Belonging through Art with Bettina Byrd-Giles Part One (Episode 8)
Charlotte Donlon talks to Bettina Byrd-Giles about art and belonging.
Learn more about Belonging through Art™ here.
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Why It Matters: Belonging is something we actively create and nurture, often through the stories, images, and sounds that move us. This episode with Bettina Byrd-Giles explores how art, in all its forms, can serve as a powerful anchor for belonging, especially for those who have moved frequently, felt like outsiders, or are seeking connection in new places. Bettina’s journey as a military brat, community activist, and creative force illustrates how creativity helps us feel at home, build community, and celebrate identity in meaningful ways.
Making space for art in your life can spark new relationships, foster professional opportunities, and deepen your sense of belonging—demonstrating that art can be both a personal sanctuary and a catalyst for growth.
>>> Bettina’s story shows how art—whether visual, musical, or literary—can help us belong to ourselves, our families, and our communities. From family traditions like watching monster movies and celebrating Star Wars Day to organizing museum events around works like Kerry James Marshall’s School of Beauty, School of Culture, art becomes a thread that ties together personal history, cultural identity, and communal experience.
>>> By creating and organizing events centered on art, Bettina has helped bring new voices into cultural spaces, including first-time museum visitors and those who might not otherwise feel welcome. Her work with the “Nappy Roots” event not only celebrated Black women’s hair stories but also expanded the definition of belonging within a museum, showing how art can open doors for broader participation and recognition.
>>> Bettina’s lifelong practice of “artist dates” and creative writing has been essential for self-connection, especially during transitions or challenges. Her commitment to making space for art in her life has sparked new relationships, fostered professional opportunities, and deepened her sense of belonging—demonstrating that art can be both a personal sanctuary and a catalyst for growth.
After Listening to This Episode, You’ll Walk Away With:
A deeper appreciation for the many ways art can help you feel more at home in yourself and your community, no matter where you are or where you’ve come from.
Ideas for integrating art into your daily life as a practice of belonging—whether through museum visits, music, movies, or creative rituals with loved ones.
Encouragement to notice the layers of belonging in your own story, and to consider how you might use art to invite others into spaces of connection and celebration.
This second mini-season features conversations with three individuals who are doing significant work in ways that promote ideas connected to belonging through art. I hope you enjoy hearing from them.
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About Bettina Byrd-Giles
Bettina Byrd-Giles is a leading expert in intercultural communication, implicit bias and health equity. She is a dynamic speaker and author.
Bettina is the founder and CEO of The Byrd’s Nest LLC, a consulting, professional development, and social entrepreneurship company. She led a non-profit health clinic for 10 years that promoted health access to medically under-served communities. She shattered paradigms regarding the role of healthcare institutions in transforming the quality of life of residents in communities they serve. The clinic served as a catalyst for Ensley Alive, a movement to improve the built environment and perceptions in a small industrial community through capacity building, cultural arts, social and traditional media.
Bettina is a leader in addressing health inequities. She is a Culture of Health Leaders alumna. The CoHL program is committed to eliminating health inequities and building an equitable playing field for people from all cultures and backgrounds. The CoHL program is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CommonHealth ACTION, and the National Collaborative for Health Equity. Bettina is also a member of the National Advisory Group for the Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Prize. Bettina was an RWJF sponsored Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar in 2017.
Bettina has been recognized on both local and international levels. She served as co-chair of the Martin Luther King Conflict Resolution Conference in Malawi sponsored by the Fulbright Foundation, University of Malawi, Miles College, and Diversity University. She was honored by the Greater Birmingham United Nations Association for founding Diversity University, a cross-cultural program involving six colleges and universities.
Bettina is the author of Tales of a Formerly Unhappily Employed Liberal Arts Major: Embracing Your Meandering Career Path. As the book’s title indicates, she coaches individuals looking to find or change career paths. Though she coaches mostly liberal arts majors, she works with anyone looking for a transition.
Bettina holds certificates in intercultural communication from the Intercultural Communication Institute. She is a qualified administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Bettina has a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of Virginia.
Episode Transcript:
Charlotte Donlon (00:00):
Welcome to all of this and more. I'm so excited to share this episode, part one of a conversation with Bettina Byrd-Giles that dives into the ways art can shape our sense of belonging both personally and within our communities. Bettina is a professional interculturalist, community activist and creative force. In this episode, we explore how art, whether it's visual, musical or literary, can be a powerful anchor for belonging, especially for those who have moved a lot or felt like outsiders. Bettina's story as a military brat, her lifelong relationship with museums and her family's deep engagement with music and the arts reveal how creativity can help us feel at home no matter where we land. Our conversation touches on the many layers of belonging that art can foster, from family traditions like watching monster movies and celebrating Star Wars Day to community gatherings centered around powerful works like Kerry James Marshall's School of Beauty, School of Culture.
(01:04):
Bettina shares how organizing events around this painting not only created space for Black women to share their hair stories, but also opened doors for new voices and first-time museum visitors, expanding what belonging can look like in a cultural institution. We also reflect on how art can be both a personal sanctuary and a bridge to others. For Bettina, practices like artist dates and writing have been essential for reconnecting with herself, especially during times of transition or challenge her work with belonging through art and her commitment to bringing people together around shared creative experiences show how art can spark new relationships, foster professional growth, and help us see ourselves and each other more fully.
This episode is important because belonging is not just a feeling; It's something we create and nurture often through the stories, images, and sounds that move us. By listening to Bettina's journey, you'll hear how art can help us find our place and celebrate our identities while inviting others into the circle. If you're an artist, a parent, or someone searching for connection, I hope this conversation inspires you to notice the art in your own life and the ways it helps you belong. Welcome to all of this and more. I'm excited to talk to Bettina Byrd-Giles, about belonging through art. It's good to see you, Bettina. Will you tell us a little bit about you for those who may not be familiar with you and your work?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I'm a professional interculturalist, which means I facilitate cross-cultural interaction. I'm a tennis mom, I'm a wife, I'm a daughter and community activist.
Charlotte Donlon (02:48):
Right. That's a great summary. Sometimes when I ask people to describe themselves, they don't include everything. I think you included everything. That's great. Thank you. So I would love to dive in to our conversation about belonging through art. I'd love to start with a few questions from the quick belonging checkup, and if you're listening or watching and want to access the Quick Belonging Checkup, you can access it on the show notes at allofthisandmore.com. You can also see Bettina's Long Bio and more information about her in the show notes at all of this and more.com. So my first question from the quick belonging checkup is are you feeling generally connected to or disconnected from yourself, others, the divine and the world right now and how and why?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I'm feeling a bit more connected. I have started participating with a church online. My cousin is one of the ministers at the church and they have a very activist nature and they follow a mystic by the name of Howard Thurman. And I really like his writings and participating in Bible study every week, and so feel much more connected to my Christian upbringing.
Charlotte Donlon (04:20):
Okay. So I have a follow-up question for that. How long has it been since you felt this sort of spiritual connection? Yeah. How long did you go without feeling connected spiritually before you got involved with this church?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It had been quite a while because I used to meditate quite a bit and I practiced yoga and I have not had an opportunity to do those things. I have an injury to my knee and I broke a couple of bones in my foot, so I'm not able to do a regular yoga practice, though I do participate in a yoga class that doesn't require any strength, but it's only once a month and I used to practice about three days a week trying to find another spiritual practice that's not necessarily dependent upon my physical health.
Charlotte Donlon (05:19):
Yeah, that's interesting. A lot of my work around belonging is noticing the different ways we belong and when we feel disconnection in one area, we can develop belongings in different areas. And it sounds like you naturally did that with connecting with this church around the same time that you had the injury. So I'm glad that it came along for you at a time when you needed it. Thank you. Me too. So my next question is what are three places, things, activities or ideas that have helped you feel like more of your whole self over the past couple of weeks?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Over the past couple of weeks? Connecting with friends that I haven't talked to in a while is one, my husband and son made Mother's Day a lot of fun. My husband and I went to brunch and then later on my son took me to dinner and my husband joined us, but my husband and I had my Mother's Day brunch at a place by the Edge or at the Edge, which is on Green Springs. And when we were dating, he lived near Green Springs in Birmingham and we used to go to the theater, the movie theater that was next to where this place was built. And so it felt like old times and the food was great, the wine was great, and then we saw some other people that we knew and we got to sit outside. And so I really enjoyed that. And the third was my son is about to graduate from college and I feel a sense of freedom in some respects, not just because he's going to college, but he has been exhibiting even more adult and mature habits. Our conversation, even at dinner Mother's Day, I feel like, okay, he's going to be all right and I can step back.
Charlotte Donlon (07:41):
So you've done your work with him or a good chunk of it? A good chunk of it,
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Good chunk of it. And I can focus on Bettina.
Charlotte Donlon (07:48):
Yeah. That's exciting. It's an exciting place to be. Welcome to the other side. Thank you. So which songs, movies, TV shows and books have helped you feel less alone in this world? Recently,
Bettina Byrd-Giles (08:03):
The Sidewalk Book Club is having a book discussion about a person who did the Godzilla movies, a number of the Godzilla movies. And because I was born in Japan, my brother, mother and I are really into the giant monster movies of Old, we'll watch some of the modern monster movies, but we like the old Monster movies, Godzilla, Matara, those kinds of movies. And Ultraman is my favorite superhero. We are going to have a discussion pretty soon, and that has just peaked my interest and tapped into an area that I don't get to talk to a lot of people about. There's a Judy Bloom inspired I series on Netflix that's called Forever. And so growing up I loved Judy Bloom books, but it has an African-American spin. It's sold from the perspective of an African-American adolescent. And there were several issues that I related to that were included in the series. So I just watched that over the weekend. I binge watched and I can't think of a third one right now.
Charlotte Donlon (09:29):
Okay. Two's great. And those are two great ones. We talked about the Forever Series recently when we hung out. Was that yesterday or the day before? And it's on my list to binge soon. I know I'll binge it. I'm a binger when it comes to TV shows. I don't watch a lot of TV shows, but when I do, I watch a lot of TV shows. Godzilla, I love your response and how it connects you to your family and your childhood and a different place like your country of origin. Would you call Japan your country of origin like you were born there?
Bettina Byrd-Giles (10:03):
I would. Okay. Yeah. I was born on a US military base, so it's like an American space in Japan, but my parents also lived what they call on the economy, so we lived off base, but I was too little when I left to really remember Japan. But they kept Japan alive everywhere that we moved to.
Charlotte Donlon (10:26):
And I love that the monster movies are one way that y'all kept Japan alive, and it's delightful that you get to have that book discussion and movie discussion with some other folks.
Bettina Byrd-Giles (10:38):
By the way, I thought of my third thing,
Charlotte Donlon(10:40):
Okay,
Bettina Byrd-Giles (10:42):
May the Fourth was Star Wars Day, and Star Wars is my all-time favorite movie franchise and my son loves the Star Wars movie franchise, and I usually am too late to celebrate May the Fourth be with you, but had a chance to do that. And my brother and I texted back and forth. Then my son called me, he was at work. He's always, we don't see each other a lot because he is at work or tennis practice or whatever. And he was like, mom, when I come home, we've got to watch our Star Wars movie. And of course he likes a movie that I hate. I don't like the Star Wars prequels, but his favorite movie is Revenge of the sth. So I relented just because I was excited that my son called me and asked me to do something with it. The original Star Wars movie is my favorite, and we lived in Marin County, California at the time that it came out, which is where George Lucas lived as well. And so I didn't realize until 30 years later that the reason we had a chance to see the movie so frequently is because it premiered in county. And so we got to see it multiple times. Like I saw it about eight times, kept going to see it. So over a lifetime, I don't know how many times I've seen it, but it reminds me also of that time period of living in northern California before moving to Birmingham.
Charlotte Donlon (12:11):
Okay, that's great. And it's so interesting when our kids invite us into their space and into their time, what we're willing to acquiesce to.
Bettina Byrd-Giles (12:23):
I also just thought he was not going to be like me because I'm a military brat and I lived in so many different places and he has been in the same house his entire life and a very stable lifestyle. But he likes a lot of the things that I like because we were able to travel and host to people from different parts of the world. And so he's very worldly despite having a different lifestyle than I did.
Charlotte Donlon (12:51):
Yeah, yeah. I have more questions about how this idea of belonging through art has affected your parenting. So I'm excited to hear more about that soon. So speaking of belonging through art, what comes to mind when you hear that phrase and what early memories do you have that feel like belonging through art moments?
Bettina Byrd-Giles (13:13):
As a military brat, you move to a place you don't know anybody, you don't have any friends. My brother was my best friend for the most part. And then you'd have friends for a year or two years, depending on when you move to a place and how long they had been to that place. So the great Santini comes up for me, although my dad was more like the doctors on mash than the great Santini. So my father was part of the Medical Corps. He was a veterinarian, a research veterinarian. But the great Santini in some aspects of their lifestyle really speaks to me, continues to speak to me.
(13:54):
Another was that we would always go to art museums when we arrived somewhere that was a place to go and hang out. And our parents always exposed us to the arts. There's always a museum somewhere in close proximity, so even if you don't know anybody, it's almost like the art museums were my third friend or second friend part of the trio, me and my brother an art museum. My brother was a visual artist or is he still sketches? Art was always something that we enjoyed and both of my parents are musicians and jazz enthusiasts. So jazz, although that's not my primary music that I prefer, I've been exposed to it my whole life. And then going to see The Wiz in Oakland, California, when it came out in the seventies, black cast, the music, everything was culturally African-American. And my mother had gone to see it with a group of friends and she sent me to see it with another group of friends because there was only one ticket.
(15:07):
So she wanted to make sure that I saw it. Knowing our identity was really important to my parents because when we lived in Marin County, we didn't have a lot of blacks that were in our same situation in terms of my father being a fairly high ranking officer and things of that nature. So they had their friends that went to Tuskegee or that were from Alabama, and we did a lot of things together that were culturally relevant. So going to Oakland actually was a regular thing. And then actually going to see a production that had a black cast was very significant. So Stephanie Mills home, when I hear that song, it makes me think of her because she was the original. Dorothy,
Charlotte Donlon (15:57):
I am already hearing more essays, but I want you to write it for this book we're working on for belonging through art. You've touched on a few things that I know you're writing about, but there's more I would love one day, it doesn't have to be today to hear more about the museums at different places where you've lived and how they helped you belong to yourself and to your new place that you had just moved to and how your friendships with art developed over time.
Bettina Byrd-Giles (16:29):
One of the essays is that I thought Gordon Parks was my grandfather. And so we lived in Kansas at the time, and I think even that wasn't an art gallery, but it wasn't art opening at the institution where he had dedicated his archives. So there is one essay that kind of includes an example of it, but I don't articulate it in the same way because of being a military brat. I just said that I thought Gordon Parks was my grandfather the whole time he was standing there speaking who was a famous photographer, life magazine photographer. And so that was an example of our parents exposing us to the arts.
Charlotte Donlon (17:16):
So since we've been talking, I guess over the last year or so about this idea of belonging through art, and we had plans to start a nonprofit, which have been tweaked a little bit because of the political climate and the funding changes and whatnot, since we've been talking about it more and you've been writing about it a little bit more, have you been noticing more examples of how you belong through art? How different forms of art help you feel more connected?
Bettina Byrd-Giles (17:49):
So a long time ago when I was having some life issues, I was transitioning from my twenties to thirties. I was introduced to the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and one of the many things that she suggests for reigniting your creativity as an artist date, a weekly artist date. So I feel that it has become a habit like Covey's seven Habits of Highly Effective People that taking myself in an artist state remains something that I do on a regular basis. So it could be something going on at the Birmingham Museum of Art, or it could be a production that has come to town, or it could be going to listen to music or any number of things. So I feel like I was constantly doing that for myself and especially after I had little James, my girlfriends would make sure that once a month they would take me out or whatever because I had James late in life and was, I want to find a term other than disruptive because it's such a negative term, but I don't know another term to use.
(19:07):
My life changed drastically. And so they made sure that I kept up with my artist estate at least once a month with this current climate. I feel that was already in place. I think I'm writing more because of you. And then I was hired to write a script for the Birmingham Black Repertory Theater. So I've been writing the script, but the script includes a lot of autobiographical information. So I think I've been asked to write, which makes me write more and then have been flanked by the other artistic forms and I was already seeking them out.
Charlotte Donlon (19:52):
Yes, it's definitely something you are already doing, which was why I was drawn to doing this work with you because I'm like, Bettina's already doing it. She's already writing about it. She's already doing the work and expanding these ideas, and it was already a normal way of life for you too, which was important or something that I noticed when we reconnected at the museum a couple of years ago. So speaking of the museum, we were able to do a gathering, host, a gathering together last April using a Carrie James Marshall work of art and an exhibition that you had a role in bringing together. And can you tell us a little bit about that exhibition and your experiences with it?
Bettina Byrd-Giles (20:46):
I had an obsession with Kerry James Marshall painting called School of Beauty, school of Culture, partly because it featured black women in a beauty shop of different shades, complexions and hair. The hair journey for me and for many black women can be a challenge trying to determine what to do with our hair, do we straighten it? I never really wanted to straighten my hair, but didn't have anyone that knew how to care for it otherwise. And when the Kerry James Marshall painting was unveiled 11 or 12 years ago at the Birmingham Museum of Art, various patrons were coming up to me to make conversation and they were talking about the beauty of the painting was very bright and it's a huge painting on canvas. And I had not thought about the aesthetics. I was thinking about certain aspects of the painting that related to me. And even the interpretation of the painting from professional curators is different from what I see in the painting.
(22:05):
For example, professional curators see Kerry James Marshall paying homage to Italian Renaissance painters, and I see a picture on the mirror because when you have a major event, then you give your beautician a picture of you at that event. And that's not talked about in the information about the painting. So I wanted to create a production, I don't even know what to call it, an event centered around the painting in different aspects of the painting. And I'll say that nappy roots, which is what we ended up calling it, I would say that I was involved with inspiring the exhibit. Exhibit came along later because the Kerry James Marshall painting would've been hanging by itself. And so the curatorial team at the museum decided to use paintings from their permanent collection to create an exhibit in a new exhibit hall, which I thought was really exciting. And so it kept expanding.
(23:14):
The Birmingham Black Repertory Theater had been talking about doing a production also called Nappy Roots, and they tacked their production onto our opening, the opening that we had. We wanted for people to have a scavenger hunt where they'd learn about other aspects of the museum, have an opportunity to discuss the painting. I had no idea that they were going to keep it up for so long because the painting was not technically scheduled to be hanging. It had taken 11 years for me to get this event together because the painting kept traveling. And the director of the museum, even when he wasn't the director, kept asking Tina, when are you going to do your program? And I was like, oh my goodness. Wow. After 10 years passed by, I was like, Hey, I need to get this done. And originally it was going to be black women getting together talking about our hair stories and our hair journeys, but it ended up expanding.
(24:23):
And I don't know, I kept just throwing things out there in the museum. I was like, yeah, sure, that sounds great. And it ended up being this huge event and I'm still identified with the event, or people still refer to the event, still refer to the painting. I've gotten some consulting work as a result, and it's interesting to me having a long career journey of what you become known for. So of course, I'm known for the murals of Ensley in West Birmingham, though I didn't paint a single mural, I just paid for them or got the funding. I didn't pay for them out of my pocket. But I'm identified by Insley though it's been five years since I've been there. And then now I'm identified by Nappy roots. This script that I'm writing for the Birmingham Black Repertory Theater came about because of their interaction with me during the nappy roots celebration of Carrie James Marshall's painting, I ended up getting a gig.
(25:34):
It was a worldwide conference of black women in hair where I talked about utilizing art as a way to have conversation and for black women to belong or feel that they belong. So the definition of black women expanded from African-American, us women to a global conversation about hair and the fact that the museum was open to an idea from a person who's not a major funder. I do make contributions, but they're not huge. So I feel like the museum gave me the opportunity to have a voice, and not because of the amount of money I donated, but because they thought it was a good idea. So that made me belong, feel like I belonged even more to a place that I like to go to on a regular basis, but knowing that I had something to offer and that they were willing to put the money behind it, the time behind it, the staffing and then additional paintings, the space definitely solidified that relationship with the museum.
Charlotte Donlon (26:51):
Yeah, one thing I've been thinking about even earlier today is the different layers of belonging that art can facilitate in this story of the Nappy Roots exhibition is a perfect example of it because you're belonging to this painting, which is helping you belong to your story and your experiences with hair and with other black women. And there's so many layers of belonging. If we were to write 'em all down, it would be at least 15, 16, you belonging to the museum, the people who wanted to hear your voice, which then helps you feel like you belong more to Birmingham and helps other people belong to Birmingham and helps people who look at that painting have a broader view and notice the photo on the mirror and not just the Renaissance throwbacks. I love that example, and I love how it's helped you belong to your work and broadened your professional opportunities, which by the way is to write a script which will then help you belong even more through art and help others belong through art. So it's this sort of multilayered, generative circle of life thing happening that I just love or more of a spiral. It feels more open than a circle that's closed, but this spiraling thing that's active. Do you have any other thoughts on that?
Bettina Byrd-Giles (28:22):
Well, if you remember, my book talks about meandering careers. So in addition to belonging to art or art, fostering a sense of belonging, it exemplifies my meandering career path with an underlying profession of intercultural communication, interculturalism, because I think my interpretation of these works is influenced by my profession in addition to just my general thoughts, but having professional language that I'm able to share and include in how I verbalize and write about the particular subject matter. One of my friends, I'm just hearing her voice in my head because she said, you never talk about the fact that you're an interculturalist. That yes, you have good ideas and you have creative ideas, but you also have a professional spin on these creative ideas that are somewhat unique in the settings that I'm in on regular occasions here in Birmingham.
Charlotte Donlon (29:30):
Yes. And it's something that I'm excited to foster more through our belonging, through our efforts that are going to be underway hopefully in the next few weeks or so. It's exciting to see how the different pieces have come together with your gifts and your offerings and what you're able to provide. So thank you.
Bettina Byrd-Giles (29:55):
Thank you. There is one other comment I want to make about Nappy Roots. There's some people who had never been to the Birmingham Museum of Art and to talk about hair though that painting has been there for 11 years and they bring it to life. There were a lot of young women who were visiting the museum for the first time, and then we partnered with the Crown campaign, which supports the Crown Act so that people are not discriminated against because of their hair, and ended up having a festival centered around that. So it was multilayered with issues that relate to black women and men, but our focus was more on women and it was organized, created, or seen through the lens of artwork. And I just wonder if artists are looking for that kind of relationship with their art, that it's something that comes to life.
(30:59):
It is something that brings people together. Maybe it speaks for them in spaces where they are not welcome or don't feel welcome. A lot of the women we're using the Kerry James Marshall Canvas as a step and repeat, not realizing the value of the painting. And the museum has never told us how much the painting is worth, but I went to Sotheby's to look at other Terry James Marshall paintings. And so paintings of that size and in that series are worth about $12 million. And so I would say to them, this is what $12 million looks like, and that's if this artist wanted to sell his paintings or whatever, he gets paid when he's commissioned that this is what it looks like. So for people who are like, Hey, don't go into art as a career, he needs something practical. This is a black man from Insley from the west side of Birmingham who lived in Watts, now resides in Chicago, whose paintings are worth up to $12 million or more. We don't have an exact amount. So I thought that was another aspect to definitely include, to mention.
Charlotte Donlon (32:24):
Yeah, it's an important point. It expands the different things we can consider when thinking about it. And right now, that painting is in London in a Kerry James Marshall show.
Bettina Byrd-Giles (32:38):
I think the show starts in the fall. I don't know if it has started yet, but it'll be at the Royal Academy of Art. They're gathering Carrie James Marshall works of art from around the world to exhibit in London.
Charlotte Donlon (32:55):
Yes, and I have a dream to make it there to see it, but I don't know if that dream will come true. Me too. Yeah, we don't know when it'll come back to Birmingham, but it will come back one day. One day. It'll be nice to see one of my painting friends come back home. Thank you so much for joining me on all of the and more. And thanks to everyone who's listening or watching. Please visit allofthisand more.com to learn more about Betina and her work, and I'll add some links to some of the things she mentioned in our conversation.
Bettina Byrd-Giles (33:32):
Thank you for including me, for helping me belong even more to art.
Charlotte Donlon (33:36):
And thank you for helping me belong. I appreciate it.