DACA: Sharing Our Stories Through Art & Placemaking as Design [Speaker + Design Workshops]
Connecting and creating with undocu/DACAmented and mixed status individuals and families on the eve of the 10-year anniversary of the Deferred Arrival for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive decision by the Obama administration and examining its legacy and impact.
DACA: Sharing Our Stories Through Art & Placemaking as Design
In May and August 2024, I was contracted by Portland State University’s DREAMers Resource Center to present and lead two design workshops in support of their Building Dreams and Shaping Futures: DACA’s Anniversary event, as well as complementing their TheDream.US National Scholarship Orientation.
For the first event, I shared my lived experiences, reflections, resources, and advice as a formerly undocu/DACAmented individual, how I got involved with community-based design and art, and facilitated an activity to create a collage-based art piece to be hosted in the center itself.
For the second event, I provided context and themes from the first event, facilitated a conversation about the definition of design and provided real-world examples, introduced placemaking and space activation, and iterated on the collage-based art piece from the previous group.
