Andrea Kelly Garrison, currently running for the 85th District State Rep. seat against current Rep. Ben Frederick, has shared how inspired she is by numerous stories of creativity in the region and how so many decided to “pivot” to virtual means of showcasing artistic works when the pandemic hit. Garrison is running under the theme of “Pivot Back to Democrat.” She has taken this creative interest and is now hosting a new kind of exhibit – the Michigan Pivot Exhibition.
This free online exhibition invites Michiganders to share their stories of inspiration, their artwork, music, videos and more. Garrison first reached out to local artists, art centers and teachers and then decided to include a competition, which will result in the “Pivot Awards.” She stated, “We want to recognize the extraordinary stories by parents, teachers and students as they scrambled to pivot quickly from the classroom to our homes during the COVID-19 era.”
A virtual jury of teachers, artists and community leaders will choose the winner and 11 runners-up on Tuesday, Aug. 4 for inclusion in a school-year calendar to promote voting.
Interested persons can visit www.pivotback.com/pandemic-pivot-exhibit to enter. Include uploads or links to artwork, etc. Additionally, the site is collecting “stories of inspiration” by the public or events that have had a positive impact on them during the pandemic. Those can be submitted at www.pivotback.com/forum.
