Meet Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry in East Point

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tricia Hersey.

Tricia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a poet, teacher, performance artist and activist. Poetry is at the center of how I began my work in social justice, community art and activism. I started as a teaching artist with youth all over Chicago almost 20 years ago. From my own practice as a poet, I started experimenting with performance art and public art interventions as a way to bring awareness to violence, food justice and poverty on the South Side of Chicago. I would do guerrilla art spectacles on the streets of Chicago that included turning liquor stores in performance spaces, installing yoga classes in Harold Chicken restaurants and reading poetry on a soapbox at the sites of murders as therapy. I got deeper into community art and the power of blurring the lines between performance space and public space. I moved to Atlanta in 2010 and continued this work for a short time before beginning seminary at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. I studied black liberation theology and interested in the ways my work as an artist could be grounded in theology and spirituality. I went to graduate school to find new ways to be an artist. It was a hard struggle but from the experience The Nap Ministry was born. It is my newest project.

Has it been a smooth road?
There is never a smooth road to your dreams. There has been struggles that have given strength, hope and frustration. It’s been a beautiful struggle that has allowed me to truly define myself and create art that is life giving and healing. The main struggle has been economic due to the tension that exists between making a living and creating art full time. There is often times a struggle in integrating the two. This is an ancient struggle and if it’s a story that has been told by artists all the time. It’s been a struggle but it hasn’t stopped me. I keep going and make a way. I continue to have hope and vision for what I can create and build.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Nap Ministry is an organization that examines the liberating power of naps. We use the power of performance art, poetry, installation and public performance interventions to illuminate the artistic, spiritual and creative power of rest. We re-imagine why rest is a form of resistance and shine a light on the issue of sleep deprivation as a justice issue. We curate Collective Napping Experiences that allow the community to experience a safe space that has been curated for rest. At our Collective Napping Experiences we open up spaces and invite the community to come rest together. Its self-care, wellness and community activism all in one. We also host various workshops on Dream Journaling and Sabbath Moments. We want to educate people all over the city and country on the benefits of sleep.

I am most proud of our focus on community. We are centered on radical care for the community. What sets us apart from others is our commitment to experimenting and creating new ways of resisting.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
East Point is our home base but we have done events all over the city. Most recently we hosted an event in Oakhurst Village and are planning an event in the West End.

Atlanta is an amazing place to start a business. It offers a place to experiment and collaborate. There is an eagerness to collaborate because so many people are transplanting here with dreams of making it. It is definitely a city of entrepreneurs. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/thenapministry
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Thenapministry
• Twitter: twitter.com/TheNapMinistry

Image Credit:
Charlie Watts Photography
Brian Harrison

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