Meet the 2012 Point Scholars

Editor's Note: All photos and biographies on the following pages are edited versions of those provided by the Point Foundation.

Sarah Biscarra-Dilley

San Francisco Art Institute
Urban Studies

The mixed-heritage, lesbian daughter of a strong-willed Mexican and Native American mother and an out, HIV-positive father, Sarah Biscarra-Dilley has benefitted from growing up in an inter-generational network of blood and chosen LGBTQ family. It's a life she credits with many of her skills.

A former high school dropout who is now pursuing her BA in Urban Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute, Biscarra-Dilley is also a voting member of the California Indian Basketweavers Association and a participating artist in the National Queer Arts Festival several years running. Her long-term goal is becoming an arts educator with a commitment to social justice and a mentor to LGBT and Two-Spirit youth.

“As artists, we shape and illuminate the world we inhabit and have the responsibility to incorporate the lessons of those who came before us into the inspiration for those yet to come," she said. "This involved process is much like basketry; it takes great patience and skill to incorporate many fibers into a cohesive whole. This whole holds a history while taking on a new life in the future. The same is true of the role of art in the expression and survival of culture. The responsibility that we hold, as image-makers, artists, cultural stewards, activists and visionaries, is a crucial part of the existence of culture itself. The act of creating ensures cultural and spiritual survival, engages and enlivens our surroundings. In doing so, we create new rituals to supplement those that have been used since time immemorial in the pursuit of a vibrant future."