Valerie Walawender

GOWANDA — Community members are invited to a talk by local artist Valerie Walawender titled, “The Creative Process: The making of the documentary ‘Tradition, Trauma, & Tenderness'” The talk will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 75 Center St. The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

A lifelong visual artist, documentary photographer, folklorist, and patent-awarded inventor, Walawender has spent the majority of her adult life working on behalf of children. Dedicated to the prevention of child abuse, neglect, and trauma, Walawender focused her graduate studies (Empire State College) on the development of tools and methodologies to help individuals affected by trauma.

Walawender’s investigations included research in neurological, psychological, and social impacts of the arts and traditions. She came to appreciate how the arts and traditions, shared in tender environments, have potential to help heal and prevent trauma. In 2016, Walawender founded the CREATE Project, an arts-based community initiative designed to help communities become free of child trauma, abuse, and neglect, and to become places where children can thrive.

Armed with this background and passion, Walawender conceived of “Tradition, Trauma, & Tenderness,” a documentary. Recently premiered at Gowanda’s Historic Hollywood Theater, the film was produced through the CREATE Project, and was partially funded by Arts Services, Inc. and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. Acting as Executive Producer, writer, and co-director, Walawender joined forces with cinematographer, sound producer, and creator of original music, Alex Simmons to craft this ground-breaking film. Native American tradition-bearers Bill Crouse and Sandra Dowdy and others, as well as Neuroscientist Dr. Audrey Hager and Psychologist Dr. Daryl Tonemah, are featured in the documentary. Multiple community members and organizations also contributed to the making of the film.

In her talk at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Walawender is pleased to share her lifelong creative process, leading to the documentary and her current work. Walawender has achieved acclaim for her diversity, violence prevention patented tool and program, Faces in the Crowd, endorsed Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as “one of the best diversity-violence prevention programs in the country,” and adopted by the Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence as part of their programming. Walawender currently works as a Senior Recreation Therapist for Western New York Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities as she continues her art and advocacy for children and other marginalized persons.

The CREATE Project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. Though they cooperate, the two organizations are separate entities and operate independently.

More information about the documentary and the CREATE Project can be found at: https://create-project.com/