Healing walk
At 1-800 Happy Birthday
WORTHLESSSTUDIOS
Upcoming:
January 8 at 4-6PM
Past:
October 23 at 4-6PM
November 20 at 4-6PM, as part of the WORTHLESSSTUDIOS Community Day December 4 at 4-6PM
Healing Walk is a slow and intentional tour of the 1-800 Happy Birthday exhibition with dedicated time for reflection, sharing, and group conversation alongside mental health professionals of color. This event, led by the 1-800 Happy Birthday curator Klaudia Ofwona Draber, and community activist and mental health professional Cameron Bertrand, is designed for everyone regardless of where they are in their healing journeys.
Through the Healing Walk discussion we begin to define mental health needs and self care practices we want to see in our communities and lives. The interactive nature of the 1-800 Happy Birthday exhibition allows for our bodies to move in the space, and begin addressing the somatic experience of trauma. By generating a safe space for reflection and conversation, our hope is to contribute to ‘mental wealth,’ prioritizing the needs of Black and Brown communities.
Jadyne St. Julien (Ifafunmiwo Omitola), Reiki practitioner and a member of a grief support team will be present during the event and available for private conversations. This program is organized in partnership with Violence Intervention & Prevention (VIP), Buy Back the Block, and Beyond the Bullet. The Healing Walk is an extension of the ‘mental wealth mixers’ organized by Cameron Bertrand and his team.
Please register using the links below.
About 1-800 Happy Birthday
1-800 Happy Birthday is an exhibition honoring Black and Brown lives killed by police. Originally a voicemail project, now transformed into a large-scale exhibition in a 10,000 square-foot warehouse, 1-800 Happy Birthday is created by artist Mohammad Gorjestani and Even/Odd, curated by Klaudia Ofwona Draber, with artistic direction by Neil Hamamoto, and presented by arts nonprofit WORTHLESSSTUDIOS with the aim of honoring the lives of those lost too soon. The families of Dujuan Armstrong, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Fred Cox, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, Xzavier Hill, Donovon Lynch, Sean Monterrosa, Tony Robinson, and Mario Woods are participating in the exhibition.
Cameron Bertrand with the family members of Sean Monterrosa, Donovon Lynch, Eric Garner, and Oscar Grant at the opening of the 1-800 Happy Birthday exhibition.
About Cameron Bertrand
Cameron Bertrand is an international community activist and youth development professional, specializing in mental health awareness and community engagement. Cameron wears many hats—CEO, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, veteran, sociologist, published author, mentor, legislative leader, organizer, and developer. Cameron is a gun violence survivor and a patron for equity and civic engagement; he provides the community with trauma-informed approaches, as well as opportunities of enrichment to students and families, in dozens of cities spanning across the US & Kampala, Uganda.
Cameron is the founder of Violence Intervention & Prevention VIP LLC (VIP LLC), BuyBackTheBlock, Beyond The Bullet, VIP Inc., and the Gun Violence Intervention & Prevention Outreach & Research Center. VIP LLC provides free counseling and mentorship necessary to help youth and adults transition from experiences with violence and trauma. Cameron is an advocate for justice, advocating for policies and legislation that provide trauma informed, evidence-based, outcome driven, grassroots oriented solutions to prevent violence and/or generational trauma in our communities.
Cameron is an alumnus and community partner of Christopher Newport University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology and is a US Army military veteran where he served as a paralegal specialist. Cameron also ran for political office in the year of 2020. Over the years, Cameron has been recognized by several national organizations for his dedication to his community.
About Klaudia Ofwona Draber
Klaudia Ofwona Draber is the founder and president of KODA—a social practice residency for mid-career artists. She is also the curator of 1-800 Happy Birthday, an exhibition at WORTHLESSSTUDIOS honoring lives and legacies of Black and Brown people killed by the police. Klaudia has lived and led arts, technology and strategy projects in Europe, Africa and the United States. She also works as Head of Public Relations at Polish Cultural Institute New York. Previously she served as a consultant to the British Council Arts, and worked at UBS, managing arts CSR projects. Klaudia is the 2021-2022 Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney ISP Curatorial Studies Program. She serves at the Membership Committee of ArtTable, mentors at New Museum's NEW INC, and is a member of For(best) The Culture. Klaudia holds MA in Art Business from the Sotheby‘s Institute of Art New York. She also holds MA in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics.
Photo by Hidemi Takagi.
About Chris Green
Christopher Green is a Fine Artist who paints the totality of the Black experience from his home studio in Norfolk, VA. From our struggles to our triumphs to everything in between, Green uses vibrant colors to illustrate our people in a beautiful way. He has made significant lifelong contributions to the Hampton Roads area by painting various murals on storefronts as well as showcasing his work in numerous exhibitions, enriching our communities with his captivating art.
“As an artist, I aspire to create art that captivates and evokes a sense of awe and wonder. My work engages positive representation of Black people, boosting pride and cultural exuberance. Portraits are my main focus and I aim to capture the raw emotion in a vibrant style. My technique combines contrasting colors and saturated colors using acrylic paint on canvas, bringing everything to life.” — Christopher Green
about Jadyne St. Julien (Ifafunmiwo Omitola)
Jadyne St. Julien (Ifafunmiwo Omitola) is a Reiki practitioner and a member of a grief support team.