C.H.O.I.C.E.S. is a four-month Semester of Arts Program presented by Creative Suitland. This project will support a cohort of 12 full-time participants. To address the need for trauma-informed/socio-emotional support, C.H.O.I.C.E.S. is a creative wellness program for recently incarcerated individuals re-entering society. Creative Suitland offers a safe space that provides individuals with an outlet for artistic expression, connection to community, and belonging through Poetry and Spoken Word, Visual Arts, Yoga, and Family Reunification workshops.
NEXT SESSION BEGINS IN FALL/WINTER 2024
PROGRAMMING INCLUDES:
Spoken Word and Poetry
The Write to Speak and Stage Write
Created by Pi-Anir the Poet in 2008 for incarcerated individuals seeking to find an artistic outlet for their voices to be heard. This is a two-part series separated into two eight-week sessions.
Session One: The Write to Speak is a comprehensive look at trauma and its effect on Mental Health. Specifically, this workshop targets the long-term and subtle symptoms when trauma silences your voice. Through various writing exercises, creative writing, and poetic-led prompts, participants are encouraged to delve deeper as they write about their experiences. The Write to Speak seeks to rebuild self-esteem, providing tools that empower a person's right to speak up and speak out.
Session Two: Stage Write focuses on fear and anxiety during public speaking or stage performance. Participants can utilize material they have written in or out of class. Stage Write teaches tips and tricks that take you from the page to the stage through dry runs and rehearsals that are peer attended and critiqued by industry professionals. Through various exercises, Participants learn to become confident and comfortable in front of an audience, helping them become better communicators, public speakers, and confident leaders. This session prepares participants for the final open mic performance.
Visual Arts
Created 2 Create: Infusing Artistic Concepts with Life Lessons
Created by Cary ArtBae Robinson, this workshop infuses artistic concepts with life lessons. The foundation of this series derives from the idea that “all humans are created from nothing to something” and will focus on both the metaphysical (the creation) and physical (the creator) aspects of the creative process. The curriculum will encompass a series of guided, themed painting sessions for therapeutic recreation in addition to an artist talk led by one of our (emerging/mid-career) in-house “Artbae” artists. The ArtBae organization encompasses a plethora of talented creatives who have made a local and nationwide impact. They desire to impart wisdom to a future cohort of creatively-inspired leaders and encourage all individuals to pursue their passion within various art industries.
Individual returning citizens or Group/Transitional Homes please register below.
FACILITATORS
Cary Michael Robinson, CEO/Creative Director. Arts. Entertainment. Education. Advocacy.
Cary Michael is a native of Mobile, Alabama and currently resides in Washington, DC. He earned his BS in Fine Arts from Florida A&M University, where he was founder and president of the FAMU Fine Arts Society and graphic artist for the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science. He received his MA in Design Management from Savannah College of Art and Design.carymichael.com.
Cary Michael currently serves as a Design Examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office and Studio Artist at Creative Saints Loft in Hyattsville, MD, while devoting his free time to developing his start-up artist collective “The Artbae Society” (artbaeonline.com). He enjoys assisting clients with designs ranging from oil and acrylic paintings to graphic illustrations through his freelance business, SCM Design Solutions, and providing art instruction as a therapeutic recreation.
C. Alexandria-Bernard Thomas,
Poet. Orator. Teaching Artist.
A Queer Black Non-Binary, award-winning poet, teaching artist, an advocate for Child Abuse Prevention, the LGBTQIA community, and Mental Health Awareness. Named a pioneer of poetry by the National Underground Spoken Word Poetry Award (NUSPA) in 2015, C. has the dynamic skill set of a performer AND host.
They have mesmerized audiences at Angelina College, Howard University, Prince George’s Community College, Thomas Jefferson University, Busboys and Poets (as a featured poet and host), Studio 2001 Art Gallery, The Athenaeum, and the Torpedo Art Factory, just to name a few.
They have partnered with the Northern Virginia Association of Fine Arts (NVAFA), Carlyle House Historic Park producing annual events highlighting African American excellence and leads their popular discussion-based writer’s workshop, Writing to Wellness™, that uses poetry as a tool for healing when navigating childhood trauma with Creative Suitland Arts Center and Heard.
Their work as a community organizer has afforded them opportunities to educate adults on how to respond and react to Child Sexual Abuse through Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® and becoming a board member for Touch Me I’m Tellin (TMIT).
In addition, they have received honorable mentions from World Childhood Foundation USA, Buddy Speaks, End the Harvest Ministries, publications by The Zebra, and more. C. is a true force of nature and a necessary voice for uplifting the community and inspiring hope. Witnessing them perform, teaching in the classroom, or speaking is experiencing love in action.