must. As I was discussing it with my sister she suggested a friend of hers from work. She raved about how much she loved this woman and how I was going to fall in love with her too. She was so right. When BeBE and I met up we connected immediately. She opened up to me with ease and I was able to capture so much of her essence, which is so warm and confident.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul Honour

I first met Honour at a wedding she was doing the makeup on. I remember her leaving after she was finished and the entire bridal party talked about her for an hour after. They all had crushes on her and were stalking her social media. She has that impact on people. Not only is she beautiful, her heart is so loving and she alludes this magnetic power. I have had my own photo crush on Honour for years. I have dreamed of the day I would get to work with her. Mostly, because I wanted to get to know her more. This day almost didn’t happen, we got rained out once, then once we finally met up, more storms came rolling through. We were both determined to ride it out, we knew magic was going to be made. It was so wonderful hearing about her very full life as an actor, a comedian, and business owner. Her current business BrowOTR, a Microblading studio where we can make up for our 90’s brow mistakes. Beyond that, I have seen how giving she is to her community and loving she is to her friends. Everyone needs an Honour in their life. I am so grateful for this experience and so happy to have her in this project.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.

Heart and Soul Adalia

A lot of people have asked how I met the Womxn I chose to photograph for this project. Some of the Womxn were introduced to me through other Womxn who particpated and some came from my own circle.

Adalia is my neighbor. We met one day at a neighborhood gathering. I connected with her immediately. She has a very caring personality and the most beautiful smile. I was fortunate to help her with promo photos for her band Knotts a few years ago. The internet helps me feel connected to people even if I don’t see them much so I have been able to watch her music grow.

Adalia was one of the first people who came to mind when I came up with the project. She is an amazing Mother to 2 sweet children, a creative, and a teacher. She balances her many roles while helping to the community grow and she adds love to everything she touches. She most recently took on the role of Project Coordinator with Girls Rock Cinci with a focus on Activism Through Music. Those girls are in for a big treat having Adalia as their leader!

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commissioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.