The “Talisman Project” in Concert with “Enough Violence…Artists Speak Out” – . . . . Florida Recycled . . . . Empowerment Through Art

2015

Allegheny County Court House, Pittsburgh PA

Gerry Florida has been busy working with Shuman Juvenile Detention Center on promoting the arts in detention facilities across the state of Pennsylvania as wells nationally. This June, in a special ceremony, she will be awarded and honored by the County Commissioners of Pennsylvania (CCPA) for the 2015 Detention/Alternative Programs Best Practices Award for the Jewelry Arts Programs she instituted in Shuman Center over 5 years ago…the first of its kind in a detention setting, notable because of the prohibitive nature of the tools which are otherwise considered contraband. Her program has been successfully incident free for 5 years and its popularity among residents and staff unwavering. Shuman Center was nominated and selected for this award because her program incorporates recycled and salvaged materials that serve to parallel subliminal messages of imperfection and the necessity for self-reinvention after loss, trauma, or tragedy. The jewelry program is the first of its kind in a detention setting with the added concept that immediate gratification sparked and inspired students who were at risk for permanently developing negative perceptions and attitudes about their value, self-worth and ability.

“Shuman Honored with Detention and Alternatives Best Practices Award”

Press Release

Press Release AC

Gerry has work with the Juvenile Detention Association of Pennsylvania (JDCAP) to bring focus on the necessity of art in school programs particularly detention and alternative program settings. Through JDCAP, The Society for Contemporary Craft and community partners to include the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, she has created community partnerships, scholarship opportunities, conducted student exhibitions and jewelry sales; selling student created jewelry at regional and national venues with proceeds benefiting local nonprofits and sold under the Shuman Design Studios label.

In March 2015, working with The National Partnership on Juvenile Services (NPJSS), Gerry conducted a national Webinar for The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ( OJJDP) and The National Training and Assistance Center (NTTAC)

The Webinar was titled:

“The Importance of Art Programming in Juvenile Confinement”

Webinar

Webinar / OJJDP

Gerry works year-round as an Art Instructor for Shuman Center and is in partnership with The Society for Contemporary Craft (SCC) where she conducts public school residency programs, act 48 credits as well as workshops for the general public. She works with seniors through Carnegie Mellon University’s Osher Programs as well as with autistic students both privately and through Spectrum School.

Gerry works through Dr, Patricia Sheahan, Professor at Duquesne University and fellow member of the Associated Artist of Pittsburgh, to present her Talisman Workshop to the Social Justice students of Duquesne identifying the challenges and needs of delinquent youth for future educators.

This fall, Gerry will be conducting a workshop for the 21st National Symposium on Juvenile Services title:

“Improving Juvenile Services: A Partnership Approach to Growth and Change”

Her workshop will focus on the creating personal empowerment Talisman, as well as ways to institute low cost art programs into detention and alternative settings. .

Symposium

Symposium / NPJS

Modeled after her own work Gerry created and instructed a Talisman workshop with Shuman Center residents to create empowerment jewelry pieces. The workshop was sponsored by The Society for Contemporary Craf (SCC) . A visiting Artist from Scotland, Dauvit Alexander was also sponsored by SCC to work with the Shuman residents in a lesson he conducted using Altoid tins to create memory boxes. With the assistance of her teaching partner and friend, Sherrard Bostwick, over 80 Talisman and memory tins were created by the students only of which over 30 were presented in the Enough Violence exhibition in lower gallery of The Society for Contemporary Craft due to the empowerment value the youth placed on their work and the need to carry their Talisman with them through placement. The student exhibition was presented in conjunction with the world premier exhibition “Enough Violence” in which 14 international artists were invited to address the issues of violence in their communities. At the close of the 6 month exhibition, the student portion of the “Enough Violence” exhibition continued to travel to include the following five locations:

1) “Enough Violence” Society for Contemporary Craft 2013- 2014
Gerry and Shuman resident / que 6:33 to view Gerry’s interview with Gerry’s student

NTTAC / National Center for Youth in Custody and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Gerry and Taylor M. Contemporary Craft Vimeo

2) Allegheny County City County Building 2014

Enough Violence

3) Women in Corrections and Juvenile Justice National Conference 2014

4) Shuman Center Lobby 2014

5) Metropolis Collective Gallery Mechanicsburg, PA 2014- 2015

Harrisburg Magazine

This exhibition will travel to it’s 6th location in the fall of 2015 and presented at the The

6) National Partnership on Juvenile Services 21st Symposium in September 2015

An Award winning artist and member of The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Craftsmen’s Guild and The Pittsburgh Society of Artists, she exhibits on a regional and national level. Gerry’s belief in the beauty on imperfection is exemplified in her use of recycled, re-purposed and imperfect materials in her own work as well as introduced in her teaching that parallels the imperfections in our own lives and our ability to create a valuable existent in spite. Her teaching philosophy is born from her own experiences and painful reinvention and her commitment transcends to the forgotten populations, empowering those who would otherwise have no voice, identity or self-esteem.

Gerry’s goal as an advocate is to invite community input and through art create empowerment programs developing better solutions that penetrate the recidivism of delinquency and to establish customized, consistent and accessible aftercare/follow-up programs that will lighten the communities’ delinquency load and contribute to the health and vitality of all our communities.

For More Information Google:

“Gerry Florida Pittsburgh Jewelry Artist”

“Enough Violence Society for Contemporary Craft Gerry Florida “

Voices against Violence

Voices Against Violence Questionarre

PSA artist member Gerry Florida News Updates Gerry Florida has been busy working with Shuman Juvenile Detention…

Posted by Pittsburgh Society of Artists Guild on Wednesday, May 20, 2015