DreamYard
Artist-in-Residence
2018–2019
In 2018, I became the first artist-in-residence at the DreamYard Art Center in the Bronx, New York. Over the course of a year, I collaborated with DreamYard’s teachers and directors to integrate technology into art practices and programs designed for youth empowerment. Among several initiatives, I co-designed the visual identity for The Dream Fest, a middle and high school Bronx art festival celebrating creativity, community, and collaboration.
DreamYard is a pioneering educational organization that uses art and social justice to transform teaching, learning, and community engagement. During my residency, I worked closely with educators and students to explore technology as a creative and expressive medium, guiding them in using digital tools to tell their own stories and expand their artistic vocabulary.
The collaboration combined my focus on digital media and immersive technologies with DreamYard’s commitment to community-based education, resulting in interactive and participatory projects that merged art, technology, and activism. For more information about DreamYard Project, visit www.dreamyard.com
Services provided
- Art Direction for The Dream Fest
- Augmented Reality Documentary Experience for the Action Program
- Advisory and Art Direction on Immersive Experience Design
- Tech Mentoring for Experimental Art Projects
Challenge
DreamYard’s programs have long emphasized inclusivity and self-expression. The challenge was to introduce emerging technologies in ways that felt accessible and relevant to both educators and students, fostering experimentation without losing the authenticity of each artistic process.
Solution
I developed a series of creative technology workshops and transmedia experiences to expand the students’ expressive possibilities:
Augmented Reality Posters and “Selfiementary” Project — Created with senior students from the Action program, the campaign featured AR-enabled posters that activated short video portraits. By scanning a poster with a smartphone camera, viewers could watch each student narrate their personal journey through art and activism.
Advisory and Mentorship — Guided teachers and students in using mixed media, VR/AR applications, and digital storytelling to design immersive artistic experiences.
These projects connected traditional art-making with new technologies, allowing students to use digital tools as instruments of identity and transformation.
Results
- Designed the visual identity and art direction for The Dream Fest, a community-centered annual arts festival in the Bronx.
- Introduced augmented and immersive technologies into DreamYard’s arts curriculum.
- Empowered youth participants to use digital media to share personal narratives and social messages.
- Strengthened DreamYard’s position as a model for technology-integrated arts education.