Encouraging Teachers to Play with Materials

A couple weeks ago,  I was invited as a visiting artist to
Ed Pazzanese class "Art-infused Early Childhood Education
Activities" at the Urban College here in Boston.  I visited last
year as well and had such a good time with his "students", I
gladly came again.  His students are teachers and caretakers
in a combination of headstart, preschool, kindergarten, and
other situations supporting young children.  After working
all week long, these amazing folks show up for a 4 hour
class on Saturday mornings to further their education. One has
a dream of starting her own schools.  Ed's philosophy
of education is deeply rooted in the child centered Reggio
Emilia approach to early childhood. To use his words,
this course"focuses on the interplay between art, play, literacy
and the environment. "  His course is filled with great readings,
writing challenges. active discussion  and lots of experiential
practicum in the arts.(Check out the artwork created using
masking tape created at a previous class on the wall here:

The class began with a discussion of the value and importance of
developing multi-generational programs. Ed had previously shown
the students a video of the Families Creating  Together organization 
he  began a number of years ago whose focus is offering opportunities
for families to gather  in a multi-generational and inclusive
environment, welcoming adults and children with and without
disabilities and offering Spanish and sign language interpreters
if needed.  I led a "our neighborhood our stories"  mixed media
workshop for FCT last summer...will lead another this summer...
it's an amazing group!! Judy Battat, FCT program advisor and
evaluator was there this Saturday to talk about FCT and other
programs she is involved in. 

After a break, it was my turn to present  -
The art challenge this Saturday was to use the various recycle
materials Ed picked up at Extras for Creative Reuse 
plus some materials I and some students brought and
to create a city scene...could be imaginary or realistic. The students
were divided up into two group tables..and told to try to look at
the materials from a kids' point of view.  Then each create
something which would be combined with the others to
create a story scene...requiring working together in a cooperative
way (sometimes a challenge for adults and children.) At the
conclusion, each person told about their part...and then one
or two people wove a story incorporating them all.

Some dug right in, others took a little longer to come up with ideas,
not unlike the variation in children I would guess.  With support
from others, ideas were stirred and structures emerged: 

I was pleased to see that some ideas begun, morphed into something
else.. (a fence into a track for a subway car..with car..) The individual
pieces and use of materials (ribbons for wall covering for example)
were quite wonderful.   We had everything from city street scenes
(complete with bicycle and sports car:

To dress shop, hotel, Prudential Tower with water fountain with tossed coins:

  even a car wash (check out the face on the happy car being washed!)

To backyard scenes with BBQ and places to relax:

In the end each group gathered round while the table participants
presented their piece and combined all into a single story or two...
If we had had more time those stories could have gone on and on..

 A granddaughter came with her Nana and enjoyed the final
results:  That's the morphed orange line subway car on the track
in the center I mentioned earlier.

Last year when I worked with Ed's class, the materials were
a little more challenging and odd...the end results ended
up more in the imaginary realm...made me realize the impact
of exactly what materials are presented.  These creations
were wonderful, but another time, I think it would be
fun to challenge even more.

It will be fun to hear what from this experience the students
took back to their classrooms.  Last year Ed reported
many did similar projects albeit it ones geared to appropriate
ages in their classrooms.  


I admire tremendously Ed's passion for spreading the
importance of art infused education to promote
problem solving,  creative thought,  cooperation and
skill development . I'm still working up the exact description
for the 5 weekly mixed media workshops I will be leading
for the Families  Creating Together this July..tentative title
"Story Creatures".

But before then...tomorrow I'm gathering folks at the
Hawthorne Youth and Community Center to make
signs for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute's  Mother's
Day Walk for Peace....and to share community stories. 
The theme for this year's walk is  "Celebrating the Courage
of Community".  I'm heading up a team to walk in honor
of the director of HYCC who died last year...after
a lifetime of commitment to families and community.

More about the LDB Peace Institute and the walk in
my next post.

Peace and onward!    Wendy

Boston Memorials, Light and Metaphor

 
 
  It’s taken a while to be able to put my thoughts
and reactions to the bombing at the  Boston marathon
into words.  Neither I nor my family nor close friends
were at the site, but we certainly could have been. Any
of us could have been.  Images - dramatic, horrifying
and inspiring have filled the airwaves, as have the
stories. We grasp to understand the how and why of
what happened, appreciate the heroism demonstrated,
marvel at the excellence of medical care available, but
recognize the long painful road of recovery which lies
ahead.

    I’ve thought about how people respond to trauma
and how I chose to respond. The night after the
bombing, most churches in the Back Bay area of
Boston were closed because they were within the
“crime scene”. The church we attend, Arlington Street
Church was three blocks from the finish line, just one
block from the closed area. The night after the bombing,
there was a interfaith vigil for healing held at ASC.
Predictably it was filled to the rafters. It felt good to
gather together, sing, reflect, hug. Many runners were
there as well as some injured. One of the songs we
sang was "I Am Willing" by Holly Near.


   My husband went to our garden and picked forsythia
and cherry blossoms to bring to the service.  His response:
look for new growth and nature’s renewal. I spent Tues.
and Wed. with neighborhood children. It  was vacation
week. My response: be with children, try to offer a little
normalcy. Listen. 

   During that incredibly compact week of news, discovery
and final resolution, events happened elsewhere in Boston.
In our neighborhood of Roxbury, there were seven shooting
incidents unrelated to the bombing,  leaving two dead.  In
Malden, a town just North of Boston, a young mother
was walking with her 9 month old.  She was hatefully
attacked because she was wearing a head scarf.
The town  came  together in an interfaith service for
peace offering support and giving a clear message:
"This is not what our city stands for". The woman
 who had been attacked spoke out boldly and
eloquently to all present including a number of us from
Boston.


 And  of course many tragedies happened across the
country and  worldwide...as they do every day.


Finally on Saturday, I went to the memorial which had
been set up and was increasing daily at the foot of
Bolyston and Berkeley. I couldn’t bring myself to go
before then....couldn’t let myself go where I knew it would
take me. It was eerie to see Bolyston St. empty of people
and civilian vehicles.

As I stood there, I watched young children leave flowers
by the image of Martin Richard (the age of one of
our grandchildren) ...saw the running shoes, the affirmative
comments and banners of resilience, Boston Strong...saw
people pet the dog helpers who were there for anyone
who needed them. I also thought about  the memorials which
show up on the street corners of our neighborhood and so
many others much too often...in memory of deaths, not so
publicized, but no less tragic.
 The next day I walked to the street  memorial of the
22 year old shot and killed several blocks from our house
the day after the marathon.


 I talked to a young
man sitting on the stoop
by the memorial He had
been just down the street
when the shooting
occurred. This murder
will most likely remain
unsolved.

This past weekend was “Boston Shine” - an annual
citywide spring cleaning event.  In our neighborhood
a group of us helped clean and improve the
empty lot next to Hawthorne Youth and Community
where I work.  We made major progress, clearing
 

built raised beds,

planted flowers...
 
and reveled as children “discovered” creatures, like
this little snake:

Afterwards, we went inside, ate pizza, and made decorations
and musical instruments for the Wake up the Earth Parade
next weekend. 

 It felt good to gather in community.

On Sunday Clementina Chery of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
spoke at our church.  For the last 19 years since Tina’s son
was killed, she has directed her energies into making a
difference through the Institute.  It supports survivors
of homicide victims and shares peace curriculum in area
schools. One of their major fund raisers is a Peace walk on
Mother’s Day. I’ve walked in it  for a number of years.
One of the parents from Newtown CT will speak at the
rally before the walk this year.  I can't be there in person
this year, but will definitely be there in spirit.

Finally, a last thought and image to hold. At the end of
the ASC service on April 16, we lit each others candles
while in the pews... then at our minister’s suggestion,
we  filed out into the night, crossed the street to the
Boston Public Garden and stood lining the lagoon there.
The clergy stood on the bridge looking at all of us.  We
sang. It was a beautiful scene (one captured by the 
Washington Post). But the significance for me was less
the beauty of the moment than the experience. There was
a light breeze that eve so it wasn’t easy to keep the candles
lit.  The flames kept going out, requiring us to help each
other relight them. Besides adding a bit of levity to a somber
time, I thought of it in terms of a metaphor.  It’s not an easy
task to keep the light of hope lit... and really the only way
possibleis by helping each other...and gathering in community. 

Times like these remind us to savor every moment of life’s
adventure and to support each other.

Adventure on!.....Wendy