Sigma Alpha Iota

P A N P I P E S Fall 2020 9 SAIS IN THE NEWS DUVERNAY continued from page 8 collective based in Los Angeles, to amplify independent films by Black artists, people of color, and women filmmakers globally. To date it has supported numerous impactful works such as Lingua Franca, the first film directed by and starring a trans woman of color to screen in competition at 2019's Venice International Film Festival Venice Days program; and Burning Cane, the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival Founders Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature and a 2019 Venice Film Festival Official Selection. ARRAY is a multi-platform media company and arts collective based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2012 by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the company currently operates a trio of branded entertainment entities: ARRAY Releasing, ARRAY Filmworks, and ARRAY Creative Campus in partnership with the non- profit cinema and social justice organization ARRAY Alliance. www.arraynow.com A MacDowell Fellowship consists of exclusive use of a private studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day. ere are no residency fees, and anyone may apply. Selection is based solely on talent by panels of professionals in each artistic discipline. In July, MacDowell's board voted unanimously to officially drop the word "colony" from its name. e action was initiated in response to feedback from Fellows and the larger artist community and is in keeping with the organization's longstanding commitment to eliminate financial, geographic, cultural, and accessibility barriers to participation. SAI recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of Pan's Cottage at MacDowell. In 1916, Delta Chapter approached the National Convention body with an idea to sponsor and build Pan's Cottage — an artist residence at MacDowell. To this day, Pan's Cottage is SAI Philanthropies' most enduring charitable partnership. In the last triennium, SAI Philanthropies committed to a five-year $100,000 grant to MacDowell, supporting the cottage's much-needed renovation, a successful effort capped by a songwriting competition to commemorate the anniversary (see Winter 2019 PAN PIPES). I decided to write this book to help kids transition as they go back to school during these trying times. Erica Wilson, a Junior Music Education and English/ Journalism Major at the University of Arkansas, is a clarinet player and sister of the Sigma Omicron chapter. Erica recently became a published author of a children's book called Hopeful Hearts. It is told from the perspective of a young student named Harper, who returns to school to find that her and her classmates must wear masks in class to protect themselves. When asked what motivated her to write this children's book, Erica said she wanted something that would give children an example to model their behavior aer while wearing masks. "e book is meant as an education tool for teachers and parents to use to model the behavior of wearing masks for kids; each mask is associated with a positive idea. e book also introduces terms like social distancing and encourages kids to not share food and to wash their hands. It includes themes of compassion and positivity for kids to hold onto during these uncertain times." Erica worked with illustrator Emily Holder of Denton, TX. She shared, "We were originally going to find a traditional publisher but decided it would take too long; we wanted to get it out around the start of this school year. So we started with Kindle Press and then decided to use Barnes and Noble press to print the paperback." Sigma Omicron is SO incredibly proud of our sister for achieving one of her dreams, and we cannot wait to see what she publishes next! Hopeful Hearts is available to buy on Bares and Noble, as well as through Amazon books. — Submitted by Lily Fuentes Editor/Historian, Sigma Omicron Hopeful Hearts Sigma Omicron initiate Erica Wilson with her book .

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