Youth Commissioners for the SD Commission for Arts & Culture
A few months ago, we proudly shared the incredible news of Ada Shido, our Community of Care Coordinator, and Ever Rose Parmely-Den Herder, our Program Assistant, being appointed as Youth Commissioners for the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. Their appointment was a testament to their dedication, passion, and commitment to promoting the arts within our community.
Now that they have settled into their roles as Commissioners, we caught up with Ada and Ever to hear firsthand about their experiences and the exciting initiatives they have been involved in.
Ada Shido
1.Please introduce yourself - your role at ARTS and why you’re passionate about it?
Hi! My name is Ada and I’m ARTS’ Community of Care Coordinator. In my role, I build on my understanding of healing-centered education, strengths-based learning, and educational frameworks that center people and their stories. I share these learning models with our interns, whom I have the pleasure of overseeing, to show them the importance of centering youths’ needs and to also demonstrate how our individual healing impacts the collective well-being of our community. Using my background in psychology, I deliver workshops to youth and teens in our programs that focus on building socio-emotional skills (such as relationship-building and reflection) which are largely overlooked in traditional educational settings.
2. Why are you interested in joining the County Arts Commission?
I wanted to join the County Arts and Culture Commission because I believe the arts are stigmatized and are therefore neglected by people in power. Joining the commission gives me the unique opportunity to advocate arts and culture from the top down and support developing non-profit arts organizations.
3. What unique perspectives do you bring to this work?
As an artist who works with many skilled artists, I am certain there is a spiritual, emotional, and physical need for the arts. Seeing what it has done for kids and teens who come into ARTS and what it has done for me drives me to advocate for the destigmatization of arts and the growth of arts organizations.
4. How can art improve quality of life?
Art’s power to draw out narratives of struggle from their creators, unite people with similar experiences, and heal communities shows how it can be an act of resistance yet also a sort of glue that holds people together. Art holds our hand as we explore what it means to be human in an imperfect world. Art allows us to see that across generations, backgrounds, and cultures, we’ve all struggled with the same issues. Inside us, we hold so many important stories and learnings that are waiting to be shared!
Ever Rose Parmely-Den Herder
1.Please introduce yourself - your role at ARTS and why you’re passionate about it?
My name is Ever, i use He/They pronouns, I am a summer programs assistant at ARTS , and I am very passionate about how art can influence one’s way of expressing themselves and making connections with others
2. Why are you interested in joining the County Arts Commission?
I wanted to join the county arts commission because I want to be able to help promote diversity among the artists and mediums of art displayed in San Diego. I hope that by joining I can assist the artists in sharing the messages they want to send out with their art.
3. What unique perspectives do you bring to this work?
As a youth commissioner, I do not have much experience being on a commission, however i do have life experiences I can use to give opinions and perspectives others may not have thought of previously. I am a member of the LGBT community, being Bisexual and Transgender. Whether it be through wording of bylaws or advocating for lgbt artists and stories to be shared through art, I hope my input can help our community.
4. How can art improve quality of life?
Art can improve quality of life for people of all ages as it is a powerful tool. It can assist in self realization and serve as a personal means for growth and communication. However it can be used on a massive scale to covertly or overtly convey a message. It can be a positive one, a political one, a personal one, it doesn’t matter. Art is limitless. It is also just a beautiful thing, simply looking at it can change a mood and invoke emotions. People who create it and those who observe all can gain something from art.
Looking ahead, Ada and Ever are excited to continue their work in promoting the arts, advocating for youth representation, and amplifying diverse voices within the arts and culture scene of San Diego. They are determined to foster an environment where creativity thrives, where artists are supported and empowered, and where the arts are recognized as an essential part of our collective well-being.
As a community, we couldn't be prouder of Ada Shido and Ever Rose Parmely-Den Herder for their exceptional contributions as Youth Commissioners. Their dedication, vision, and tireless efforts are inspiring the next generation of artists and shaping the future of the arts in San Diego.
