At this interactive virtual workshop, Bashir Matan, Noah Bragg, and Stacy Perez of Maine Inside Out, Portland, will give teens an understanding of what it means to create art that is inspired by social justice issues. Maine Inside Out’s workshops involve a collaborative, creative process on topics of social change—this workshop will be inspired by the themes in the paintings of Bob Thompson in the exhibition, Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine. We’ll learn about the work of this innovative artist, talk about social justice and identity issues, do some creative writing as a group, and share information about what it’s like to work as community activists and artists at Maine Inside Out.
Please visit this link on the Waterville Creates website to register for this free workshop. Teens can register for one, a few, or all five of the workshops being offered during the Fall 2021 session. More information is available at the Waterville Creates website.
Students Learning Innovative Creative Endeavors (S.L.I.C.E.) is a program for students ages 13–19, offering unique experiences at creative arts organizations throughout Waterville. Each session is packed with interesting programs, activities, and discussions about careers in the arts.
Bashir Matan is a project facilitator for Maine Inside Out, working on the development of the Lewiston site. He is also a youth organizer and project facilitator with Maine Youth Justice, a campaign that focuses on addressing the failures of the criminal justice system. Bashir is originally from Kenya and currently lives in Lewiston. Though Bashir has never been incarcerated, he is very passionate about this work. When not advocating for youths, Bashir spends his time focusing on his art. He is a community artist focusing on poetry and plays.
Noah Bragg is part of the Models for Community Change team and lead for Grants & Communications at Maine Inside Out. He joined MIO as a volunteer in 2016, served as an Americorps VISTA member, and joined the staff team in 2019. He holds a bachelor of arts in English & Theater and Latin American Studies from Bowdoin College and is a proud alumni of the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. He is a practitioner of nonviolent communication, theater of the oppressed, popular education, and ensemble creation.
Stacy Perez is the director of advocacy and support at Maine Inside Out. Stacy joined Maine Inside Out in 2016 as a support for her oldest son Donkell and the youth in her community. Stacy soon became known as “Mom” by many of the Maine Inside Out participants and youth that were impacted by her motherly presence, support, guidance, and work within her community. Raised in the Midwest, raising her own children in North Carolina, and now her grandchildren in Maine, Stacy brings compassion, understanding, lifelong experience, support and guidance to the youth surrounding her. She has been a strong presence in whatever community she lives, showing up for young people who are navigating the system and meeting the unmet needs of youth and families as a mentor, advocate, and organizer for the last two decades. Stacy has worked with parents navigating family reunification through Child Protective Services, volunteering as an advocate in Parent Partner Programing in Maine. She also has experience as a community support worker, providing access to housing resources, schooling, food and clothing assistance, dental care, and job opportunities for seasonal farm workers. Stacy has worked as a group facilitator and a support worker for displaced families of domestic violence in North Carolina and Maine.