Valerie Gilbert

Valerie will organize an art workshop series for women survivors of homelessness, abuse, addiction, and/or depression. Valerie will teach women how to create masks, collages and dolls that express the inner strengths such as courage, compassion, and resilience. The creation process will include taking field trips to the Free Library, Moore College of Art, The Museum of Art, The Doll Museum, The Jewish Museum, The African American Museum and other notable Philadelphia learning centers to expose the participants to empowerment through art. The workshop will culminate with an exhibit of the women's pieces.

Valerie will create a series of art doll sculptures and 3D masks portraying different aspects of women’s inner strength. Her pieces aim to promote reflection and alter how women think about themselves and their roles in the world, with the goal of helping women find their voice, realize their power, and inspire them to create a more just and compassionate world. Valerie's sculptures are influenced by her own personal struggles and her use of art as a form of therapy in her own recovery process. She creates to give back to the community of women who helped her in her own life and to move other women to see they too can use art as a tool to take control of their own lives.