During the grant period, I participated in three exhibitions at three local venues across Cumberland County. These exhibits showcased my body of work and significantly increased public access to the arts.
 

• From June 8, 2025 to July 13, 2025, I held a solo show at the Haymount Truck Stop, a popular outdoor food venue, where over 2,100 visitors engaged with my work. Many pieces were sold during this event.

• From October 1, 2025 and ongoing through currently, I exhibited at Dinah’s Dreams Gift Shop, a metaphysical boutique in Fayetteville, with over 3,000 visitors and multiple sales during the grant period.

• Participated in ART Attack! at The Church on November 26, 2025 attracting 200+ nighttime attendees.

Free Falling: A Journey into the Unknown offered Cumberland County residents a reflective, accessible arts experience centered on themes of transition, identity, and uncertainty—experiences that strongly resonate in a community shaped by military service and government employment. By presenting this work publicly, the project created space for viewers to slow down, reflect, and recognize aspects of their own lives within the artwork.

The project had particular impact on veterans, public servants, and retirees who attended the exhibition. Several viewers shared informal feedback noting how the work mirrored their own feelings of being “in between” stages of life or navigating long transitions without clear resolution. One visitor, a retired service member, commented that the maze imagery reflected the difficulty of leaving behind a structured career and the challenge of redefining purpose afterward. Others expressed appreciation for seeing these experiences represented visually rather than verbally, which made the subject matter more approachable and less intimidating.

Beyond the target population, the exhibition reached a broader audience by framing personal transition as a universal experience. The maze format encouraged engagement across ages and backgrounds, prompting conversations among visitors about mental health, change, and resilience. The work’s presence in the community reinforced the value of local artists sharing personal narratives that reflect shared experiences.

Overall, Free Falling contributed to Cumberland County’s cultural landscape by offering an honest, locally grounded artistic perspective on change and identity. The project demonstrated how visual storytelling can foster connection, validation, and reflection—particularly for individuals navigating ongoing or unresolved life transitions.