October 2023
I launched the t-shirt shop here on the See Me Passing website!
We celebrated the project on Thursday October 26th. We displayed the portraits and the t-shirts in the downtown JCC’s Levy and Daniel Families Art Gallery. All the portrait subjects were represented; they came themselves, and they brought their friends and family. It was very gratifying to meet everyone and to have a chance for folks to mix, and to appreciate each other’s images and words.
I completed all seven gouache portraits and t-shirt designs!
A friend from the Karen Society of Buffalo thought of Molly for this project and she agreed. After living for two years in a refugee camp in Thailand, Molly Thaya and her family travelled to Buffalo. She belongs to the Karen ethnic group, which is indigenous to modern day Myanmar, and which has suffered ethnic cleansing and displacement throughout the country’s post-colonial conflict. She was educated as a maternity nurse and for decades she ushered babies into the world in state hospitals, private homes, and war bunkers. She contentedly resides here now, amongst her three sons and their families.

September 2023
Khadijah Hussein was nominated by a friend, and became a participant this month. She grew up in Buffalo, and has advocated for her community around many issues, including those she faced herself as a young adult. Today she serves as an advocate for public school issues, a community health worker, a substance use disorder and mental health counselor, and holds a master's degree in Social Work. Her powerful mind and prodigious energy continue to fuel her commitment to improving life for those struggling the most in Buffalo.

August 2023
I now have flyers, informational handouts and mock-ups of the t-shirt design available in the following languages: Burmese, English, Karen, Nepali and Spanish. Use the links below to download these resources if you want to help spread the word! You can also contact me directly through the website for printed copies.
Patience Gray, referred by a friend, invited me to paint her portrait. She has built a beautiful life here in Buffalo after arriving as a refugee with nothing. She overcame challenges of violence, a child's illness, and the loss of everything she had known. Today she helps people with disabilities through her work and generously shares her love of God with other women who need support and encouragement.
Kimera Lattimore joined the project by graciously agreeing to have me paint her portrait. She is a vibrant, Buffalo-based gospel singer and teacher. She generously channels love, light and joy through her prodigious musical talents, sharing these gifts with her students and audiences alike. 

Stay tuned for images of her portrait progress!

July 2023
Kelly Craig was referred to me by a colleague who admires her work, and she joined the project as a portrait subject. Kelly is the director of WNY Pride where she runs a vibrant organization that provides guidance, support, resources and joyful fellowship to our community's LGBTQ+ members. As a woman of color and transgender experience, her work is informed by personal knowledge of what it is like to be a member herself. She works to impact real change around the particular issues of homelessness, mental wellness, healthcare, and economic opportunity faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

June 2023
After being recommended by a friend, Rosalind Campbell joined the project by inviting me to paint her portrait. She is a talented storyteller keeping vital African American stories alive, as a member of the storytelling collective Tradition Keepers: Black Storytellers of Western New York. They create and participate in events where stories both old and new unfold in vibrant and meaningful ways.

Here is a peek at the progress of her portrait.
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May 2023
Gretchen Gross's granddaughter joined the project by asking me to honor her late grandmother. Mrs. Gross was a vibrant, nurturing and impactful leader of the Jewish community, whose generosity extended to the entire Buffalo region. She was an early childhood educator who founded the Audubon Child Development Center, dedicated herself to Camp Centerland and served as the JCC's president for a time. Her passing was a devastating loss, still keenly felt today.

Here is an animated gif of her work-in-progress gouache portrait: