Baltimore born artist Keva (Michelle) Richardson transformed her favorite hobby into a lifelong commitment to spiritual awakening and understanding.
Like John the Baptist who chose to fulfill his call from the wilderness, Keva chooses to fulfill hers from the art studio. Using her God given talent and heavenly insight, Keva uses her art to teach, inspire and transform the lives of those who experience her work. Keva aims to be the example for the next generation of godly creatives and kingdom builders alike, forever thanking God that He chose her for such a humbling task.
:: An informal interview with Keva (Michelle)
What are your preferred pronouns?
she/her
How has this scholarship impacted your thinking and process during your time in graduate school?
This scholarship has given me a chance to further my education endeavors. With that being said, I further recognize the importance of being able to reach down and influence future students, teachers and leaders. Since receiving the scholarship, I have been more aware of the work that needs to occur in order to make education more accessible for all children, especially BIPOC students. I've been able to research the disparities and research new methods in teaching that will help fix the damages done over the years. This scholarship reminds me that I'm here not just to teach, but to truly make a difference in the lives of future students.
What have you been working on? Share the driving questions and inspiration that informs your work as an artist, designer, educator and/or activist.
Artistically, I've been deconstructing the ways in which I create, in order to understand why I fell in love with art to begin with. I've been exploring new materials and experimenting with alternative materials in the wake of the pandemic, to get a better understanding of what my future students may have to encounter as we move forward in a post-pandemic world. Within my research, I've been further studying the disparities within education. I've explored alternative teaching methods like Reggio Emilia, from a perspective taken from the civil rights movement, in efforts to dream of an educational system that is more inclusive, empathetic and holistic approach to teaching all students, regardless of race, sex, religion, ect.