ABOUT

Becoming a successful contemporary artist came with an important realization, “It takes a community to raise a child.” This is the core value of the CEW Collaborative. All my achievements have been made possible by the support of my community and those closest to me. Without them, I would not have been able to make the artwork I have made nor the connections that have led to its critical and commercial success.

The CEW Collaborative was created to make this process available to others and, in this way, give back to the communities that have nurtured and made my artistic career what it is today. It is a foundational resource and platform for aspiring young individuals to launch their careers. By design, the efforts of the CEW Collaborative will achieve cultural equity and inclusion in our communities. Through our collective success, we will build a network of stronger, more sustainable, and equitable communities. The Collaborative functions to empower both makers and audiences. We have adopted our Four Pillars, which articulate what is needed for the arts and artists to serve their communities. These Four Pillars are a call to action. Those who join the Collaborative answer the call to Discover, Create, and Evolve Together.

The collaborative welcomes participation from all parts of our community, whether from college students earning credits, business professionals with a passion for the arts, or those interested in alternative forms of education. I believe in the transformative power of art to shape how we experience the world. Art is healing, advocacy, discovery, communication, togetherness - art is life.