PORTFOLIO
COPYWRITING
Articles and interviews written for company blogs.
Restorative Art from Communities Experiencing Incarceration
“Through her husband Pride, Ericka Scott learned of a network of creators within the prison community. “Artists know artists,” said Pride, speaking about how incarcerated artists connect over a thriving business of customized greeting cards. As he shared more pieces with her, she became determined to share the talent of these artists with the public. “The project itself speaks to a lot of people in my community, the Black and brown community, as it relates to the challenges of what incarceration does to our families,” Ericka said. “For people who were ashamed of their loved ones in prison, now they want to share their stories.”” →
A Poem the Length of a Soccer Field
“For the past three years, Chapter 510 has partnered with Acorn Woodland Elementary to host an Epic Poetry Day. With an updated curriculum each year exploring the elements of an epic poem, 300 students collaborated to write their own epic poems, drafting one part before sending off their section to the next group and so on. “The poem itself went home-to-home,” Stewart said. “So the poem started in one classroom, touched every other classroom, and then came back around. And the poems are hilarious, because they’re written by kids. You know, ‘And then they got in a Corvette. And then they went to space!’”” →
Architect June Grant Uses Census Data to Project a Future for Oakland
““What I love about architecture is that we project a future. For me to start a design today, I have to think about what life could be like 10, 20, or 50 years from now.” June Grant is the design principal at blink!LAB architecture and a West Oakland resident whose architectural practice combines design, advocacy, and technology. For Come to Your Census: Who Counts in America?, YBCA commissioned Grant to create We See Ourselves, an artwork examining different neighborhoods of Oakland through publicly available census data.” →
Experience the Impact of Art on Healing with The Nocturnists
““How can we use storytelling and the arts to heal ourselves, and heal each other?” This is the central question driving The Nocturnists, a live medical storytelling event and podcast created by Dr. Emily Silverman, an internal medicine physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.” →
Choreographer Helen Pickett’s Oasis
“Choreographer Helen Pickett is a force to be reckoned with. A self-described rebel, Pickett moved from San Diego to train at the San Francisco Ballet School before joining dance pioneer William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt. Pickett credits Forsythe as a major shift in her artistic career. ‘Forsythe [did not only tell the dancers what to do,] he asked for opinions. I wanted to be in on that conversation. I didn’t want to be told what to do.’” →
Emmy Award-winning Composer Jeff Beal on Oasis
“Emmy award-winning House of Cards composer Jeff Beal shared how he discovered his love for composition: ‘I think every musician has a few “A-ha!” moments in their life. I remember playing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, a great ballet with very difficult music. Right then it felt like the heavens opened up, and I knew I had to be a composer. I loved that the music was telling a story.’ After creating film scores for 25 years, Oasis marks Beal’s first venture into composing for dance. He said, ‘This is the first ballet I’ve ever composed! I told Helen, “I want to come over to your team now!”’” →
Dancer Nicole Haskins Takes on New Challenges in Choreography Showcase
“‘I like to challenge myself every time I choreograph a new piece,’ creator Nicole Haskins said. With each new work, she considers many variables including the type of music, different groupings of dancers, and even a potential narrative. A natural planner, she organizes structure of a dance long before rehearsals begin. ‘I am very comfortable using shapes and mathematics in dance. I used to mark out spacing for dances using old cassette tapes!’ After she creates a foundation of patterns, Haskins values the input of her dancers in rehearsal: ‘I trust that I can have a general overview, but I let the dancers actualize the steps within their own bodies.’” →
A Tribute to Retiring Dancer Susan Roemer
“Following an incredible nine-year career of dynamic dance performance and expressive movement with Smuin, Susan Roemer will step away from performing and focus on her growing career as a costume designer. With her keen artistry and tremendous skill as a dancer, she’s performed many key roles in Smuin productions over the years, and is a favorite of audiences and critics alike. ‘There’s an almost defiant star quality in everything she dances,’ said Allan Ulrich of the San Francisco Chronicle. ‘You can’t take your eyes off her.’” →