In this conversation I catch up with my former high school classmate, artist and social activist Danielle Ellis. We discuss her educational journey and the validity of higher education; how dealing with divorce and her own sexual identity brought her back to creating art; and how she is using her initiative, “Mermaids Bring Water”, to provide clean water to communities, as well as how her activism serves her art and community.

ABOUT DANIELLE:

Danielle Ellis is an Oak Cliff native always ready to share her love of the arts with everyone at a moment’s notice be it painting live or holding workshops through her creative incubator Brassfly Studio. Her art education came from her parents, summer workshops at the South Dallas Cultural Center, attending Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts and later The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She is also the creator of Mermaids Bring Water, an initiative that provides clean water to communities in need.

Her words:

“In my work I delve into our spiritual history as a form of survival, resistance and celebration. So often the narrative has been that African Americans are so far removed and void of culture. We have retained in many ways our roots and that includes spiritualities from our Ancestral home (Africa). We are of many African cultures forced together on new lands. We’ve held onto the scraps of what we were and patched a quilt into who we are. As a spiritual practitioner with a deep love for our people, I express that in all mediums, which includes creating public/private altars and community service. My life’s work is of uplift, veneration and celebration.”

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GUEST LINKS:

INSTAGRAM: @brassfly_studio

INSTAGRAM: @mermaidsbringwater

ETSY SHOP: Mermaids Bring Water

GoFundMe : Bring Water to Sandbranch

FACEBOOK:Brassfly Studio: An Eco Urban Experience

FACEBOOK: Mermaids Bring Water

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HOST: @saudiarashed

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