48 Distillation Guidebook Co-Lab • 9.18–9.19 2025 Cassidy Rubio I fell in love with art at twelve years old. My sixth grade art teacher noticed my enthusiasm outpaced my talent and encouraged me to create a special project. I worked with her everyday during my lunch hour for several months. In the end I finished a beautiful colored pencil drawing and jumpstarted my passion for the arts. As an adult, I have worked at several art institutions including the Lehigh University Art Galleries as an intern and the Newark Museum of Art as an educator. I watch every day as children and adults joyfully reconnect with their inner-artists. The saying “There’s no such thing as bad art” is trite, but true. I believe the process of creating any kind of art matters more than the outcome. When we draw, paint, write or perform, we slow our brains down and work at expressing ourselves. So even “bad” art teaches us something about how we view the world. How Can We Weave the Social Fabric Before We Need It? Arts educator at the Newark Museum of Art, responding to Bill George, on how museums and arts education create belonging by bringing newcomers and longtime residents together.
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