transform lives through art
Current Creative Residency
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railroad stories i
In
Residence: September 5 - October 21, 2011
Performance: Thursday/Friday, October
20/21, 2011
Exhibition continues through October 28
Learning Labs: Joan Farley Academy
Tara has a MFA
Dance with emphasis in Performance and choreography, Dance for Camera and
Somatics, University of Colorado, Boulder, a BSN in nursing, a BFA in Spanish
with a minor in Nutrition.
Artist Statement:
Process
I was chosen as one of five yearly artists to take up
residency at PlatteForum, an organization that redefined what art in the
community looks like. Please if you do not know about this organization
please look at their website and know I am experiencing first hand how PlatteForum
transforms lives through the arts.
I
was chosen by PlatteForum as a creative resident and was given 7 weeks, 7
teens, and as much space and support as an artist could ask for while being immersed
in the process of creating a new piece. During this time I have created over 7
short videos that reflect my time spent in the expansive studio of PlatteForum
that sits directly adjacent to the railroad tracks. Everyday I have been
inspired by the beauty, movement, and overall experience of sitting next to the
tracks as trains barrel by in search of their next destination. I feel
connected to the speed and movement of the train and when one train stays for a
bit it has become the backdrop to many of my pieces forcing me to create
quickly in the moment for at anytime my backdrop could leave and the piece will
be over.
I
have also had the honor of working with 7 teens from The Joan Farley Academy
twice a week and together we have created short videos for each teen as well as
many live performances. The Joan Farley Academy is a residential treatment
facility where the “residential programs are licensed as Therapeutic
Residential Child Care Facilities (TRCCFs). Each house/program provides
round-the-clock supervision, intensive mental health treatment, and group
therapy for a variety of issues, recreational activities, transportation, meal
planning, independent living skills training, vocational & educational assistance,
and more. Each program is a “regular house” in a “regular neighborhood.” These
teens have experienced some of life’s worst moments and I feel so honored to be
able to learn from them as together we have created “railroad stories” a live
multimedia performance that shares our lives with you.
This
performance is truly one that I am thrilled to be apart of as I am so proud of
how far each student from has grow through the process and how much they have had
to overcome to participate in this performance. I am also so thankful for the
time and space I have been given to create and explore life through new
perspectives.