Happy New Year All! Culture Keepers have been busy primming the walls for the upcoming mural that will be located in the Dance Wing of CVPA, Suitland High School.
We also took a field trip to our "home" the Prince George's African American Museum & Cultural Center to view the Paper Dolls Exhibit: Poetic Responses to the Artwork of Ullysess Marshall. Was the day over...Not at ALL! We went to China Town, Washington DC for lunch and then toured the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American Art. What a fun cultural Saturday!
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Culture Keepers group pic with our tour guide
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Store
Preparing walls for our upcoming mural!
You could not have asked for better weather for our Saturday Field Trip!
Layout for the Dance Wing, CVPA Suitland High School. The theme is celebrating African Americans in Dance. Special Thanks to Wells Fargo for Sponsoring this project!
Culture Keepers at Gholson Middle School are writing and producing a play based on Prince George's Historically Black Incorperated Townships; North Brentwood, Eagle Harbor, Fairmount Heights, and Glenarden. Anna Holmes visited our Culture Keepers to share the rich history of how North Brentwood came to be.
Anna Holmes discussion with Culture Keepers at G. James Gholson Middle School
Anna Holmes discussion at G. James Gholson Middle School about the History of North Brentwood
Friday, November 16, 2012
Sketch by Jordan Mitchell
Students were asked to research the artwork of Aaron Douglas, a prominent African American artist of the Harlem Renaissance. Students discussed the correlation between the "crucification", and the African American experience during the era of Jim Crow.
"The Crucifixion" by Aaron Douglas, 1927. Credit: Public Domain / Aaron Douglas.
This year, our first Culture Keepers project will be of course...an amazing mural!
The theme...African American history through dance. The inspiration...CVPA dance department, African American dance companies and visual artists.
The visual...for the mural students and staff are inspired by such artists such as Banksy and Aaron Douglas.
Artist: Aaron Douglas
Artist: Banksy
The Community...students are exploring how to use art to be agents of change in their school and community, the dance department is collaborating with Culture Keepers to give their input on how dance inspire their lives.
Discussion with CVPA dance department about mural
The process...Murals and public art, foster community engagment. To learn more about how artists can successfully collaborate with communities to make amazing artwork, students watched the documentary "Wasteland", a documentary about a famous artist who travels to Brazil to create a series of amazing artwork with actual Trash Pickers. The documentary is truly an inspiration to our Culture Keepers on how they can use art to positively impact the lives of others.
watching "Wasteland" Documentary
discussing "Wasteland" documentary
The goals...to create a mural that shares the African American history of dance and the inspirations, dreams, and goals of the CVPA dance department, to allow our Culture Keepers to make a positive impact in their school community through their creative vision.
Every week students will be engaged in visual arts, performing arts, and or docent training. Workshops are led by trained museum and arts educators. Through the After-School workshops and Saturday Field Trips, students receive museum docent training and extended hands on experience about African American history, art, and culture.
2011-2012 School Partners: Center for the Visual & Performing Arts (CVPA), Suitland High School
(CVPA students will design and install public art murals for Prince George's Communities)
2012-2013 School Partners: CVPA, Suitland High School & G. James Gholson Middle School
(Gholson Middle School Students will write and produce a play based on Prince George's Historically Black Townships)
G. James Gholson Middle School students newly enrolled in the Culture Keepers Program!
2012-2013 Orientation of Culture Keepers at CVPA Suitland High School
Students learned about the purpose of Public Art & Murals
Peter Krsko, guest speaker, spoke about Public Art throughout the region. He also discussed his non-profit, Albus Cavus http://www.albuscav.us/ , an arts non-profit that focuses on community development and public art.
Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center (PGAAMCC) will act as host to 6 Afro Brazilian muralists from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The United States Department of State is sponsoring the trip. The artists will assist in creating a series of murals with PGAAMCC at the Center for Visual & Performing Arts, Suitland High School. The muralist will arrive on May 28, 2012 and will have an itinerary that consists of tours of the county, meeting and greeting public officials, and an artist discussion at Hyattsville’s Busboys and Poets.
The artists will begin painting the mural on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 and the mural unveiling will be held Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at Suitland High School. The large scale mural will reflect African American culture and art forms. The PGAAMCC Culture Keepers will paint alongside the artists and learn about the connection African Americans in Prince George’s County have with Brazil in relationship to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as well as race relations. Culture Keepers is PGAAMCC’s After School program for middle and high school students.
As host, PGAAMCC, will provide educational and cultural experiences for the Brazilian artists to learn about the rich African American history, art, and culture in the county. This project received support from Museu Afro Brasil, Embassy of Brazil, United States Department of State in Sao Paulo, Wells Fargo, and the Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center. Chanel Compton, Education Director for PGAAMCC, participated in the Cultural Envoy program in Brazil in 2011 and created the program and itinerary for the Brazilian muralists visit to Prince George’s County.
