Podcast Episode Details
Back to Podcast Episodes
“Lead with Love, Err on the Side of Kindness”: Art as a Lifeline with Traci Molloy
Season 3 Episode 4
✏️ Episodic Synopsis
Brooklyn-based artist and educator Traci Molloy has spent over two decades creating collaborative art projects with youth impacted by trauma—from 9/11 to poverty, gun violence, and systemic injustice. In this deeply moving conversation, Traci reflects on her years as artist-in-residence at America’s Camp, her school-based healing initiatives post-COVID, and why collective artmaking is a sacred act of both mourning and joy. Through her mantra—“If you’re complacent, you’re complicit”—Traci reminds us that art is not a bonus in education; it’s essential.
📚 Show Notes
Get in touch with Traci and learn about her work:
*Traci Molloy: Artist, Collaborator, Education Activist (Personal website)
*Traci Molloy ~ Trauma informed pedagogy, workshops, and trainings (Cultivating Empathy platform)
*EMAIL: thetracimolloy@gmail.com
*Instagram: @tracimolloy
📚 References and Resources
*Through Their Eyes: Therapeutic Art for Grieving Children
*Tom DeMaria's segment on the Classroom Narratives podcast
*Learn about AMERICA'S CAMP here and here
PHOTOS OF THE PHOENIX
All photo credits and provisions: courtesy of Traci Molloy
Provided two images--image 1 and image 2
Title - The Feathers of the Phoenix
Date - 2006
Dimensions - 15'x20'x8'
Materials - Wooden frame with chicken wire and paper mâché, acrylic paint, collaged drawings, glue, and glow in the dark paint.
The piece is part of the Permanent Collection at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum. It will be on display for the first time at the NS11MM starting in September of 2026.
Image 1 is a picture of the underbelly of the phoenix with all the campers' art pieces attached as feathers.
Image 2 was taken at America's Camp, the night The Phoenix was first shared with the America's Camp community, with Traci Molloy featured in the foreground.
Published on 1 week ago