Adinah's Photography (from Trinidad & Tobago) - My name is Adinah Sandy. I'm a young leader and entrepreneur who is passionate about photography and motivational speaking. I plan on posting creative photos of people or plants and objects, daily or every other day on my personal Instagram account for CASAN as well as sending the photos via email. adinahsphotography.tt on Instagram.

Amy Connors - Hello! My name is Amy. I grew up in Vermont, but I'm currently living in Massachusetts. I'm a landscaper, and love working outside. For my project, I'm going to be sending my sponsors a series of drawings using different mediums. I will be using colored pencil, charcoal, and oil pastels. I'll also be sharing some nature photography. While I've always loved to draw as a hobby, it's certainly been a while since I've practiced consistently. The overall message I will be portraying in my project will be hope, luck, and positivity. 

Andrea - I am a mother of two cute and curious kids, and while I myself am in the process of rediscovering my creative side, my daughters are my muses. They inspire my writing, photography, and experimental craft skills, and in turn I foster their love of artistic expression. For this Arts for Asylum project, I will send sponsors a daily message; each note will include one new idea about how I encourage my children to be creative and how I honor their talents. This will be in a daily email or link I provide including a short written explanation, as well as pictures of their work, in process and upon completion. This is my version of an Early Childhood Art Appreciation class at home.

Bettie Barnes - I will be sending a combination of haiku and photographs of my quilt design wall so that you can see the quilt ideas I am currently working on. I will send out a daily email. Some days will be haiku and some will be a photo.

Bill Paine - I will explore some world building in fictional places.  I build primarily for tabletop role playing games (like Dungeons & Dragons), but my project would suit other creative writing pursuits.  I'll be doing some cartography, some sketching, some creative writing. I'll send an email.  A couple of times during the month, I hope to send links to short YouTube videos. In my spare time, I enjoy singing in groups (currently with Freedom & Unity Chorus) and have also worked in community theater.  I'm also a bit of an old nerd who plays games with friends. I manage a blog called PaineFull-DM.com.

Caroline Connors - I enjoy photography and like many, I struggle to make time for my hobbies. I enjoyed participating in the CASAN fundraiser last year and having an excuse to flex my creative muscles. I am looking forward to doing it again! I will be taking photographs around Washington, DC and potentially some other locations. As I mentioned last year,  I like to try to capture moments that otherwise may go unnoticed or underappreciated in the day to day. We get caught up in our daily routines and often miss the small beauties in the world around us. I will send out my work daily by e-mail with an attachment.

David Weaver - I intend to write a daily Haiku in honor of the things that remain hidden, even though they're always around us. By creating awareness through simple expression, I hope to start a larger conversation about what is, and what could be. An advertising professional for over 30 years, I have taken to expressing creativity through Haiku as a way of cultivating awareness through the expression of simplicity. Haiku will be posted on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Devorah - I will do a variety of crafts including crocheting, knitting, sculpting, and possibly something related to guinea pigs. I will post pictures of my progress once a week on a blog. I enjoy doing a variety of crafts in my free time.

Douglas Beagley - This month I will create poetry or other writing every day. Then I will invite AI to respond, either through words, illustration, or advice. I’ll share the results with you, and we’ll see what we can learn from the experience. I will take requests for topics and themes. I will send out the poems by e-mail (or possibly cross-posted to a blog, if needed, in which case I will directly e-mail the sponsor with a link.) I am a professional technical writer who engages in amateur lexical acrobatics in their spare time.

Dustin Kemp - I plan to create a portrait, documenting the process weekly through video updates, possibly in time-lapse format. By the project's conclusion, the portrait will be complete. For those interested, I offer to send a print copy of the finished portrait by mail. I am a Vermont-based artist passionate about portraiture and exploring diverse mediums. I find joy in capturing the essence of subjects through a variety of artistic expressions, from traditional portraits to landscapes and intricate works in carved wood, fused glass, fabric, and mixed media. My art reflects my deep love for creativity and the endless possibilities it offers. Here are some examples of my portrait drawings I have done: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jobH31ZfMVMbi2oB7 

Hannah Martin - April Book a Day. I will be creating 30 miniature books and sharing a picture of one book each day in April. I'll be experimenting with a variety of bookbinding techniques, content, book forms, and unusual materials. I hope this will result in miniature books that are surprising and delightful. I will give my sponsors the option to get the image in a daily e-mail, or to view them on a blog. I'm a librarian who enjoys bookbinding as a hobby.

Juneau Rich - I plan to explore BIPOC and queer joy through multiple different mediums! I will send out my art by email once a week. The pieces I create are supposed to spark conversation, invoke change, and be interacted with. Art is temporary but the impact it has is forever! See Juneau's art on Instagram here. 

Kareem Ryce aka SPLIT MiND (from Trinidad & Tobago) - I plan to do short spoken word videos in order to express myself. I plan to share my work via Instagram approximately two times a week. My creative influences are hip hop, movies and family.

Kevin Lewis - During the month of April, I will be emailing sponsors weekly with a PhotoShopped (not using AI!) collage of well-know art. I will provide you what might be considered to be the name of the artist who, theoretically, created the art. When you get my email, I will be asking you to provide me a name of your invention for the collage included.

nancy sugarman - Get the gift of a very short play, once a week during the month of April (that's 4 total). Each play will be less than 10 pages, with two characters. Read it out loud or with a friend! The plays will be sent out by email with attachment. Playwriting is my passion and my meditation. Yes, some of my plays have been produced.

NICOLE MCNEILL -This Handbag Designer pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the communities immigrating from the regions where bananas thrive. The designs come from African and Native American influences of the artist's culture, drawing inspiration from the vibrant tropics of Latin America, Asian and various Indigenous cultures. This reflects a fusion of diverse cultural elements. She aims to inspire a transformation towards empowerment, uplifting people of color by drawing strength from their ancestral heritage to create genuine handbag designs. 10% of proceeds from handbag purchases on www.nicolemcneill.com will be donated CASAN. You can donate on her donation page as well as on CASAN. 

Rick Castillo - I am an amateur photographer and digital artist. I hope to send to my subscribers, daily in April, new works of art depicting the beauty and the magic of Vermont, as well as some new perspectives on the iconic sights that we are all familiar with. I came to Vermont in 2014 to start a job as a housing advocate at CVOEO. I am retired now and I’m blessed with time to pursue my art and photography. I especially enjoy photographing the magical places and creatures I encounter while paddling my kayak.

Tom Connors - I am a retired financial executive and adjunct college accounting professor, but I have always enjoyed writing.  In a time when the world is full of bad news (wars, gun violence, racism, political strife and disinformation) I'd like to inject some positivity in people's lives.  My plan is to share, on a daily basis, through e-mail, a message of positivity, either something original or something other than my own original thoughts with my own relevant commentary. One area I plan to focus on is "random acts of kindness". I have been influenced by national leaders like Barack Obama and John Lewis and inspired by young influencers like Amanda Gorman, Greta Thunberg and David Hogg.

Tony Kay - I will send one photograph per day with the perspective of looking up. These images will come from various parts of the world. It is hoped that this perspective will convey a sense of optimism when thinking about the asylum seekers and that the asylum seekers themselves might be hopeful in this transitional time. I will embed the image in an email. My German Jewish parents and other family members were granted asylum in the US during the Holocaust. I believe that this heritage has affected my life and perspective in many ways including creatively. Current photographic projects explore genocide memorials, the natural environment, and anything else that is visually interesting.