Creativity Explored

Hi everyone! This is Ryan.

I apologize that this blog is a little late.

What I've learned from other CSF's over the colloquias we've had is that there is true happiness to be found through community work, and that being exposed to what each other are doing inspires us to really jump into our work. My community partner, Creativity Explored, is an organization that provides an art studio for people with developmental disabilities. Needless to say, I have learned a lot of this experience. I've never been so appreciative, and I have really enjoyed the time working on projects with the artists there. Everyone has their own process, and allowing the artists to approach their processes without getting in the way has taken me out of the box, and allowed me to examine my own process with a more objective eye. My site supervisor, Francis, has taught me a lot of patience.

The challenges I have faced at first existed in getting familiar with the artists. I didn't have strong experience with people with developmental disabilities, and honestly, it took me a few weeks to get comfortable and be myself, because I was worrying so much about being respectful. I am far past being uptight now, and I am very comfortable with everyone there. I've developed relationships with the artists there and know everyone pretty well. Now my challenges lie in helping the artists come up with project ideas that they can get excited about, and in helping them to understand new processes. This is basically overcome with trial and error, but it is working. For example, I tried a lot of different drawing mediums with a guy named Norman that I work with quite frequently. He didn't seem to get too excited about the different mediums, but then one day, we made some block prints. He liked the block prints a lot, and now he works in that media a lot more. He has also opened up more to painting over his text (which a lot of his work focuses on) and then rewriting, or finding other ways to "go back in" to the piece.

-CSF Ryan Humphries

Temescal Mural Project

Hello Folks,

 This is Abdan. I hope all is well with everyone. I'm really having a great time in the Temescal Mural Project class. All the students have really gotten into it. At first, there were a few students who weren't really enjoying their projects. They were either not satisfied with what their groups had decided on or they didn't feel they contributed enough. But once the ball got rolling, many of those same students became excited and couldn't wait to see the end product. I'm starting to become very interested in murals because

 of

 this class. Ray Patlan is very passionate and knowledgeable about murals and his love for it has made look further into the subject.Just last week, I was in the Mission District and looked at the walls very differently. I've always noticed the murals, but never really took the time to LOOK at them. Each one tells a unique story from an equally unique perspective. I'm glad I could be given this lens to view from.

Thanks!

The Factory and some of the work

Hello, i apologize if this is a bit late.

Aside from administrative day to day stuff, I've been enjoying my time at The Factory. I'm continually intrigued by the kind of work the students make. The other day i worked sound for a young girl that is making a film about labels and how they create atrophy within the LGBT community. She was conducting an interview with a friend, and they discussed how they disagree with the use of labels like "stud" or "femme" used to categorize, or even 'pigeonhole', young lesbian women. This tendency to create labels is not only common outside of the community but in fact rampant within those very same social circles.

I have been keeping up on some college research for the kids, after doing a lot of research on private and not to mention expensive schools, I have been focusing my attention on schools with low tuition costs that still offer similar and affordable courses in film production.

Below you can see some samples of the student work, the first clip is a video portrait on Malcolm, a Factory student.





Also;

New Clear Vision is an experimental found footage film that explores nostalgic images from our collective urban and mental landscapes. directed by Henry Zaballos. two minutes, thirty seconds.

Spring @ Far West!

Things are going great at Far West. Right before spring break, we finished up the project I designed for the fashion students--teacher makeovers! It was definitely challenging to get the teachers involved--they all seemed pretty excited about the idea at first, but some had a hard time coming in for fittings and others got pretty nervous about their runway walks at the last minute--but overall everything turned out really nicely. The students produced some of their most impressive work so far, and I learned a lot about coordinating faculty and students.

I've also been picking up some art skills. There's one period of Art 1 during the day that Lizzy can't cover, so I've been helping out there as best I can. As a writing major, I feel pretty silly trying to assist in a painting class, but I've definitely learned a lot and gotten inspired to do some painting of my own.

One of the major challenges right now is budget. My site supervisor has no more budget to put towards fabric, so all of us have been brainstorming about that. We're coming up on our big spring art event, so not having fabric to work with is bad news. The students are advocating a bake sale; I'll keep you guys posted and if it happens you can stop by for some treats.

Reachin Out!

Hello All!

Been Keeping Busy: With May coming up The pressure is  building on getting the students to finish a piece to have in the Youth art Show starting in May. I have also been working on getting RPSC more organized about outreach and keeping track of who we know where. It has been a real challenge being called the outreach person when I barely have time to work in the store but I have devised a new system of operation! I was talking with Chelsea, our newest member(i help her with class programming and who has really been supportive with what and how I help RPS) and we figured that I should take one whole day and instead of spending half of the day at the store and half trying to tell all of the east bay about RPSC evnets that I would take one whole day and distribute calenders, class and event flyers and the word about rpsc.

So This past thursday I headed out into the sunny day and met a few great people! I set up my walking and ac transit route(not owning my own car cuts mega time into traveling throughout the day but-c'est la vie!) and many open call postcards and went to all the key schools and centers to get to know key contact people at these local organizations. 

On my travels I did gets unburned but Realized that a lot of people have had not so friendly interactions with RPSC and its ppl! So It was nice to let people know that RPS is active and has a new friendlier (and accesable) outreach(ish) person to collaborate with. LEARNED: to take on what I realistically think I can, to modify and communicate with the current members on any issues, to reach out to ppl outside of the -becoming less narrow- circle of resources of RPSC.

Longfellow Middle School Update

My job at Longfellow is going very well. My site supervisor, Rita, and I have been working together to do either a lesson on bookmaking/story writing or collaging. I have several ideas floating in my head about what ideas I want the students to convey through bookmaking or collaging, and what techniques I would like them to learn.

I have been learning new ideas and teaching methods from other CSF's. Hearing the negative and positive things about other CSF's experiences helps me view my experience in a new perspective, and it also helps me decide what I should and shouldn't do when teaching the students. Hearing other CSF's talk about their experience gives me new insight about my experiences.

The students at Longfellow always teach me a lot. There is a very diverse group of students this year, and we are teaching very different classes as well. I have been challenged with how to approach teaching new students and helping teach new subjects. Many of the students have been in our art class for two years now, but there are a lot of new students as well. I have been trying to get to know the new students.

My site supervisor has always helped me with new ideas I have for projects. She is very open-minded to any project I would like to do with the kids. She helps me decide what is the best way to approach the lesson, how I should present the project and what materials I should use. This has been very beneficial to my experience at Longfellow, and has taught me a lot about teaching.

This semester at Longfellow has been going very well, but the program is sadly losing a lot of its funding next year, and many of the arts classes are going to get cut. We have been having a hard time deciding what we will do next year, if the programs get cut. Since I have been working at the site for a year and a half now, I have become pretty attached to it, and it's very sad the program will be much more limited next year.

- Danielle O'Malley

Changing it Up

Spring break allowed me to "change it up" by going back home to Louisiana. I was able to get several interviews there that reinforced what I had been learning here in the Bay Area. Everyone I've encountered during this process, both at the Center, elsewhere on campus, or around town have taught me to listen. A lot of people assume they don't have much to say until I begin asking them questions, then, once they see that someone is listening to them, they realize they have plenty of important things to talk about. Some even realize that they've already been helping to make changes in their own personal way.
Above all, I've learned that any one can find their service niche, that whatever you're passionate about there's a way to use your passion to uplift others.
The challenge has been generating interest. Although I know some of the most successful blogs and organizations took years to get wide spread attention, I feel this is urgent. Not only because I may only be with the org for a short time, but also because I feel this is the perfect historical moment for engaging people in discussions and activities for change. This challenge is partly do to the limited amount of time, resources, and person-power that we have.
I, however, do not let such issues keep me from enjoying the project, meeting people, and engaging in creative output. Persistence is the only way I can think to meet these present challenges.

Change It Up With Obama

Washington High School

Hearing about everyone’s work with different community partners shows how important and necessary it is to make the connection between CCA students within the larger Bay Area community, and the breadth of positive affect that the Center for Art and Public Life has in providing the grounds for these meaningful experiences.

It has been such a great learning experience for me working with Todd Elkin at Washington High School in Fremont. Particularly, I have been witnessing the innovative use of the Studio Habits of Mind teaching framework that Todd demonstrates. The project assignments he gives his students are extremely thought provoking and I wish I had such a wonderful art teacher in high school! In viewing the students’ work, it is quite apparent that they have ownership of how to successfully communicate concepts visually. Todd provides specific criteria and visible goals for each project, as well as questions for the students to answer in their process journals in order to demonstrate that they understand the material. In the beginning of the school year, I wanted to learn more about how to teach visual literacy and I have definitely gained insight to ways of achieving this goal. To see how the high school students persist at their work to solve the questions that arise is extremely eye opening. My only qualm is that I wish I could be on site more frequently than once a week to further build a stronger connection.

Rising Tide

Hello all,
So the Rising Tide Conference is fast approaching (as are reviews!) and at this point, the most challenging part is being able to keep track of all the small but significant details in the planning of the event. It's amazing to me how much effort goes in to hosting an academic conference. This job mostly requires attention to the differing needs of the speakers, directors, and the public. I have had to be strategic in how I integrate the work with my school schedule so that no task is neglected. I am really excited to meet the panelists for this event and feel this position has opened opportunities for me to engage in a broader artist/activist community.
Good luck everyone with your work and school.
-Lauren Marsden

Obama

Hello CSF's,

I had a great spring break. Things are going good with our Obama project,
even though we are behind our projected goals. Still learning more in editing,
and getting to know more people. Unfortunately, we were not able so far to
garner more interest from people to add to the blog more of their stories and opinions.

The most challenging thing this semester is to be able to stay focused, and
have enough time to complete all my work- school + CSF.
My vision was to make this project an International endeavor, but we haven't made
progress with that either. Despite all, I am happy we were able to accomplish as much
as we did. I am looking forward to schedule a group interview at Far West.

I am learning a tremendous amount from Opal and Sarah. They are both extremely
dedicated individuals, which strive for better understanding of community, and how can one
bring closer people of different diversity. Opal is an inspiration of creative energy, and it is hard to understand how she manages to be involved in such a diverse array of projects.
What I really like is that she has created a link between her personal creative work and the community.

The group murals are coming along. The class has begun painting their original designs with acrylic paint. The designs were approved by the Temescal Community Association. Only a few minor suggestions were made. For example one panel design incorporated the Rockridge bart station and the board members suggested to change it to read MacArthur. The next step we will take on our projects until the end of the semester is fleshing out our panels. So far the class remains enthusiastic about the project. I am looking forward to seeing the outcome of the murals.

Vanessa Ayala

Creative Arts Charter School

In taking part of the CSF program I have learned about so many organizations and community projects taking place in the Bay Area in which each CSF is involved with. From the Obama interview project to the Rock Paper Scissors Collective, I am reassured that there are amazing, unique, and progressive creative jobs available.

As for my sight, I have been introduced to a new method/philosophy of teaching called Teaching for Artistic Behavior, in which the students are given the authority to select the medium in which they interested in working in. Each day Leslie, my supervisor, sets up centers in which each child can choose from. The students get to work, and we are their to assist them. It is facinating to observe what students gravitate to, and equally exciting is to see how skilled they are with that medium. It is very different from what I am traditionally used to (a system much more structured) and also very different from the Teaching for Understanding phillosophy used in my Arts Ed class. This has been extremely beneficial in constructing my own philosophy of teaching and education, because I am able to see how each method varies, and what type of results occur. It is quite possible that different aspect from each method apply to different age groups more successfully. This I don't know, but it is all in part of learning.

Lastly, I have learned so much from the children I work with. Each day, they are energetic, friendly, and oozing with new ideas. This is refreshing, fun, and always gratifying, no matter how exausting it can be.

NIAD (and the enabled)

Working at NIAD has continued to go well. To be honest, I think I learn something knew every time I go in. My pre-conceived notions about someone's particular abilities and disabilities are always changing as I become more familiar with each individual and their art. This has also allowed me to feel more connected to the artists and to feel more helpful. I've learned a lot from the staff that I work with, mainly by observing the ways they teach and interact with the clients. Because NIAD is an art center for artists rather than an art class, there is not one given lesson of the day that everyone does. The staff have to really get to know everyone so that they can offer them the appropriate materials and guidance to make their own art. I think that the better you know someone the easier it is to enable them to make something that they are really proud of. 

I only work one day a week so sometimes I find it challenging to really accomplish everything I had hoped to. Sometimes artists want to work on something that they had started the day before instead of starting something new, so each day is different. Because of this I've learned to be flexible which is helpful and probably important in most art teaching jobs.

All in all, I would say it's been a great experience and I wish I could get paid to work there when I'm out of school. 

*Also, there's a show going up next Monday in the NIAD gallery called "Re/Formations: Disability, Women, and Sculpture". It looks like it's going to be a really good show so if you're around the Richmond area you should check it out. 

keepin on at soex

Hello everyone. Everything is moving along nicely at Southern Exposure. They are really excited about their new place. They are moving to a new location in the Mission in SF in the fall and have been planning for the new space. I think it will really allow the organization to be rejuvenated and have more room to grow and facilitate their programs.
One of my responsibilities is to manage outreach, finding more students to be involved in the programs we offer. this has been challenging for me because i need expand my thinking and experience and communicate with schools around the bay and establish relationships with them that are beneficial to the students.
Its also challenging because i am only there one day a week and it seems the months are rolling by, and we want to get the outreach program going strong in the meantime. I am overcoming these challenges by talking more with my supervisor and really getting on the same page about the goals she has and how we can achieve them.

Longfellow Middle School

I've been working at Longfellow Middle school, in Berkeley, for a year and a half now. I work in the art department of an after school program. Many of the kids in my class have been with me since i started working there, so I feel like there is a good sense of community in our classroom. On Mondays, we have a 3D arts class, where the kids make sculptures out of a variety of materials. On Wednesdays, we have a community building class called Our World. In this class, the kids are currently trying to open up a student store to sell healthy snacks and arts and crafts they make. The money made would go back into school projects or field trips. On Friday, we have a cultural art class, where we learn about a new culture every few weeks, and make art inspired by the culture. We've been making zen gardens in the class. Each class is very different, with very different students. I am very happy with the variety of classes and projects we've been having. Setting up the store in the community building class has been a bit of a challenge, but it has been working out.

I've been able to do one lesson with the kids since the start of the semester. I had these chinese stamps with different words and symbols on them. We talked about Chinese calligraphy, and they picked a word, and illustrated the meaning of the word or symbol on a card with mixed media. Most of them collaged magazine photos and colored on the cards with markers. The stamps had words like, harmony, good omen, peace & prosperity. They were supposed to give the card to a friend or a family member, just as a nice present. i think the kids really enjoyed it; some of them even made four or five cards.

I just hope to teach more lessons this semester. i really like planning new projects to do with the students.

- danielle o'malley

Creativity Explored

Creativity Explored is a studio run by the same organization that also runs NIAD and Creative Growth. I work at Creativity Explored 2, the center that is located on 16th and Arkansas. It took a while to get used to working there, as I have extremely minimal experience with developmentally disabled people. Now that I am starting to get the hang of it, I feel more comfortable working hands-on with the artists and challenging them to try new things. The main function of Creativity Explored is to offer adults with developmental disabilities the oppurtunity to make art. The service is free to them. Sometimes their work is auctioned, in which case the artist receives 50% and the organization receives 50%. The organization is founded on the philosophy of an art school, and the artists are never treated in an unequal or overly sympathetic manner. My function there is to work with the artists, and to get them excited about their art making. Suggesting a new medium, or a project based on their interests, as well as engaging them with basic discussions about composition or color are ways that I use to get the artists more excited about their art. They are getting used to seeing me and talking to me, and this way, I have been incorporated into a part of the community, and a face of society, that I would never see if I wasn't working with Creativity Explored.

-Ryan

my first day at school

we all know what its like our first day at school .aahhhhhhhhhhh ! right ! yes and it happened for me all over again at West lake middle .. yes middle school that age where its just hard to be who you are or your still trying to find your self and all your peers looking also yet staying cool..yes that age .but unlike my first day of middle school 9yr ago ..wow I'm getting old . I'm now the T.A. for a comic book class where the student are going to tell a story about there self and the funny thing was i had those little goose bumps just before walking in the same ones i got 9yr ago . my student all have very different backgrounds yet all seem to face a lot of the same problems so i cant wait to see their stories.

My Internship at Southern Exposure

Southern Exposure is a non-profit neighborhood gallery/after school program in the Mission District of San Francisco. I am working as an administrative assistant to the Artists in Education program and for the space in general. Some of my jobs have included organizing attendance, web marketing and creating a flyer for an upcoming summer event.
Everything is going great at Southern Exposure. On Friday Feb 27th they had their main fund raiser for the year, the Monster Drawing Rally. At this event more than 150 artists create drawing within the hour assigend to them and then these drawing are put on display at the venue and made available for purchase. It was a great event and alot of peeple came out for it. The art was great too.
I am excited to see what is planned next for SOEX and i hope to find new areas i can help with to make things run smoothly.

Museum of Performance & Design

The Museum of Performance & Design is the first international arts institution devoted to the celebration of the performing arts and theatrical design. It is currently located in the Veterans Building in San Francisco’s Civic Center and has historical print documents on display relating to the performing arts, set design, costume and print materials. The museum hosts a yearly oral history workshop under the Legacy Oral History Program. Legacy’s collection holds more than seventy oral histories of the Bay Area dance, music, and theater performing arts communities in various media forms including leather bound print volumes and DVD and web-based presentation.



(Pictured above: Tony Bravo, museum administrative assistant; Basya Petnick and myself working on promotional materials for the Legacy Oral History Workshop)

As a graduate student of the CCA Graduate Design program my work with the museum consists of redesigning the Legacy Oral History Workshop reader guide, as well as, other promotional material for the program. Giving the workshop materials a solid visual identity will continue to increase the program's visibility to the public and help maintain its solid reputation. The redesign is also meant to allow the program leaders flexibility in changing content from year to year while maintaining a consistent visual identity.