Vol. 2 No. 2 June 2007
Inside
Masks mirror ‘Faces of our Future’ by Katie Emerick, for the Homer Tribune
(originally published April 8, 2009)
On display throughout the month of April at Homer Council on the Arts was a unique exhibit that brings together masks made by student artists from around the Kenai Peninsula. Brought from Ninilchik, Port Graham, Tyonek and Nanwalek schools, the show entitled, “Faces of the Future,” is a project initiated by the Kenai chapter of Project GRAD. The project is a nationwide, nonprofit program with a mission to ensure quality public education for all at-risk children in economically disadvantaged communities.
start to finish, participating youth not only learned about the medium of mask making, they are also asked to critically think about their own life goals and apply them to the project. The masks were all molded to the individual artist’s faces, and each student completed a bio, connecting their piece to future career choices. Once the molds of the masks were completed, they were painted and decorated in a variety of ways. Each uniquely represents the histories, passions and pursuits of the individual creators.
Funded through a Native education grant and the Association of Alaska School Boards, Summer Reading Project GRAD’s initiative Page 4 called Campus Family Support worked with students to help strengthen the bridge between family, community and school in an effort to support academic success for AASB supports Spirit of Youth all students. After seeing Page 5 the success of Project GRAD in the Lower 48, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District invited the organization Linking Academics with the to work with seven area Whole Child schools. In addition to Page 6 the mask project, student art from Nikolaevesk and Voznesenka that represent Alaska cultures through such pieces as Tlingit war rattles and an Aleut visor are also on exhibit.
Kobe Norman, a fourthgrader at Port Graham, said he wants be a basketball player. That doesn’t mean, however, photos by Katie Emerick that he doesn’t hold close cultural traditions common to Alaska. His mask, which includes an arm mold as well, is titled “The Hunter.”
School Climate by Gary Baldwin, Supt. LKSD Page 2
AASB Scholarship Winners Page 3
ATMI wins Press Club Awards The purpose of the exhibition is more than simply making masks. By giving students an opportunity Page 7 to participate in the process of an art show from
“It’s the guy who always goes hunting for food,” he explained. “He made his own spear. It makes me feel really happy about my mask, so it could have fur and feathers.” Casey Buckwalter, a seventh-grader, described her piece, “The Dreamer.” “The stars in the eyes mean the stars I see,” she said. “The black is because I wish to be an astronaut. Gold because it’s my favorite color. Red for the flag. When I look at it, I see all my Continued on Page 6 dreams.”
Kids These Days • Spring 2009 • Page 1