Images Sampler 3

BuildaBridge Images of Artwork Our artists do excellent work with children in transition. Unfortunately they artists do not often have the luxury of a semester or a year to work with a child living in poverty.

Most of the artwork to follow was produced by brave children who at the maximum had 10 classes to complete a project. Because these children are “homeless�, they often carry a stigma and are seldom identified once they leave the emergency shelter.

Remarkably they show amazing creativity and hope.

Constructing the Water Garden: Artology: Water 2010 Artology 2010 added a community service component through collaboration with the Tookany, Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership Inc. After learning about water issues and researching water loving plants, students (grades 6-8) created their own “water garden” art installation in an abandoned lot. Together students and staff made over 600 plant sculptures that were installed for 2 weeks. The day of installation included a reception with participation from parents, neighbors, and local community leaders. During the reception students rose to the occasion and served as “tour guides” for the visitors.

They proudly discussed how they made the installation and what they learned through the process. In the participant survey, many students listed this project as their favorite part of Artology.

Artology 2010: Water Originally installed in an abandoned community plot, the water garden was reinstalled at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Children’s Art Wing, September to October, 2010. It received its third installation as part of the BuildaBridge invited art exhibit at City Hall in March, 2011. The exhibit was hosted by the Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

“This is the first time my son has ever succeeded in any academic class”, stated a mother after her son with autism attended Artology. He attended the camp for three years and has graduated to one of the camp’s student leaders.

Artology 2011: Earth Installation The two major projects of the Artology 2011 summer camp were public art installations – one, depicted here, at the historic Cliveden House of Germantown in which the 6th-8th graders showcased soil layer paintings and “glass vines”. .. (continued on next slide). and a second at the nearby Awbury Arboretum in which the 4th -5th graders built a “living wall”, installing their clay flower sculptures together with living flowers on vertical panels. These pieces brought together principals that Artologists had been synthesizing in their science and art classes, reinforced by field study trips. Both groups got a chance to showcase their work in a public forum, and to be celebrated as contributors to the community.

Before this session, I looked at soil as something you put pants in. But now I see it as nutrients for plants and animals. - Autumn.

Artology means a lot to me because when I go back to school, I’ll always be putting up my hand in class. – Kendra.

Artology 2011: Earth Installation, cont. ‌and a second at the nearby Awbury Arboretum in which the 4th -5th graders built a “living wallâ€?, installing their clay flower sculptures together with living flowers on vertical panels. These pieces brought together principals that Artologists had been synthesizing in their science and art classes, reinforced by field study trips. Both groups got a chance to showcase their work in a public forum, and to be celebrated as contributors to the community.

Self-Portrait in Silk Screen I visited Julie Rosen’s class on Wednesday to find an incredibly structured and peaceful class going on. The little gentleman with the big smile had done a silk screen of himself with a hat on and he was so proud of the results. He was also one of the more disruptive students when I visited her prior class. I remarked that he seemed to be having a really good day and his response was, "I always have good days." Enough said.

- Magi Ross, BuildaBridge Community Programs Coordinator

Julie Rosen’s silk screen class in a shelter May 13, 2011

The Rib Crib This well-known ethnic soul-food eatery on Germantown Avenue is one 5th grader’s representation of community. It was created during visual artist-inresidence Charlene Melhorn’s community history project for the BuildaBridge after-school Discovery program in a Philadelphia shelter. 5th grade visual art class, 2009.

Hope Through the life-changing power of the arts, BuildaBridge brings hope and healing to the most vulnerable children living in tough places like this transitional housing facility. This 6-year old forms a perfect silhouette of hope, as she rehearses the steps taught in her after-school modern dance class for the approaching year-end celebration.

BuildaBridge Discovery Program, 2010

The Owl: Principled Peacemaker ARTMAKING TO PEACEMAKING is a curriculum designed to teach peacemaking skills to middle school students using the arts: creative writing, dance, drama, music and visual arts. The curriculum uses art as metaphor and art as demonstration to teach basic peacemaking, conflict resolution and negotiation skills. The final exhibition was a dramatic & musical portrayal of an original tale, the Tale of the Rattlesnake in the Night”. Its animal characters embodied the five typical responses to conflict. These masks & panels, created by the visual arts class served as the “costumes” and scenery backdrops, respectively, for the performance. (See next slide) Art4Peac Camp, 2009. Leah Samuelson, artist teacher.

The Teddy Bear: Smoothing & Accommodating Under the direction of master artist Leah Samuelson, six of the visual arts class students worked in pairs to build three canvases, size 2.5 x 5 feet. Students used wood glue and electric drills to assemble frames and learned to stretch and secure canvas surfaces with staple guns.

They brainstormed means of installment of handling from behind before applying coats of primer with rollers on poles. Six other students learned shaping and stapling techniques for forming six mask armatures from empty two-liter bottles, 90-pound paper strips, and aluminum foil. Looking carefully at the characters represented in the Rattlesnake story, they choose an animal-identity to create from scratch, referencing pictures for structural information. Paper mache was then applied to armature to form first coat of a `skin´.

The Good Path Northern Cheyenne children ages 8-12 designed and painting a mural on the wall of an outdoor shower during a BuildaBridge Arts for Hope Camp in Montana 2010.

The image was developed with the children by artist Ben Pepka, a Guggenheim scholar who works with Native Americans in Montana. The camp also included indigenous art classes in flute making and doll-making all of which incorporated traditional cultural motifs and values.

On the Town Charlene Melhorn’s class of 10-12 year olds created this self-portrait mural on the wall of their shelter hallway as a part of their study of the Harlem Renaissance and the work or artist Jacob Lawrence. February 24, 2009