The Make a Wish Project is an immersive environment I created, featuring interactive installation art, experimental textile works, and textile-based photography designed to invite viewers to pause, reflect, and reconnect. I intend to offer a moment of introspection through art—an opportunity to breathe, feel, and engage with one’s inner landscape.

One of the central installations, You Are a Diamond in the Rough, seeks to foster healing, emotional expression, and connection at a time when many people feel isolated or disconnected. This piece is a new iteration of my 2016 installation at the WhiteSpace Collection, curated by artist and curator Lisa Rockford. During that early exhibition, the spontaneous and heartfelt interactions of visitors revealed how deeply the work resonated. Watching participants’ gestures and involvement, I realized that the installation illuminated the human instinct for empathy. This powerful experience continues to inspire me, and I plan to bring this piece to future public spaces to nurture shared, participatory moments of connection.

Funding for this project is provided in part by the Broward Cultural Division through the Artist Support Grant.