“…And through the exhibit of these shared memories, my family history and community voice illuminated the unique character of the place defined by a lively and creative spectrum of individuals…”
Streetside Artscape:
Dionne Bonner // Home
11th & Broadway
August 2023 – December 2023
“My name is Dionne Bonner, great granddaughter of Myrtle E. Luckett from Tacoma Washington. My sister Michelle and I spent a lot of time as children at my great grandmother’s house. This window display is an excerpt from an exhibit titled “Hilltop Stories, Visual and Audio Reflections” curated virtually during the height of the COVID 19 epidemic. The exhibit consisted of writings and creative work developed from my memories growing up in a special community and my family’s experiences from their shared stories and unique perspectives. The reason the story of home is important to me is because spending time at my great grandmother’s house and with my family has always been a special safe place for me. My mom and dad moved away from the area early in their marriage but our physical and emotional connection to the Hilltop community did not move away. Since my mom was a new wife and mother she leaned on her mom and grandmother to help raise us, and our family spent many Sundays after church eating dinner at her house. We spent weekends and times cooking and playing at my great grandmother’s and great aunt’s house in Hilltop and being in community. And through the exhibit of these shared memories, my family history and community voice illuminated the unique character of the place defined by a lively and creative spectrum of individuals. Time at home with my family made me feel loved and cared for. It’s a delight to highlight treasured experiences through visual stories and writings and work through my direct connection with the information. Through my research individuals have had the opportunity to share their stories and reflect on memories that add meaning to their lives. Retelling aspects of your life brings up unexpected feelings and realizations so whenever an interview happened permission was granted to use parts of the interview’s story or quote in the creation of my artwork. Most of my interviews with family members and community lasted no more than 60 minutes and because of COVID 19 they were all done in different forms like video, phone, Zoom or in person. Exploring my childhood memories and discovering more about the larger community has been exhilarating, humbling and a wonderful opportunity to shed light on an amazing community in the heart of Tacoma
Dionne Bonner”
You can find more of Dionne’s work at www.dionnebonner.com
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