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Y(our) Legacy Program

Art by Dez Array @crafty.dez & Design by Shannon Prasad @munchie_mochi on Instagram

Origin Story

Sen returned to their art practice in 2016 and explored various art mediums through community art dinners with friends. After discovering linoleum printing, Sen was drawn to the practice and used it as a somatic tool throughout the early stages of their personal therapy journey. Through combining block printing and self-reflection, Sen has a unique perspective towards using art as a tool for visual storytelling. 

That is why in 2018 and 2019, Sen was awarded for the Wellness in Action Mini-Grants with Center for Empowering Refugee and Immigrants in Oakland to launch and facilitate ‘Y(our) Legacy’, a trauma-informed block printing workshop to build personal power among refugees and immigrants affected by war, torture, genocide or other extreme traumas as a modality to improve their emotional, physical, social and economic wellbeing. 

Y(our) Legacy goal is to create an accessible therapeutic art setting for community to envision their own artistic expression constructing empowering narrative, and unapologetically envisioning their liberation story through the process of block printing as a somatic tool to carve away pain and heartbreak to end with a final image of healing and relief.

The program considers a module on the global history of block printing and its role as a tool for communicating stories from the past to future readers. Next, participants are facilitated with a series of journal prompts to develop a strong personal liberation story. Utilizing their journal entries, participants will identify key symbols to inspire and represent the visual design of their personal narrative. Once participants have drafted a final design, they get training on how to work with the carving tools for Linocut printmaking to execute their design into print. Participants will be provided with all the materials, and individual support to develop their craft, and finally, leave with a series of original prints that will support them in sharing their stories with others.
 
As per past testimonies, this project is a way to ground people in a collective space where we can seek common ground and tangible solutions by learning each other's narratives particularly at a time of physical distance and social separation. Having a safe art setting for adults to heal and process their personal journey, will be beneficial to their mental and social relationships within themselves and with others in the community. 

This work is the culmination of breaking language barriers, cultural differences and creating empathy through the sharing of personal stories. Sen reflects on the process by saying: “These visual stories are communication tools that can be used to tell their personal narratives as ancestral knowledge in the past for the benefit of present and future generations.” 

During COVID-19, Sen partnered with ArTogether for the 2021 and 2022 workshop facilitations through virtual settings via Zoom. In 2022, Y(our) Legacy 2021 visual stories were published into the first volume of ‘Y(our) Legacy zine’ and exhibited at Moments Cooperative & Community Space as well as Hasta Muerte Coffee Shop in Oakland, California. 

In 2023, Sen was a recipient of Moments Cooperative & Community Space Project Residency, Oakland Futures Love Life Edition Award and Ma’s House Residency on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton, New York.

Workshop Feedback

  • 100% of our 62 participants in 2023 loved this workshop.
  • Accessible and forgiving workshop at a beginners level. 
  • A unique sharing space that offers participants to reflect on their identity in an authentic and meaningful way. 

Partnerships

  • 2018: Center For Empowering Refugees and Immigrants
  • 2019: Center For Empowering Refugees and Immigrants
  • 2021: ARTogether
  • 2022: ARTogether
  • 2023: Oakland Futures Award, ARTogether, Moments Cooperative & Community Space, SF Aids Foundation, Southern Exposure, Berkeley Public Library and DeYoung Museum.