Beneath Our Skin: Virtual Closing Reception and Presentation of the Exhibit

Clemmons Family Farm joyfully invites you to the Beneath Our Skin: COVID 19 Vaccination Storytelling & Art Exhibit Virtual Closing Reception and Presentation, on Zoom on Monday, May 13th at 6PM. Everyone who registers will receive the Zoom link via email the day of the event.

Beneath Our Skin showcases the stories and artwork of thirty Black Vermonters and three white healthcare providers about their lived experiences during the early roll-out of the COVID 19 vaccine.

In 2021 and 2022, during the pandemic, Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.-- a Vermont African American women-led 501c3 nonprofit organization-- developed an innovative research methodology to collect narrative stories using creative prompts and artistic expression during focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. This arts-integrated approach elicited responses from the research participants that otherwise would likely not have been expressed. The result of this approach is rich "arts data". Displayed in a multimedia exhibit, the collection of stories, poems, songs, and visual art offer a deeper, more empathetic understanding of Black Vermonters' relationship with the health system- a relationship that includes a history of intergenerational trauma. The arts data also highlights the complexity and range of emotions experienced by Black Vermonters and white providers during the pandemic.

The Beneath Our Skin: COVID 19 Vaccination Storytelling & Art Exhibit is presently on display at four venues in Vermont. The Exhibit's Virtual Closing Reception and Presentation will be held live on Zoom on Monday, May 13 from 6 pm - 7:30 pm.

This event is the virtual closing reception that incudes opening remarks by Dr. Lydia Clemmons, President and Executive Director and a presentation by the exhibit curator Yanna Marie Orcel. Professionals who are working in the arts and public health sectors will have this opportunity to meet online, experience the exhibit, and discuss a historic moment in our collective history. Participants will also begin a conversation about the exciting opportunities to join forces in areas of work where social cohesion, community wellness, and resilience intersect in programs that seek to build healthier communities.

The Beneath Our Skin COVID 19 Vaccination Storytelling Project and the Beneath Our Skin exhibit are made possible with major funding from the Vermont Department of Health.

Learn more about the Beneath Our Skin project and exhibit. Read and download the Beneath Our Skin research report. Check out the stories and artwork in the Beneath Our Skin Online Exhibit and enjoy our "BoS Lady"'s new blog about the exhibit!

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

6:00 - 6:15 pm: Meet and Greet

Ice-breaker activity

6:15 - 6:20 pm: Welcome and Opening Remarks- Lydia Clemmons, PhD, MPH

About the Beneath Our Skin COVID19 Storytelling project

6:20 - 6:55: Exhibit Presentation - Yanna Marie Orcel, MRes

About the curation process

Presentation of selected stories, poems, and artwork in the exhibit

Group chat will be encouraged during the presentation

6:55- 7:00 pm: Break

Optional Viewing of Presentation of COVID-19 Vaccination Reflection Cards

7:00 - 7:30 pm: Small Group Break-Out Session Jam Boards!

7:00 - 7:10 — 3 Break Out Groups (approx. 7-10 ppl in each room)

7:10 - 7:25 — 5 mins each per group to share their Jamboard findings!

7:25 - 7:30 — Discussion from Jamboard findings

7:30 pm: Sighs and Goodbyes

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Lydia Clemmons, PhD, MPH

Lydia is President and Executive Director of Clemmons Family Farm. She is a medical anthropologist with a 35-year career leading ethnographic research and designing global and national programs that integrate arts and culture into the implementation of public health, education, and agriculture strategies. She has worked in cross-sectoral projects funded by the US Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization in more than 20 African countries. In 2013, she left her life in Africa and returned to Vermont to help her parents preserve their rare historic farm and protect an African-American legacy. In 2017, she co-founded Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- an African-American women-led nonprofit organization. She is the recipient of the 2021 Con Hogan Award from the Vermont Community Foundation, the 2021 Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts from the Vermont Arts Council, and the 2022 NAACP-Rutland Branch Lifetime Achievement Award. She holds a PhD in medical anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master's Degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Human Biology and Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University.

“Clemmons Family Farm is thrilled to host the Beneath Our Skin Virtual Closing Reception and to offer an opportunity for professionals working in the fields of public health and the arts to come together and reflect on the insights gained from this unique and important collection of stories and art ."

Yanna Marie Orcel, MRes

Yanna Marie is Clemmons Family Farm's Wellness Arts Adviser and is the curator of the Beneath Our Skin Exhibit. She holds a Masters of Research in Fine Arts & Humanities degree from the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, the world's leading post-graduate arts and design school. During her masters studies, Yanna Marie collaborated with Clemmons Family Farm to host a 6-session online Black & Bliss research workshop where participants used art therapy techniques to creatively hold space for themselves and one another, all while elaborating on the 7 Psychological Benefits of Art (from "Art as Therapy" by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong). Since completing her studies, she has been recognized by the American Art Therapy Association in 2022 for her contributions to the field of Art Therapy, through the Jim Consoli Award. Additionally, Yanna Marie facilitated a half-day advanced practice course at the 54th Annual American Art Therapy Association Conference, where she shared the findings from her research project, "Creative Care". Alongside her wellness arts-centered work, Yanna is a poet and an emerging multidisciplinary visual artist. Her most recent group exhibition "To Find, To Hold, To Share" just concluded being on display at RCA's Hockney Gallery in London.

“This exhibit feels very personal, since it shares the fears, concerns, and hopes associated with the COVID19 vaccine roll-out for Black people—many of whom carry the intergenerational trauma of exploitation and neglect in United States medical and public health arenas. This perspective is often not brought to light outside of the Black community, which makes this exhibit an urgent representation of a historically underrepresented population. I found reviewing the materials for the exhibit to be very eye-opening and my hope is that people who experience this exhibit gain a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding African diasporan Vermonters’ choices, hesitations, and agency surrounding taking the COVID19 vaccine.”