Photo by Jonica Moore Cool It with Art: A How-To Guide for Tackling Rising Temperatures with Art in Our Communities My Park, My Pool, My City is featured in a 2022 report from Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council that addresses how to tackle rising temperatures through art.
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Raised in Austin, Texas, Sarafina will graduate from Wesleyan University in 2020 with a degree in urban studies. In Sarafina’s first summer at Forklift, she served as a community engagement intern for Bartholomew Swims. In 2018, while still involved in the production process, Sarafina’s role shifted to the development side of Forklift operations. Building from […]
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Gretchen LaMotte works in the realms of art making, live performance, community action, and healing. She received a BA in Science in Society from Wesleyan University with concentrations in Psychology and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and a Certificate in Environmental Studies. At Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts, Gretchen worked for the Creative Campus Initiative, […]
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Fabiola Torralba is trained as a cultural worker and grassroots organizer and engages artmaking as a transformative practice for building community, civic engagement, and social-cultural awareness. They enjoy facilitating dance making opportunities for movers of all backgrounds and interdisciplinary collaborations that explore the intersection between performance and action. Fabiola was part of Nadamos Dove Springs in […]
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Miriam Conner served as Community Engagement Coordinator throughout My Park, My Pool, My City. A CalArts graduate, she is an Austin-based curator and community organizer. She currently sits on the African American Resource Advisory Commission for the City of Austin, and has also worked with SXW, Art Outside, and Six Square—Austin’s Black Cultural District.
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Meet Givens Swims collaborator Kenneth Thompson! Kenneth is a parent educator, facilitator, mentor, talk show host on KAZI, and “home-grown” Austinite who grew up around Givens pool. Kenneth served as the Director of the East Austin Youth Foundation, which serves approximately 200 youth providing sports activities while promoting high academic achievement. Kenneth also served on the […]
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“From Hands Full of Cash Car Club members to the folks that were around when the pool opened—I love how the community is so powerful and eager to come together. It’s amazing to witness.” Arturo Hernandez is a singer and actor from Austin, Texas. He grew up in the neighborhood around Givens and is […]
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Ernesto Hernandez is an Austin resident who is a muralist, digital artist and filmmaker. Many of his works have been created in collaboration with at-risk youth and communities in a form of positive expression that brings pride to the community and its creators. With over 20 years of public work experience, he is incorporating new […]
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Cindy Elizabeth is a photographer and mixed media artist born and raised in Austin, TX, where she currently resides and makes art. After graduating from Baylor University in 2010, Elizabeth began exploring her desire to create change by documenting the world around her with the camera as her tool. Working through the mediums of photography, […]
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Ada Harden stands at the new development at the location of her home. Photo by Miriam Conner. In 1928, the City of Austin passed an ordinance requiring African American and Hispanic residents to move East of I-35. Since then, the neighborhoods surrounding Givens Pool have constituted the center of East Austin cultural life. As Central […]
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