ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences. The story of each number is the story of one’s ACE history, which is a score measuring the number of ACEs which occurred before the age of 18. The term comes from a 1997 study published by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente, which studies ten types of stressful or traumatic events that fall under one of three categories: abuse, neglect, and household challenges (numberstory.org).

If you have ever wondered “Why am I like this?” or “Why can’t I stop acting this way?” you are not alone. When reviewing our own behaviors and emotions, we tend to put a lot of strain and responsibility on ourselves. It is easier to stop at the source of action and blame ourselves when we should be looking deeper into why we are the way we are.

As COVID-19 swept the globe which led to over 3 million deaths and dismantled world economies, nonprofit organizations are making every effort to maintain functioning services and reach their funding objectives. With diminished consumer spending as well as unspecified government grant support, nonprofits are not in the best position to move forward from the damaging effects of the pandemic.

So how will nonprofit organizations adjust to this new environment and remain successful?

If you have kept up with art related news this year, you have probably heard someone mention NFTs. In fact, one digital-only artwork made by the artist Beeple sold this year for roughly $69 million at Christie’s auction house. Can you believe the owners of this artwork didn’t walk away with any physical asset?

Let’s face it, this year has been challenging for everyone. COVID-19 has strained emotions, physical well-being and any sense of certainty in the world. Not much could have been done to prepare global markets for the upheaval they would face in March of 2020. The art market, which had been dealt obstacles even before the pandemic, is no exception.

The global pandemic forced many small businesses to shift their platforms completely online (see the previous blog). As a result, digital marketing efforts have been relied on heavily not only to maintain an active brand but also to keep audiences informed and engaged. This has allowed for a wider reach of the audience and a stronger overall presence online.

It is no surprise then, that companies that relied solely on in-person transactions have been struggling. If these organizations did not already have a solid online platform to promote and share their products and services, they would have had to either implement one or accept their losses and wait until in-person gatherings are permitted.

It is all too common to be closed off when discussing the worst experiences we have faced in life. Feeling scared, embarrassed, emotional, or that no one else can understand are all-natural reactions when approaching the difficult discussion of trauma.

Salma Arastu was born in Rajasthan, India where she practiced Sindhi and Hindu traditions and embraced Islam. She earned a degree in Fine Arts from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, India, worked in Iran and Kuwait, and was exposed to a wealth of Islamic arts and Arabic calligraphy. She eventually moved to the United States in 1986.

Salma’s paintings reveal stories of unity in diversity, peace and joy, a celebration of life, women, and whirling dervishes.

Her method is a physical and meditative process that fills each canvas with moving lines and multi-layered textures. For Salma, creating art means getting physically involved with the piece: scratching, sanding, layering materials like paper, rope, paper mâché, or copper plate, and embroidering with pen and ink. Thin layers of acrylic color are applied, and all of the layers seem to bring out subliminal images.

Mary Southall was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, where she spent much of her time exploring the countryside. Both of her parent’s roles had in some way influenced Mary’s desire to become an artist. Her father was a farmer and rancher, and exposed her to the wide open space which ultimately fueled the imagination of her subject matter. Mary’s mother was a technical draftsman by trade, and her artistic background was something Mary was inspired to pursue as well.

Kim Smith was born in America, but spent 10 years growing up in Germany. She travelled a lot throughout Europe, and her mother was interested in antiques, flea markets and museums. At an early age, these were ingrained in Smith, and have become a primary subject of her artistic work.

All of the material used for Kim’s Aldine series, spirals and sky pieces comes from antique books from the 1870’s. She appreciates that using the same source material helps keep a sense of consistency throughout the work.

Think Round’s current 3D virtual exhibition, Pieced Together, features four Hunters Point Shipyard collage artists from the San Francisco Bay Area: Mary Southall, Marc Ellen Hamel, Heidi Hardin, and Kim Smith. Here is a brief background about Marc Ellen Hamel and her distinctive collage process.