experience design + Facilitation
Curating creative, HOLISTIC EXPERIENCES to SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY’S DEEPEST CHALLENGES, DREAMS, AND NEEDS
Holding space for inspiration, insight, meaningful dialogue and new ways of building with community lights me up from the into out. And, when I can design and curate those experiences to be in alignment with what your community is hoping to manifest—I love it even more.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with brilliant, intergenerational communities connected within educational institutions, art centers, healthcare organizations, harm reduction and recovery centers, civic leadership programs and grassroots movements—in Baltimore and beyond.
TOGETHER, WE CAN CREATE an intentional flow designed to fit your group by activating a variety of tools:
collaborative decision making
journey and ecosystem mapping
values and principles identification
affirmation writing
the integration of my personal practice in design justice, healing justice, emergent strategy, mindfulness, self-compassion, and self and community care.
guided reflection
observation and discovery
visioning as a futuring technique
collaging for qualitative data
deep insight capturing
ritual design
prototyping and play
Participants painting together during the USDAC Imagining in Decatur co-facilitated with The Art of Community.
previous experience designs + facilitation
Sessions can be adapted and we can also collaborate on designing a new session topic for your group
sustaining mental wellbeing in our everyday lives
Connect with the areas in your life where you desire more calm through guided reflection and ideation to create tangible tools that facilitate ease, spaciousness and support.
collaging our experiences
Express the emotions and learnings from a shared or lived experience to make meaning and arrive at insights with the visual, hands-on processing tool of collage.
setting intentions while shaping change
Reflect on your purpose and role in justice, liberation and transformation and what it means to change the world by clarifying and setting your intentions while creating tools for commitment.
mourning & celebrating what was
Learn a three-step meditative process to create a personalized ritual by mourning and celebrating your lived experiences—the joys and the sorrows—before entering new transitions.
This is an in-person guided experience of my ritual design worksheet.
uncovering community needs & values
Identify what’s most important to you and your community, why specific values and needs hold significance and how those values can help shape future principles to guide your vision.
session moments captured with community
AFFIRMATIONS
“I really loved how she skillfully facilitated a discussion in which we were able to come up with our own solutions with a focus on actually designing a life that facilitates healing. I left intrigued by this thought and inspired. Often we look for answers outside of ourselves and her session was a reminder that often the answers we seek are within. Even so, people like her are needed to help others come to that realization. Denise was very authentic, calming, a great listener and sought to meet us where we were.”
“Denise cultivated a safe space for us that encouraged vulnerable dialogue about our individual concerns, fears and goals. At the same time, her facilitation highlighted the power of the collective and the importance of creating community norms that honored our shared values. Denise’s workshop blended personal reflection with practical tools and team-building exercises through which I felt supported, empowered and activated.”
“Denise provided a thoughtful, well-designed session for a group of college students working with the principles of emergent strategy. I was so impressed by the way Denise took the time to learn about the group of students, why they were drawn to the program, and what mattered to them while she was designing the session. She did a fantastic job of bringing them together, grounding them in the space, and leading them through the experience. Denise is phenomenal to work with and exceeded my expectations!”