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Sunflower field artwork by Amaranthia Sepia

Art & Mind - A FREE Virtual Charitable Film & Art Event For Marginalized Women & Marginalized Genders

Through documentaries, short films, 3D virtual galleries via Kunstmatrix and speaking engagements by mental health professionals and disability activists, Art & Mind highlights the  beautiful creations of marginalized women and marginalized genders  (WOC, LGBT+, disabled folks, etc.)."Art & Mind" uses our virtual platform to enable people who are homebound, disabled, or agoraphobic to participate in our programming.  The event focuses on storytelling and creativity through awareness, education, and inclusivity. We are using this platform to create the Sistas Uprising Fund, where 100% of proceeds raised alongside these events from 2023 onward will become grants for marginalized creatives.

Our Impact

Brain Arts Logo. Comic style drawing of a pink brain with legs. The right leg is resting on a spray can.

Sept 2021

"Art & Mind: Reflections of Women, Femmes & Our Mental Health During COVID," $750 Fundraised to Support Brain Arts Org which supports marginalized creatives in Boston, MA.

Dancing Queerly Boston Logo

Winter & Spring 2023

$2,500 Provided by Dancing Queerly Boston, an org supporting queer & other marginalized artists. Funds were utilized for our team, speakers and film equipment/props

Brain Arts Logo. Comic style drawing of a pink brain with legs. The right leg is resting on a spray can.

July 2023

$1000 provided by Brain Arts Org to pay five Art & Mind 2023 artists $200 each 

Mass Cultural Council Logo

Fall 2023

$2,500 from the Mass Cultural Council FY24 grant to support our team, speakers & equipment purchases

The Sistas Uprising Fund Logo. Shows brown hands holding a watering can pouring rainbow water on sprouted lotus seeds.

Oct 2023

$1453 fundraised at "Art & Mind 2023: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives," for The Sistas Uprising Fund. Our goal was $1000

Pink, red and blue watercolor background by Amaranthia Sepia

Art & Mind 2021: Reflections of Women, Femmes & Our Mental Health During COVID

Our first show in 2021, “Reflections of Women, Femmes and Our Mental Health During COVID” focused on the stories of eight women-identifying creatives and showcased femme disability speaker Roxy Murray, and trans-femme musician Mya Byrne. Our documentary discussed how each artist faced severe hardship and discrimination during the pandemic.

Art & Mind 2021 Poster. Shows three women, one black, one brown and one light-skinned in the lotus pose.
Sunflower field artwork by Amaranthia Sepia

Art & Mind 2023: I Know Who I am! Journeys of Women of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives

Our second show, "I Know Who I Am!" occurred October 5th 2023. This event, inspired by co-founder Claire Jones' 2022 journey through diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and near paralysis, was our first event where we gained grants and sponsorships. Five artists from the U.S and Canada premiered in a 27 minute documentary, with a goal of highlighting women of color & femme-expressing creatives of color who've found solace & healing through art. In addition, with the help of our first Art Direction Team, we created a documentary about Claire's cancer journey titled, "A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You!"

"Art & Mind Featured Videos

"Art & Mind" Women and Femmes Virtual Art Show: Text
TRAILER Art & Mind- A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You! 2023
03:32
Art & Mind Series

TRAILER Art & Mind- A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You! 2023

Art by Amaranthia Sepia & Linlin Yu Music by Mel Chilianis Additional graphics, videos & edits via Mel Chilianis, Splice, Canva & CapCut Monochrome lotus by Art & Mind I Know Who I Am Featured Artist ​⁠ ​⁠​⁠@SabiLewVlogs ​⁠@SabiLewSounds Get Free Tickets and/or Donate to the Sistas Uprising Fund To Help Us Make Grants For BIWOC & Femme Artists! https://givebutter.com/IKnowWhoIAm Website: SistaCreativesRising.Com Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/SistasNewsletter About The Documentary: “Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You,” delves into Sista Creatives Rising’s co-creator, Claire Jones, and her 2022 cancer journey. Black women have been forced into living within the strong and resilient stereotype and burdened with the idea that we must nurture others without putting our needs and mental health first. Claire believes this stressor manifested as a spinal tumor. Claire faces her trauma by navigating physical and occupational therapy to be one of the 1% that can walk again after high-risk spinal surgery. This showcase reflects how stereotypes, misogynoir, and expectations placed on Black women of the diaspora can manifest as health crises. It will highlight the fear several Black women have of American healthcare. ABOUT SISTA CREATIVES RISING: Sista Creatives Rising (SCR) is a project and concept founded by Black, invisibly disabled mother-daughter duo Claire Jones (age 60) and Amaranthia Sepia (age 23). Together, under SCR they develop disability-accessible events focused on marginalized women and marginalized genders called "Art & Mind." "I Know Who I Am!" is a virtual Zoom event occuring on October 5th, @6:30 - 8:30 PM EST showcasing a collection of women of color and femme-expressing folks of color finding solace and healing in art. Our five chosen artists, through narrative videos totaling to a 20 minute documentary, will discuss their lived experience with subjects around race, gender, disability, mental health, immigration and more, and how art serves as a healing tool for them. Artworks and videos will be showcased after the event on virtual interactive gallery platform, Kuntsmatrix.com and our YouTube Channel, Art & Mind Series. Alt text & image descriptions included. A Focus on Disability Accessibility & COVID Awareness: The event will focus on disability, health disparities amongst BIWOC & femmes of color, and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on disabled, immunocompromised and chronically ill folks of color. We are disabled and immunocompromised ourselves. As a result, we are still masking, and "Still COVIDing." See our "Black & Still COVIDing" Story Project
TRAILER - Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives, 2023
02:08
Art & Mind Series

TRAILER - Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives, 2023

Get Free Tickets and/or Donate to the Sistas Uprising Fund To Help Us Make Grants For BIWOC & Femme Artists! GiveButter.Com/IKnowWhoIAm Website: SistaCreativesRising.Com Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/SistasNewsletter Music by Mel Chilianis ABOUT: Sista Creatives Rising (SCR) is a project and concept founded by Black, invisibly disabled mother-daughter duo Claire Jones (age 60) and Amaranthia Sepia (age 23). Together, under SCR they develop disability-accessible events focused on marginalized women and marginalized genders called "Art & Mind." "I Know Who I Am!" is a virtual Zoom event occuring on October 5th, @6:30 - 8:30 PM EST showcasing a collection of women of color and femme-expressing folks of color finding solace and healing in art. Our five chosen artists, through narrative videos totaling to a 20 minute documentary, will discuss their lived experience with subjects around race, gender, disability, mental health, immigration and more, and how art serves as a healing tool for them. Artworks and videos will be showcased after the event on virtual interactive gallery platform, Kuntsmatrix.com and our YouTube Channel, Art & Mind Series. Alt text & image descriptions included. In addition, co-founder of Sista Creatives Rising Claire Jones will have a documentary showcase about her journey through cancer, titled, "A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You!" Our show will also include talks from Black activists - immunocompromised COVID Conscious Therapist Speaker Amanda McGuire, MC and Therapist Journee LaFond, Disability Speaker Jacquese Armstrong and a feature showcasing our art direction team.
Haisi Hu - Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women Of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives
04:44
Art & Mind Series

Haisi Hu - Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women Of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives

For over twenty years Haisi Hu has been making and expanding traditional animations such as Claymation and hand-drawn animation. Hu was born in China and immigrated to the US when she was a teenager. She has been living in Brooklyn since 1990. Her claymation films are shown worldwide and locally, including Animation Nights New York and Brooklyn Film Festival. She is the recipient of the NYFA Fellowship, Jerome Foundation Film Production Grant, NYSCA Film/Media grants. She teaches animation to high-school students and works at Cooper Union School of Art as a film technician, and from the same school, she also obtained her BFA degree. Learn more: http://vimeo.com/haisihu Learn more about the event on our website: https://www.sistacreativesrising.com View gallery: https://tinyurl.com/ArtMindGallery ABOUT: Sista Creatives Rising (SCR) is a project and concept founded by Black, invisibly disabled mother-daughter duo Claire Jones (age 60) and Amaranthia Sepia (age 23). Together, under SCR they develop disability-accessible events focused on marginalized women and marginalized genders called "Art & Mind." “Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am!" is a virtual Zoom event that occurred on October 5th 2023 showcasing a collection of women of color and femme-expressing folks of color finding solace and healing in art.  Our five chosen artists, through narrative videos totaling to a 27 minute documentary, discuss their lived experience with subjects around race, gender, disability, mental health, immigration and more, and how art serves as a healing tool for them. Artworks and videos are also available on virtual interactive gallery platform, Kuntsmatrix.com. Alt text & image descriptions included. In addition, co-founder Claire Jones showcased her documentary about her journey through cancer, titled, "A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You!" Sponsored by Dancing Queerly Boston, Claire faces her trauma by navigating physical and occupational therapy to be one of the 1% that can walk again after high-risk surgery. This showcase reflects how stereotypes, misogynoir, and expectations placed on Black women of the diaspora can manifest as health crises. It highlights the fear several Black women have of American healthcare. Artworks created by Amaranthia Sepia, Claire Jones and team members Linlin Yu (Assistant Art Director) and Nabila Nugroho (Assistant Graphic Designer) are also featured in this gallery.
Tennesha Skyers-Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives
05:08
Art & Mind Series

Tennesha Skyers-Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am! Journeys of Women of Color & Femme-Expressing Creatives

Tennesha Skyers is a Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada. Born in 1994, she is known for her large colorful and fluorescent self-portraits. She depicts old family photos, her personal experiences growing up as a black woman, her imagination, and her travels. Her work usually addresses issues black individuals have faced since the abolishment of slavery, environmental issues, and resolutions. She is a self-taught artist retaining her raw and bubbly energy in her portraits. In each painting, she explores colors, space, and how they make her feel. Her work pulls inspiration from black and African artists to change the identity and stereotype of references needing to come from Western and Eurocentric art history. She is drawn to representing self-portraits, an interest that stemmed from her introversion, and not seeing any black female self-portraits, giving black artists visibility. She works in numerous mediums including painting, mixed media, sculpture, and digital drawing. View her Insta: http://instagram.com/tenneshaskyers Learn more about the event on our website: https://www.sistacreativesrising.com View gallery: https://tinyurl.com/ArtMindGallery ABOUT: Sista Creatives Rising (SCR) is a project and concept founded by Black, invisibly disabled mother-daughter duo Claire Jones (age 60) and Amaranthia Sepia (age 23). Together, under SCR they develop disability-accessible events focused on marginalized women and marginalized genders called "Art & Mind." “Art & Mind: I Know Who I Am!" is a virtual Zoom event that occurred on October 5th 2023 showcasing a collection of women of color and femme-expressing folks of color finding solace and healing in art.  Our five chosen artists, through narrative videos totaling to a 27 minute documentary, discuss their lived experience with subjects around race, gender, disability, mental health, immigration and more, and how art serves as a healing tool for them. Artworks and videos are also available on virtual interactive gallery platform, Kuntsmatrix.com. Alt text & image descriptions included. In addition, co-founder Claire Jones showcased her documentary about her journey through cancer, titled, "A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You!" Sponsored by Dancing Queerly Boston, Claire faces her trauma by navigating physical and occupational therapy to be one of the 1% that can walk again after high-risk surgery. This showcase reflects how stereotypes, misogynoir, and expectations placed on Black women of the diaspora can manifest as health crises. It highlights the fear several Black women have of American healthcare. Artworks created by Amaranthia Sepia, Claire Jones and team members Linlin Yu (Assistant Art Director) and Nabila Nugroho (Assistant Graphic Designer) are also featured in this gallery.
Justine Rea - Art & Mind: Reflections of Women, Femmes and Our Mental Health During COVID
03:52
Art & Mind Series

Justine Rea - Art & Mind: Reflections of Women, Femmes and Our Mental Health During COVID

Justine Rea, a multi-media artist Chicanx artist with GAD and chronic major depression, discusses her main art piece for “Art & Mind,” “Poppies in the Trenches” through her artist video. Name: Justine Rea Pronouns: She/Her Location: CA, United States Socials/Website: @justine_rea Artist Title: Actor, Writer, Poet & Painter DESCRIPTION Art & Mind Art Show Series: Reflections of Women, Femmes and Our Mental Health During COVID A Brain Arts Org Fundraiser Presented by Amaranthia Sepia and ATAC160 Gallery. A first in a series. Sept 26th 2021, 5-7pm EST Art & Mind" is an art show series featuring marginalized artists developed by Black disabled activist and creative art coordinator Amaranthia Sepia (@emobunnycomic) and co-created by her Mom, Claire Jones (@clarityisjustsohip), a Caribbean Black (Bajan) creative + domestic violence and marginalized women survivors’ advocate. Learn more about their work: https://amaranthiasepiaartworks.art https://clarityisjustsohip.com Our motto is: Activism, Art, Authorship “Art & Mind” focuses on advocacy, storytelling, and creativity, putting together a multi-faceted disability-accessible project highlighting marginalized communities (BIPOC, WOC, LGBT+, disabled folks, etc). This concept has a focus on using virtual platforms because many disabled people are homebound or experience agoraphobia. We hope to create a physical, but accessible, space in the future. This first show, which has been in development since October 2020, will focus on how women and femmes have faced severe hardship and discrimination during the pandemic. We celebrate the resilient creativity of women and femmes through their unfortunate and unnecessary struggles and honor all of our efforts to uplift ourselves and each other. Learn more about our gallery host, ATAC160 in Framingham, Massachusetts, and the Boston-based activist-focused nonprofit Brain Arts, for which we’ll be raising $1000. https://www.brain-arts.org https://www.atac160.org/
Virtual Show Trailer- Art & Mind: Reflections of Women, Femmes And Our Mental Health During COVID
04:25
Art & Mind Series

Virtual Show Trailer- Art & Mind: Reflections of Women, Femmes And Our Mental Health During COVID

Art & Mind Series: Our First Show -"Reflections of Women, Femmes and Our Mental Health During COVID" September 26th 2021 5:00-7:30 PM EST. Read more about the event and get your free tickets here: https://givebutter.com/artandmind "Art & Mind" combines advocacy, storytelling, and creativity, making a multi-faceted disability-accessible project. This concept has a focus on using virtual platforms because many disabled people are homebound or experience agoraphobia. We hope to create a physical, but accessible space in the future. Hosted by Amaranthia Sepia, 21 year old Disabled Black ARTivist, Art Coordinator, and Cristina Deptula, Writer and Publicist. This first show, which has been in development since October 2020, is focusing on how women and femmes have faced severe hardship and discrimination during the pandemic. About The Creator- My name is Amaranthia Sepia (@emobunnycomic)! I’m a Black, invisibly disabled Art Coordinator and have faced discrimination in the art gallery world due to being a minority and creating unconventional activist artworks. My Mom. Claire Jones, and I, are passionate about developing an accessible virtual art gallery platform for marginalized and disabled women/femmes through our project, “Art & Mind….” In my teens I did solo anti-bullying art exhibits titled “I’m Proud of Who I Am.” to cope with bullying with the help of my Mom, Claire Jones, who is a writer creative, and mental health advocate. We deal with invisible disabilities and face discrimination for our work that highlights social issues. Together, we hope to make "Art & Mind" a platform, so other marginalized women/femmes can have a home for artwork highlighting radical anti-stigma artworks usually shunned by society. With the help of our small team of artists with lived experience of disability and/or chronic illness. See our works: https://amaranthiasepiaartworks.art https://clarityisjustsohip.com
"Art & Mind" Women and Femmes Virtual Art Show: Video Player

Our Mental Health Impact - Highlighting Therapists & Activists Speakers

Since 2021 we've collaborated with therapists/social workers and disability activists who are experts on social issues marginalized women & marginalized genders face. Each event, we collaborate with these speakers to answer questions at our events. We also collaborate with them and our team members to develop a free mental health resource document for our audience. 

"Art & Mind" Women and Femmes Virtual Art Show: Text

Accessibility Statement

With knowledge gained from the disability community, COVID conscious community, lived experience and guidance from disability-focused residency Socially Distant Art, Art & Mind shows incorporate several aspects of virtual accessibility.  Amaranthia joined the Socially Distant Art cohort in August 2022. 

Our team, which changes per event, accomplish tasks such as content warnings, open captioning, closed captioning, auto captioning, and tech assistance during the Zoom reception. Shows from 2023 forward include live ASL interpretation. All speakers will Self-ID before presenting. This is also included in our documentaries. Artist videos contain artwork descriptions as well.

All gallery works via Kunstmatrix are accompanied with image descriptions and video descriptions.

A pattern design showcasing vector art of disabled folks doing regular activities with their friends and family. Some poeple are in wheelchairs, playing with their kids while using objects of accessibility such as walking devices, etc. The colors are vibrant.
Artwork of sunflower women worshipping the sun by Amaranthia Sepia

Testimonials

Blue Skies

2023

Absolutely inspiring evening! Thank you all! is a real community that you’re building and it’s exciting to be part of it and see it grow so organically.Really cool to see the spectrum of struggles among our marginalized friends so I think continuing to be inclusive of artists with different disabilities which is already your thing!!! Love you two!

Photo of Sam Potrykus, a middle aged white man with long brown hair. Co-Founder of Brain Arts Org

Sam Potrykus - Co-Founder of Brain Arts Org, Art & Mind Sponsor

"Curls and Curves"a digital painting. Three voluptuous Black women with thick natural hair.

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"Art & Mind" Women and Femmes Virtual Art Show: Contact