Advice concerning content, Contributing one's own artwork, Participation in realising artwork

Shari Hersh is a community artist and organizer. As Senior Project Manager and Founder of the Restored Spaces Initiative at the Mural Arts Program, Hersh researches and develops innovative projects in the public sphere. In partnership with artists, activists, youth and communities, Hersh facilitates a collaborative model of practice that emphasizes art and creativity as essential vehicles for catalyzing
dialogue, building relationships and making decisions collectively. Her projects convene communities in collaboration with artists to create palpable positive impacts in neighborhoods and to affirm citizen rights to shape and use the city’s public spaces. Her work addresses the question, ‘How can we reknit social fabric through reshaping our communities, our environment and ourselves?’ Her recent efforts focus on socially engaged projects with youth, community and interdisciplinary collaborations that address issues such as housing, sustainability and access and right to green spaces. Hersh holds a lifelong interest in textiles and handwork, seeing them as documents of
women’s creativity and social endeavor. She recently initiated a project called Home Studio Lab, that uses needle arts to initiate conversations about racism and white privilege. Combining insights from trauma informed care with the recent surge in theory and action for racial equity, Home Studio Lab seeks to create safe spaces for challenging dialogue and reflection on urgent issues of equity and connection.