Creative Minds Project

Creative Minds is a project that was first created in Dr. Tracy Lassiter's English 1120 class and was an idea that Cherille Williams, Dr. Lassiter, and my brother Scott Williams thought of in 2019. The project was proposed to the Boys & Girls Club of Gallup with Marissa Hutchinson, who agreed to support the project. For the last three to four years, Cherille worked with Marissa, Danielle, the nine young artists, and parents to bring the project to life. The project was funded by the Joy of Giving Something Fellowship and found a creative home at ART123 gallery, thanks to Tasha Nez and Rose Eason.

The project itself provides children with an expressive outlet that allows them a chance to tell their story through visual art (i.e., photography). Children see the world differently from adults and experience emotions or events that can be captured easily through a disposable camera. Such a creative outlet is essential for some children because it allows them to express deep trauma. In addition, they sometimes deal with complex emotions that many adults cannot understand. Having a creative outlet through an art program like Creative Minds can help many children by giving them a voice, allowing them to tell a part of their story to the world unedited. In addition, the project may spark an interest in the children to enroll in other arts programs and encourage organizations to offer more such programming to provide children a safe space in which to express themselves.