Project Envision

Project Envision is an exhibition initiated by 2016 Painting and Drawing graduate Anastasia Soboleva and Sculpture + Expanded Media student MJ Tigert. Through this project, the artists built a relationship with residents from the Norma Herr Center for Women with the goal of representing their voices through art.

The process involved weekly, two-hour art workshops at the Norma Herr Center. With the guidance of the artists, the residents created paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by their personal stories and experiences.

Anastasia reflected on the experiences of the women and their sentiment of resilience, strength and hope by creating a large painting that will be installed at Norma Herr Center.

Through surveys and conversations, MJ transformed the women's message to the community of Cleveland into a design for a sculpture that will be installed in front of the Norma Herr building.

The exhibition will include works created by the women during the Project Envision workshops, as well as the large painting created by Anastasia and the ideations for the sculpture by MJ.

Project Envision was created through Project FIND, a yearlong community engagement class at Cleveland Institute of Art. Project FIND focuses on engaging, through art, with displaced Communities in Cleveland, Ohio. It is sponsored by Murphy Foundation and is directed by faculty member Sai Sinbondit. Organizations that Project FIND collaborated with in relation to Project Envision include Office of Homeless Services, FrontLine Services, Inc., Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, and EDEN, Inc.