| When 31-year-old entrepreneur NaAsiaha Simon first relocated to Dayton, as a post-grad, she fell in love with the city’s heart. During these last four years, she beat a brain tumor and overcame personal wellness struggles. She took that love and turned it into a lifestyle of service. Simon, a mental health advocate and champion for engagement and awareness, says that her own mental health struggles triggered a big idea: creating the Gem City Selfie Museum. Together, working with a close-knit collective of like-minded young professionals, Simon’s big idea came true.“I wanted to provide a space for people to have positive, life-changing experiences and a space to heal using photography,” said Simon. The people of Dayton consistently evolved into a community-focused, creative hub that had intent on supporting and celebrating the diverse talents that have and continue to spring up from the people of the Gem City, throughout the years. But between COVID and all of the mental, physical and emotional weight that has been troubling the region and nation, the city with so many hidden gems needed a fresh new creative space that would be fun, informative, and interactive. And with the debut of the Gem City Selfie Museum, Dayton will get just that. More than just a fun activity, the Gem City Selfie Museum is a creative hub cultivating community engagement and sparking creativity through visual art installation walls that bring focus to positive life experiences and boost confidence. This museum uses vibrant colors, fun, and interactive props, which will overall take the selfie experience to a whole new level! The plan is to feature local musicians, local and national artists: Bing Davis,Bryon Smith of Smith and Son,Rich Murphy, Zuri Ali-Cole, and Taliaferro Sebastian of ArtHasNoRules. Simon is also partnering with the Ashley Scott Community Healing Center to offer free therapy. Weyland Ventures Development Company has been a critical partner in seeing the project through. “When I was in my season of crisis, dealing with a brain tumor and a lot of emotional trauma in 2020, taking selfies helped me see myself and love that reflection of me, flawed and still beautiful,” said Simon. The Gem City Selfie Museum’s mission is to be a space with interactive illustrations created to help alleviate anxiety, depression, and stress. We want our guests to feel seen, heard, loved, and welcomed from the moment they enter the facility. The exhibits are specifically selected to evoke positive energy and emotion from guests of all ages. NaAsiaha and the entire Gem City Selfie Museum collective want the people of Dayton to know that they are loved, appreciated, celebrated, and seen! What better way to commemorate that than with a selfie? Follow Gem City Selfie on Instagram and Facebook to get to know more about the brand! For additional information, visit Gem City Website. |
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