Spirit Vessel installation from the exhibition
Storms and Silver Linings
Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa.
January 28 – May 28, 2023

475 messages from viewers and community members were added to the vessel by the end of the exhibition.

Healing Through Art
In 2013 my 88-year-old father, Alfred Minka, was murdered in my childhood home in Michigan. This terrible crime was committed by a neighbor my father knew and trusted.  After, a three-week trial and eventual mistrial, a plea deal was made in January, 2018, finally giving our family closure.

During this time my artwork became an important catalyst for a wide array of emotions. Eventually, I became interested in helping others use artmaking as a tool for expression, healing, acceptance and empathy.

The Spirit Vessel installation allowed community members the opportunity to release their own burdens by writing or drawing on strips of fabric. The vessel served as a repository for trauma, pain, or grief to be carried away. The illuminated papier mache orbs represented gratitude, hope, spiritual connections
and love.

Being able to see this as a tangible depiction of our collective humanity, our collective vulnerability, created a powerful message about what unites us, rather than divides us.