When local artist and founder of the non-profit, herARTS in Action, Sarah Drake takes a residency in a middle school classroom and combines art with topics more traditionally explored within a social studies curriculum, she’s not surprised to hear the complaint, “Hey, why are you combining my favorite class with my least favorite?”
Drake laughs it off. “That’s the first day. By the end, they are greeting me in the hall and wanting to join art club. They want to know when I am coming back.”
Drake recently facilitated a week long after-school art program for South Junior High School sixth-graders. The project came about when she approached director of equity services Sebastian Witherspoon, whom she knew from a Parents in Action committee, with a proposal that incorporated visual art with diversity issues. Her proposal then took shape as a pilot program at South, and she is hopeful that other workshops in the district will follow.
Drake emphasizes that the challenge of the project was two-fold: to get the children to a comfort level with art while at the same time asking them to expand their thoughts on diversity.
“We looked at Native Americans, slavery, immigrants and refugees,” she said. “We read descriptive reviews of artwork from around the world, mainly abstract and surreal.”
These activities help students to examine carefully and “see what’s there,” Drake reflects. “It was literally ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.'”
And at that point, she says, transformation took place. Students began to make connections between art, history and current events.
Another activity revolved around quotes on diversity by Andrew Young, Emma Lazarus and others.
One cited a Somali proverb: “Your guests are as much as you can host, and your refugees are as much as you can protect.”
The idea, explains Drake, is for students to reflect through their art a feeling from one of the quotes. The students used paint and seeds for this work to create a textured image.
Students were not the only ones transformed from the experience.
“They were so profound,” Drake sighs. “I was in awe of the connections they made. My mouth would fall open; they were so insightful. It was exciting to be a part of that.”
And her favorite part of working with children?
“I love to work with them through the process,” she notes, “and get to the end. That’s when they say, ‘I’m an artist!'”
For their final project, each participant created an 8 x 10 mixed media canvas that represents a diverse and inclusive community. Together, the pieces await installation this summer in South Junior High’s library.
That will be a gallery opening we will all want to see.