Artist Statement

I believe that healing ourselves, our community and our planet requires movement, creative expression and art. By combining the expressive art form of dance with the creative form of making physical art with clay, individuals can transform trauma and stress into healing and beauty represented in their art.

My vision is to create opportunities for community members (specifically those furthest from resources and the luxury of creating art due to poverty, trauma or oppression) to heal, create art and vision an empowered future. Because of my work as a professional dancer, my training as an energy healer, my background as a trauma therapist and crisis worker and my experience creating art with the medium of clay, I am uniquely positioned to integrate these dimensions into opportunities for transformation.

When I began working with clay, I realized immediately the grounding effect of placing my hands in wet earth. With each touch, I relaxed into a meditative state where I was able to take a respite from my daily worries and challenges. I understood that the creation of a wheel thrown pot or a hand build mug is very much like the choreography from my dance career; each finger aligning, each hand supporting, with gentle and fluid movements to create a physical representation of self-expression.

~Terri Allred