At the heart of each residency is Celebration. We are celebrating the birth of ideas that are expressed through the students' art along with the bonds that are created during our work together. When working with schools (PK-12), I like to include the entire school community. Students, teachers, parents and staff input valuable ideas as we conduct brainstorming sessions at the beginning of each project. Through this process, concepts are gathered which inspire the project’s design.

The name given to a project is selected by the school community and is a crucial aspect of the project because it clarifies the intention and purpose of the art. My role is to facilitate the discussion and ideas of each school community, and incorporate those concepts into a collaborative art project. I then submit a design proposal, which is reviewed by a core group, composed of members from the school community.

I have written a Collaborative Art Handbook for creating successful projects, which helps organize and define the tasks, roles and the process involved. It has been my experience in working with schools, that all the needed resources for our art project are available through networking. The projects are also the perfect opportunity for schools to strengthen or forge new relationships with the extended community.