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Grant Amount <br />Requested <br />$2,000. <br />Project Start Date <br />(no earlier than July <br />1, 2020) <br />9/1/2020 <br />Project End Date (no <br />later than June 30, <br />2021) <br />April 30, 2021 <br />Project/Program <br />Summary <br />This show would include twelv e large portraits that I would paint of <br />residents of Orange County who may feel inv isible — whose <br />struggles might be misunderstood, and whose inner strengths often <br />go unrecognized. I hav e always been drawn to paint the inner spirit of <br />a person, to those who may be unseen in our community. This may <br />include the homeless, mentally ill, or ev en refugees who hav e <br />recently immigrated to our community. <br />W ith the help of local agencies, I plan to ask these residents to "sit" <br />for me while I paint their portrait. I will pay them for their time as well <br />as get to know them and their story. I will also write a short bio. to be <br />included with their portrait. I will also share with them a print of the <br />portrait. This is important because many of these neighbors in our <br />community do not hav e ev en a photo of themselv es. <br />My intention, through these portraits, is to share the spirit of <br />resilience in these residents of Orange County, some who endure <br />day-to-day liv es of real hardship, sometimes trauma, in order to bring <br />to light the essential, inner story of someone who might otherwise <br />remain unseen and unknown — in fact, to remind all of us to look <br />beyond the facades, and see the person within. <br />Community Impact At a time when we are isolated because of cov id, and we are hurting <br />because of race relations and political strife, I intend to create a show <br />that might help our community heal: one person at a time. <br />By offering indiv iduals who are suffering with loneliness and being <br />misunderstood, I hope the opportunity to be painted would giv e them <br />the opportunity to tell their stories, to be heard and seen, and then to <br />see themselv es mirrored back in the paintings. <br />My wish is the v iewers hav e a chance to understand that many <br />people in our community hav e a story of courage, strength, and <br />persev erance through extreme hardship. <br />It is important now, more than ev er, to learn to giv e kindness and <br />empathy for our fellow neighbors. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: CDB60D0B-B2CA-438F-82B7-834AF7F6E327