Creative Mornings Panel: Pride
Where
The DAAC
1553 Plainfield Ave NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
When
August 18, 2023
8:30 - 10:00pm
Admission
Free
Illustration by Karla Griffin for Creative Mornings
Pride is a powerful affirmation of authenticity. It gives us the grace to show up as ourselves and live in alignment with our values. It embraces every shade of our longings, our regrets, and our hopes — these beautiful and powerful things that make us who we are.
Pride is when you stand tall and say, “This is who I am.” Pride is when you reclaim the parts of your identity that others might have scorned. Pride is when you raise your voice in defense of someone who is powerless, saying “Enough.” Because that someone might just be yourself. How will you unfurl yourself fully? How will you extend safety and solidarity so that we all may be unapologetically ourselves?
Meet Our Speakers
Panelist: Maddison Chaffer (They/Them)
Having apprenticed for two years under national and international muralists, Maddison now installs murals professionally for a variety of public art festivals, small businesses, corporations and local governments. Maddison’s work is greatly informed by their upbringing in a sheltered religious community. As a trans person with a love for natural science, Maddison has always had one foot in two worlds: queerness and the church, evolution and creation, physicality and spirituality.
Panelist: Edwin Anderson (He/Him)
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI on the southeast side. Edwin is a local artist in this vibrant city and has the incredible privilege to create murals that add color and life to our streets. Throughout his career, Edwin has been dedicated to giving back to the community through arts and culture.
Panelist: Paige Rochefort (She/Her)
With a degree in pyschology and art from GVSU, Paige has been creating full-time as Daydreams by Paige, LLC since 2021 with mural experience dating back to 2018. Her recognizable murals include the zinnia flowers outside of SIP Coffee & Cocktails in Alger Heights, the moveable mural that once lived outside Wealthy Studios and the apple blossom mural at Dunneback Farms.
Panelist: Arturo Morales Romero (He/Him)
Arturo was born in Mexico in the state of Guerrero in a town called Tepetixtla. He found his passion for the arts at the age of five while playing in the water where the pebbles of different colors melted and mixed between his feet. In 2014, he moved with his family to Grand Rapids, Michigan. His ArtPrize entries in 2016, 2017, and 2021 were featured at Lindo Mexico and Mexo. In 2022 he completed the largest mural at Supermercado Mexico.
Moderator: Aaron McCall (He/Him)
Aaron is a freelance graphic designer and host of the Bad Idea Social Club podcast. On the design side of things, his focus is on branding through designing the things that real people interact with—the beer can you drink from (City Built Brewing Company, Our Brewing Company), the coffee bag you reach for every morning (Foster Coffee Co.), or the logo above the door at your favorite restaurant (Black Napkin, Poquito). On the podcast side, he has set out to collect honest stories and insights from wildly talented creatives, without judgment or filters, about creativity and life and whatever else comes up.
