THE INSPIRATION

Lorraine Hansberry once said, "I believe we can impose beauty upon our future." That's what inspired the Beautiful Imposition name - beauty can be an imposition - it can make us shift what and how we think.

Mission

The Beautiful Imposition Toolkit promotes awareness for the need for change in prevailing policies and attitudes concerning Critical Pedagogies.

Vision

Change the narrative and bring broader understanding to our collective complex history through more comprehensive and contextual approach to research, design, and execution.

Purpose

Be more transparent. Research and resources are designed to tell stories and provide information. It is critical that perspectives and biases are explored.

Research and resources are designed to tell stories and provide information.

  • SANKOFA

    Sankofa comes from the Akan proverb, "Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenkyiri," meaning, "It is not taboo to go back for what you forgot (or left behind)." The Adinkra symbol encourages people to learn from the past to shape their future.

  • ANANSE NTONTAN

    Ananse Ntontan translates to “spider’s web” and is the name of a well-known spider in Western African folklore who is the Messenger of the Supreme Being. The Adinkra symbol represents wisdom, creativity and the complexities of life.

  • MPATAPO

    Mpatapo is the “knot of pacification and reconciliation”. The Adinkra symbol is an infinite knot that binds parties in a dispute to a peaceful, harmonious reconciliation.

  • NEA ONNIM

    Nea Onnim comes from the Akan proverb, “Nea onnim no sua a ohu,” meaning "he who does not know can know from learning". It is a symbol of life-long education and continued quest for knowledge.

Beautiful Imposition at Work

Artist Now! talk at The Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

I am an information activist, research designer, storyteller, and seventh-generation North Carolinian. As a lifelong learner, I have read many books, articles, magazines, newspapers, and toolkits about creative, critical, and independent thinking; however, I haven't ever read about a PROCESS that has shown me HOW to achieve creative, critical, and independent thinking.