Introducing Seen&Heard

Seen&Heard is an inclusive community arts project designed to provide an artistic outlet for participants to be personally witnessed through their original creation of visual art or spoken word. Open to the community (in and outside of Albany, CA), it welcomes individuals of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels and extends a special invitation to those who have experienced personal invisibility. At its core, Seen&Heard offers a platform for any and all individuals who yearn to reveal their authentic selves through artistic expression.

A diverse panel of jurors will select finalists whose artwork will be featured in a gallery exhibit or showcased in a spoken word performance before a live audience. Through Seen&Heard, the community comes together to celebrate diverse voices and to foster connection.

All proceeds raised by the submission fee and ticket sales will be directed towards a fund held by the Albany Community Foundation for future Albany art initiatives.

Seen&Heard is a collaborative community project— produced by volunteer community organizer Eugenie Hsu, founder of other hyperlocal community events including Albany COVIDchella and Albany Move’n’Groove; funded and fiscally sponsored by the Albany Community Foundation; gallery space and venue hosted by Cass Ceramics in Albany, California— with artwork shared by and for the community.

As a psychotherapist and avid believer in the transformative power of the arts, Eugenie conceived of Seen&Heard with her vision to bring the community together through empathy and bearing witness to the creative process of artists.