Impact: Curriculum Vitae

Jessica Hirst

born United States

palmerfishman@gmail.com

palmerfishmanindustries.blogspot.com

divides her time among Barcelona, San Diego and DC

Selected Performances and Exhibitions

2010

Palmer Fishman Fashion Revolution, Can Serrat International Art Centre, Spain

Ten Diez Deu, Metafora International Workshop, Barcelona Spain

Des de Fora, Casa del Mig, Barcelona Spain

2009

Express’at (for World AIDS Day), Ambit Dona, Barcelona Spain

M33&1, Metafora International Workshop, Barcelona Spain

Whiter Shade of Pale, Untitled BCN gallery, Barcelona Spain

Palmer Fishman’s Recycled Lounge, Art Around Adams Festival, San Diego CA

2008

International Theater Festival, Justo Rufino Garay Theatre, Managua Nicaragua

Expo100, Center for Information and Research on Health, Managua Nicaragua

Festival of Contemporary Dance, La Alborada, Tijuana Mexico

Opening of VI Biennale of Visual Arts, Managua Nicaragua

Several women’s community centers and police commissions, Managua Nicaragua

2007

International Theater Festival, Teatro Justo Rufino Garay, Managua Nicaragua

Performance and Visual Art Salon, San Jose, Costa Rica

International Poetry Festival, Granada Nicaragua

2006

SpeakEasy Storytelling Salon, Washington DC

GreenLine Project, Green Line Subway, Washington DC

State of the Nation Performance Festival, Center of Contemporary Art, New Orleans LA

2005

GoTour, PS 122, New York NY

Hip Hop Theater Festival, Millenium Stage Kennedy Center, Washington DC

Shipping Moving Storage: Dance at the Warehouse, Warehouse Theater, Washington DC

Fieldwork Showing, Dance Place, Washington DC

Crave, Warehouse Next Door, Washington DC

2004

Alianza Francesa, Tegucigalpa Honduras

New Releases Choreographer’s Showcase, Dance Place Washington DC

Goose Route Dance Festival, Shepherdstown West Virginia

2002

Cazals Project, Chateau du Cazals, Cazals France

Redline Revisited, Red Line Subway, Washington DC

Awards

Support Stipend for Residency, Can Serrat International Art Centre, Spain

Small Project Grant, Washington DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Grants for Social Environmental Research in the USSR (1990), Stanford Center for Conservation Biology, Browning

Ferris Industries

Design

Palmer Fishman Industries

home furnishings and accessories, Nicaragua, USA, Spain

Nicology/ Nicologia

community development project designing accessories from found objects, Managua Nicaragua

Casa Crearte

interior and exterior design plus furnishings, Managua Nicaragua

Education

Arts

Metafora Contemporary Art, International Workshop, Barcelona Spain

Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, Choreography in Community, Massachusetts USA

Rennie Harris Puremovement Hip Hop dance technique, Philadelphia PA

Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Text and Movement, Takoma Park MD

Ed Tyler, Celeste Miller, Carla Perlo, modern dance, Washington DC area studios

Albert Elsen, several courses in art history, Stanford University

Alternate ROOTS workshops, performances, Resources for Social Change and Executive Committee member

Environmental Science and Policy

Stanford University, BS Earth Systems Phi Beta Kappa, Stanford CA

UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group, Berkeley CA

Counseling Psychology

Johns Hopkins University Clinical Community Counseling, Maryland

Press

Kinetz, Erika. “A Web Site Helps Indie Artists Along a Hard Road,” The New York Times, July 25, 2005.

Murray, Andrea. “Subway as Performance Space,” The Program, WETA 90.9 NPR, 2002.

Sanchez, Melissa. “Making Things Happen”, Melissa Sanchez, blog Desde Nicaragua”

http://melissasanchez.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/making-things-happen.html

Traiger, Lisa. “Strangers on a train,” danceviewtimes, 2003.

http://danceviewtimes.com/dvdc/reviews/fall03/dcimprov.htm

Traiger, Lisa. “Dancing in the Streets,” The Washington Post, Dec. 12, 2003.

Traiger, Lisa. “Dance Festival is Going Places,” The Washington Post, July 16, 2004.

Selected Work Experience

1990s

White House Office on Environmental Policy, Climate Change intern

US Department of Energy, International Climate Change programs

University of Cape Town, Energy and Development Research Centre

2000s

Sasha Bruce YouthWork, YouthBuild Program

Joy of Motion Dance Center

Various dance outreach teaching positions placed at Washington DC public schools

About IMPACT

I started this blog to help myself process an unimaginable tragedy: At a few minutes after 8AM on February 3, 2009, my Nissan Pathfinder hit two pedestrians, sisters, and killed them. My memory starts with the airbags slamming into me.

I am shaking and nauseous writing this.

I was living in Nicaragua, where the roads are filled simultaneously with pedestrians, bicycles, horse-carts, moto-cabs, dogs, all manner of freight trucks from rickety pick-ups to 18-wheelers, ancient US school buses, and mini-buses and taxis determined to economize fuel by never stopping. Under Nicaraguan law drivers in accidents where someone is hurt badly are all jailed for at least 24 hours.

No one knows what caused my accident, although my brother discovered that Nissan had issued a Technical Advisory to mechanics' shops on my year and model because the airbags were detonating spontaneously. As my car was one of the very few with airbags in the country, no one, not even the Nissan dealer repair shop, had ever mentioned anything. I will never know if fault lies with the faulty airbags, and the not knowing is terrifying.

All traumas are unique. Our human reactions to trauma have traits in common. Though everyone will have their own path toward healing, I am certain we can help one another by sharing, witnessing, and affirming.

I have also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder type II, which means I miss the fun (ha!) of full-blown mania. I have suffered from severe recurrent depression and anxiety since I was a teenager.