sEMAR HARTLEY IS A BROOKLYN BASED ARTIST AND AN INTERGENERATIONAL teaching artist THAT WORKS ACROSS PHOTOGRAPHY, VISUAL ART, AND MOVEMENT. HER CREATIVE PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS CURIOSITY, SELF EXPRESSION AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE, PLACE AND THE BODY.

aS AN INTERGENERATIONAL teaching artist, SEMAR PROVIDES OFFERINGS TO BOTH THE YOUTH AND OLDER ADULTS, CREATING SPACES WHERE PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPERIMENT, MAKE THINGS WITH THEIR HANDS, MOVE, ASK QUESTIONS, AND DEVELOP THEIR OWN WAY OF EXPRESSING THEMSELVES. hER SESSIONS FLOAT BETWEEN VISUAL ART (PHOTOGRAPHY, PRINTMAKING, COLLAGE) CONNECTING WITH THE BODY THROUGH MOVEMENT AND OTHER HANDS ON PRACTICES AS STARTING POINTS FOR EXPLORATION.

SEMAR BELIEVES THAT PEOPLE DO NOT NEED TO CONSIDER THEMSELVES ARTISTS TO HAVE A MEANINGFUL CREATIVE EXPERIENCE. HER ROLE AS A teaching artist IS TO HELP PARTICIPANTS FEEL COMFORTABLE TRYING, MAKING MISTAKES, TAKING RISKS, DISCOVERING WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY THROUGH THE cREATIVE PROCESS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVING FUN.

current practices

my current practices move between photography, visual art, and freestyle movement.

photography and visual art are influenced by my caribbean heritage, my experience growing up in brooklyn and the visual languages created across the diaspora. i focus on how these influences have shaped the places and communities we come from.

i use photography to slow down, pay attention and build a deeper connection with my surroundings. i also explore these influences through sculpture, printmaking and zine making often working with accessible or everyday materials.

movement has become an increasingly important part of my practice. i explore musicality, mobility, body awareness, confidence, and finding my own movement language. i love the freedom that comes with listening to my body and moving without having to follow a set way.

together these practices continue to shape how i teach.

i’m interested in creating spaces where movement, visual art and self expression can meet, while encouraging others to find their own way of seeing, making, and moving.