Shifting a community in a new light – Abenda Sohn, BFA Illustration 2022

Today was filled with a lot of information, from dates of events to explaining the duties of each member and checking the list of who was present at the last meetings. I met everyone on a gloomy and humid Monday on the back porch of one of the members of the Liberian Organization. The sun was shy as the hours winded down. There was a prayer at the start of the meeting, and then they would discuss and go over their plans for Liberia’s independent day event. This event happens every year; this event will showcase all the organization has done, highlighting the past and enlightening others on what is new and emerging. Also, they have been planning this event since January, so it was vital for me to ask questions about where our project fit into all of this.
Given that the Liberian immigration experience is so diverse, beautiful, and critical, we wanted to display it in a manner that would be more personal and compelling yet natural. We all agreed on doing short personal videos rather than artworks, One that could showcase cultural pride, community engagement, and the beautiful Liberian life in the normal and incidental. I was inspirited that they all understood what would be easy for them and what would make them feel more comfortable. I was not into having a giant camera in my hand for weeks, so it worked perfectly.