The Amazing Yeabsera!
My name is Yeabsera Tabb I am a senior in college with a Design for Social Impact major and Fine Arts minor. I grew up in Addis Ababa Ethiopian until the age of 13. I was adopted along with my older sister into my wonderful family in Greenfield Indiana. I love my culture and all of the intersectionalities of my life. I am the youngest of 6 in my family. I love traveling, coffee, books, nature, and time spent with friends.
I interned at the Harrison Center last summer and this summer I returned as a Creative Placemaking fellow. I love that Creative Placemaking starts with knowing the places we inhabit. I am grateful for the opportunity Harrison Center has given me to know and love the city of Indianapolis and the people who live here. I am excited to fully embrace challenges and opportunities as they come to create meaning and beauty along the way. This year I hope to use my passion for making and storytelling to continue building meaningful relationships.
I love art’s unique ability to connect people. Whether through looking at a piece of art in a gallery or sitting on a bench designed by an artist and talking to a stranger. Studying Design for Social Impact allowed me to see art as more than a surface or an object. Art and Human-centered design can be a tool to drive change when approached with empathy first.
My art process is centered around seeking to see and understand the world around me better by being present with people and the environment. Being present is a beautiful thing that we are charged with as artists, but it also comes with the task of acknowledging the hard realities in which we exist. As artists, we have the power to sit in those uncomfortable places. In the overwhelming spaces, I aspire to seek opportunities and create with childlike wonder and whimsy. Artists that inspire me are Toyin Ojih Odutola, Ann Hamilton, Adrian Piper, Marina Abramovic, and Maya Lin.
Yeabi shows us how Creative Placemaking is done!