Skylark: Radically Reimagining Work, Rest, and Liberation

Fellow: Kristina Erstine | Category: Case Studies

Kristina Erstine identifies as “curious, empathetic, alchemist” and describes herself as a creative professional who has shaped NYC’s food justice landscape for over a decade. She brings her diverse identities to create intentional disruptions in food systems.

Project Background

“When everything is quiet or too loud this work still calls me.” Kristina emphasizes the need to “disrupt with softness and expanding introspection” while practicing visibility for marginalized communities.

Story-based Strategy Application

When explaining SBS to newcomers, she notes: “Imagine if the profundity and wonder of storytelling from childhood could be restored.” The methodology helped sharpen her articulation, particularly through exercises like condensing project ideas into five sentences.

Skylark Project Overview

The initiative targets femme food workers of color—particularly Black women—through an interactive gallery experience. The project aims to help participants “divest from capitalism in their daily lives and explore their value outside labor” while envisioning Black liberation tangibly.

Future Directions

Kristina would expand focus on intersections between municipal funding programs and economic justice, including collaboration with unions and alternative economic frameworks.

Follow her work on Instagram: @itsduppy