Roots & Petals

With videos of him painting and still images of his artwork in the background, artist Danny McGinnist Jr. shares how his struggles with speaking and reading as a young child and his doodles and sketches in his notepad helped him connect with other kids. In this way, art became his chosen language. Throughout his talk, Danny shares how mentors helped him develop his narratives, talents, creativity, and creative documentation and honed his ability to communicate and connect with others through his art. His experiences led him to create a new art initiative called Roots & Petals where he paints images from people’s family photos (their roots) which become his petals to connect with them and share with the world. He hopes other artists will connect with others using this idea and that people will find unique ways to connect with and learn about others through new ways of sharing and connecting.