Teaching Assistant in Higher Education + Graduate School Research 
Presenting two years of work and research at the 2024 Graduate Symposium.
Art in the American Experience
Abstract
This work focuses on research that showcases art and its interaction with gender, sexuality, and race. Here we discover how communities within specific groups, such as LGBTQIA+ and Black Americans, have created vital visual expression and creativity throughout the American experience. This exploration can be found in times of joy, everyday communication, protest, activism, genocide, slavery, and empowerment. For the last two years, I have researched archives, courses, and independent studies, and completed an internship that allowed me to dive deeper into these perspectives. Results ensured a commonality that art has always been and continues to be a vibrant outlet within these communities. Also, throughout this time, you will find I took a widened feminist approach to the various ways gender, sexuality, and race give us a robust view into the intricate dynamics of this work.
(The written work and zine creations from this work will be available soon.)
Teaching Assistant for Stockton University’s First-Year Seminar Women, Gender and Sexuality While in grad school pursuing a Master of Arts in American Studies, I had the opportunity to be a TA for a freshmen First-Year Seminar Women, Gender and Sexuality class. During my time as a TA, I was also completing independent study work on Feminist Theory and Practice. This work allowed me to discover radical teaching styles while implementing service-learning attributes to my TA pedagogical practices. Students in this First-Year Seminar were required to complete a service-learning activism project, which I was in charge of creating and facilitating. For this part of their service-learning, I knew I wanted to combine art and activism and I also wanted their work to be exhibited as an on-campus installation.
I assigned all the groups an art medium such as photography, collage, drawing, and audio-visual. I also assigned a topic based on the books and curriculum they were learning and discussing during the semester some of which included: LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights, climate change, cyberbullying, and sexual violence. Students were also assigned group leadership roles, which included: Lead Organizer, Creative lead, Social media manager, Copywriter, and Reacher. This strategy allowed the students to own their strengths while working in a group atmosphere.
Students had weekly social media posts to manage on @stockton1styractivism and participated in weekly check-ins, group proposals, and creative group work. The mission of these projects was for them to tap into their visual activism from a feminist perspective that could be interacted with by those on campus.
Below you will find photos of the students’ projects in production, the advertising for their final installation event, and their presentations at the event itself.
(A more in-depth reflection of this work will be available soon.)
Arts and Crafts Teacher + Community Organizer 
I have been crafting and creating dreamy things since I was a little girl. I spent countless hours in my bedroom surrounded by sequins, beads, wreaths, and puffy paint. It was always my happy place. As I got older those crafty afternoons did not stop, but they did grow into taking classes and learning new and exciting ways to be creative with my hands. With gaining all this crafting experience I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to apply those skills to teaching hundreds of classes over the past few years.
CraftJam is a creative craft-based company that uses the science of neuroplasticity and the technique of crafting to help groups feel and connect better – in-person, virtual, and hybrid. At Craftjam I was the Community Organizer, teacher, content creator, and class creator.
Classes I teach: Watercolor・Needle Felting ・Needle Felting Mending ・Tie-dye・Shibori・Seasonal Wreath Making・Plant Pot Painting・Pom-Poms Making・Vision Boards・Zine Making・Creative Journaling・Snow Globe creations・Block Printing ・Paper Mache ・Painted wooden ornaments ・Paper flowers・Leather wallet ・Macrame ・Glass etching ・Jewelry making ・Air dry clay・Polymer clay ・Printmaking ・and more!
Have a workshop or class you want to host? Need a teacher? Reach out anytime: hi@sarahmessina.com ☺
