The art room is silent at lunch except for the slight murmur of Jonny Cash playing the guitar from the far radio and the sounds of full concentration and imagination coming alive.

Ariel Hurley works away at the clay in front of her transforming it into a bust of Louie Armstrong. For Hurley, this piece of clay is so much more than the King of jazz. She works away sculpting with her hands the essence of equality.

In equality affects even the best of us,” Hurley said,” Even the people that are revered. And in reality it doesn’t matter, Louie Armstrong was known for his talent not for the color of his skin.”

Art impacts Ariel Hurley’s life just like Jazz was to Louie Armstrong. “I was really able to find myself through art,” Hurley said. Hurley explains how art has shaped who she is and by shaping this clay she hopes she can help people find themselves as well despite the attributes that seem to separate us.