Initiatives
The Origin Stories Project
The Origin Stories Project joins the creative instruments of storytelling and art in a collaborative social experience. Participants and audiences are equally engaged - to share and hear moving stories of struggle, reflection, and growth, and to create and view highly personalized artwork that has profound and lasting impacts on how they regard and value themselves and others.
The project starts with a storyteller providing a brief, focused example of an identity-informing experience. An artist will then give the story visual expression using a transparent box as a base for their interpretation.
What is your Origin Story?
What shaped your personal and cultural sense of identity? What is the story behind how you or your ancestors arrived here? What wisdom do you carry from the generations that preceded you? What have you overcome on your way to finding the identity that roots you to the world?
The project focuses on stories from four categories:
Experiences of Arrival – coming to America, embracing new family members, arriving in a new community…
Experiences of Legacy – voices of our ancestors, lessons from our elders, impact of generational heritage…
Experiences of Revelation – LBGTQ+ stories, spiritual/religious awakening, secrets discovered, insights gained…
Experiences of Adversity – abuse, poverty, addiction, transformation, renewal and resilience…
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Vision
Our ultimate vision is to build a permanent collection of 100 Stories + Art Boxes created by eminent storytellers and artists, each offering a powerful lens into identity, culture, and lived experience. This collection will travel alongside the Stories + Art Boxes from students nationwide, where young people are exploring and expressing who they are through both personal narratives and visual art. We envision a national exchange—an exhibition that moves across communities, hosting facilitated forums where participants engage with diverse forms of expression, learn from one another, and find connection through creativity.
Get Involved
In a time of global change, The Origin Stories Project uses storytelling as a powerful tool to bridge gaps and spark dialogue, reminding us that our shared experiences unite us. Our goal is to help individuals and communities engage in meaningful reflection, self-discovery, and mutual empathy through personal stories and artistic expression. Anyone with a story to tell can participate.
We have also expanded the Origin Stories Project into a fully supported program for secondary and post-secondary students and educational institutions. Origin Stories: The Story Within empowers young artists to explore personal narratives through creative practice, fostering both artistic growth and self-awareness. Meaningful opportunities for community engagement enrich the experience and encourage broader connection beyond the classroom. For interest or inquiries, please contact us.
We need your generous help to sponsor our educational program, develop and provide workshop materials, support exhibition costs, and to build a robust online presence for all of the Art Boxes with their audio stories.
