APU Art Student Unveils Interactive Exhibit

Azusa Pacific University Master of Fine Arts student Pamela Alderman, a social practice artist from Grand Rapids, Michigan, will showcase her exhibition, the Connections Project at Duke Gallery, located on APU’s West Campus at 701 E. Foothill Blvd., in Azusa, California. The free event runs July 25 through 28, 2022 with an opening reception on Monday, July 25, from 6-8 p.m.

The Connections Project invites individuals to connect with those who are different from them as a creative alternative to “unfriending, blocking, and canceling” those who don’t look, think, or act like us. Various stances on social issues, race, gender, and the economy spark heated debates in the public sector, on social media, and around family dinner tables. This project challenges individuals to take a fresh look at how they see their neighbors.

“My interactive healing art creates opportunities to connect with others,” says Alderman. “It’s an art form that reaches beyond the canvas. If we take the first step and just start talking to the person next to us, listening to their story, we can begin to overcome our prejudices.”

Alderman will complete her MFA in visual art at APU this year. She teaches in the business entrepreneurial program at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan. She also founded Healing in Arts, a nonprofit which offers creative care programs to students, incarcerated teens, and community groups. Her current project includes co-developing a veteran-specific ArtPrize venue and coaching 22 veteran artists at various levels to help them achieve success. Combining her abundant passion with innovative concepts, Alderman’s interactive art has left an indelible healing imprint locally and nationally.

For more information, visit pamelaalderman.com or contact Pamela Alderman at pamela@pamelaalderman.com.