feature
A12 the falconer
november 3, 2022
The Monarch Effect A tangerine-colored butterfly flits across a cerulean sky. It soars above the San Diego skyline, dipping around apartment buildings and weaving through lamp posts until it begins its descent into Barrio Logan. There, it finds a place like the home it once had — a chrysalis. But this chrysalis is not a cocoon of sticky silk. Instead, it is a chalk-white, one-story building, covered with vibrant paintings and intricate geometric designs. This is The Chrysalis, the Monarch School’s Center for the Arts — a creative haven for children with unstable homes. The Monarch School is a one-of-a-kind K-12 public school serving around 300 unhoused San Diego children. Two years ago, the Monarch School began a new venture — an arts center designed to elevate its students’ self-expression to new heights. When the Monarch School got a new CEO, Afira Devires, over the pandemic, she went around asking each department what their wishlist was. “ I was heading the arts department at the time so I asked the kids what they wanted,” Erika Malone, Director of Creative Youth Development at the Monarch School, said. “They were like, ‘we need a stage’ and we ended up with a whole new building.” Since there was no space to build a theater at the Monarch School, they found a vacant building two blocks away, previously a church and electronics shop. Over the course of the year, students, staff and community members renovated the building into a 6,000-square-foot center for the arts, complete with a 100seat theater, art gallery and two studios for music and dance respectively. Every aspect of the Chrysalis, from its design to its name, was dreamt up by Monarch school students. “We intentionally designed the Chrysalis with ownership in mind,” Malone said. “A lot of the students who attend our school struggle with the concept of home so we wanted them to feel like the Chrysalis was of their own making. We had the kids design the space as if they were designing their own room.” One does not have to enter the Chrysalis to feel its ethos. The facade of the Chrysalis displays a vibrant set of butterfly wings emerging from a central heart. The wings embrace the school as if they were a colorful shield. This is “El Corazón y su Mariposa,” (“The Heart and its Butterfly”), a 163-foot-wide mural that blossomed from the hearts and minds of Monarch students and local interdisciplinary artist Araceli Carrera. The piece not only reflects the students’ love and hope for the Chrysalis but their involvement in its creation. Once inside the main entrance, the Chrysalis opens into a multi-purpose performance space with a stage and seating. Here, the Monarch School students choreograph dance routines, music shows and plays, including a production of Peter Pan back in April of 2022. For many M o n a r c h stu d e nt s , showcasing their imagination a n d
hard work is an incredibly gratifying experience. It represents a chance to connect with the Barrio Logan community, spreading the healing power of art. “I love any kind of dance like hip hop and jazz,” Julie, a nine-year-old student at Monarch said. “Dance always makes me feel better. It lets me express myself and it calms me too.” At its core, the Chrysalis is a place where students feel empowered to find their own voice. “When you are homeless, it can become such a large part of your identity,” Malone said. “The Chrysalis is a safe place for our kids to discover who they are outside of that. It elevates their sense of self and gives them purpose.” A core tenet of Malone’s approach to teaching is positive reinforcement. She often asks her students, “What are your dreams for the Chrysalis?” Julie dreams that the next play the Chrysalis puts on is Beauty and the Beast. “I would want to be Beauty or the Beast,” she says. “I want to be the Beast too,” her friend, Emilio, chimes in. “We can have more than one Beast,” they agree. Adrian, a senior at the Monarch School and codirector of the next play, has other plans for the fall show. “I want to focus on power, the power that nature has and I want to bring it inside onto the stage,” Adrian said.
The kids need this; they need it like water. Just give them a brush and let them spread their wings and fly. German Corrales Local Artist
The performing arts are not the only way students can express themselves at the Chrysalis. The school promotes visual art like painting, drawing, sculpting and creating murals. Melina, a fourth grader at the Monarch School, created an art piece with Emilio, Julie and other members of the dance team called “Voices Repressed/Voices Elevated.” “Our painting represents how we feel,” Melina said. “I made it because I wanted to show that however people feel is okay. Sometimes I feel sad or mad, and that is not a bad thing.” For Chrysalis students, the arts are an escape from an unforgiving world. Art is also a way for students at the Chrysalis to bond with their heritage and appreciate others as well. The Chrysalis has a unique vantage point from its location in Barrio Logan, a historically Mexican-American community rich with cultural expression. Barrio Logan is home to Chicano Park, which hosts the largest concentration of Chicano murals in the world. These murals depict the community’s past activism as well as notable figures like Frida Kahlo, Cesar Chavez and Emiliano Zapata. Like the murals, the Chrysalis pulls inspiration from its surroundings. On the exterior of the Chrysalis, “Corazón aquí es donde crezco y aprendo,” (“Heart this is where I learn and grow”) is written in large block letters, paying homage to the Spanish-speaking population of Barrio Logan. Local artist German Corrales, the “Butterfly Man,” teaches art at the Chrysalis. Corrales is native to Michoacán, a state in west-central Mexico famous for its yearly migration of monarch butterflies i n
November. While teaching students how to paint and create murals for the interior of the Chrysalis, Corrales also shares his heritage through his art. “I teach them about the monarch butterflies of Michoacán and about native Gods,” Corrales said. “One God is Quetzalcoatl who is known for knowledge and power. That is exactly what I want to transfer to the kids.” Instilling good values in the children is a primary mission of the Chrysalis. Art has the capacity to create connections and build community, something the Chrysalis uses to its advantage. “In middle school, I discovered my passion for the arts because that’s when I started to be more comfortable with dancing,” Adrian said. “I was finding myself too at that time…” Having attended the Monarch School since fourth grade after struggling with housing, Adrian found a place for his love of dance and theater at the Chrysalis. The center’s teachings focus on building healthy, constructive relationships. “My teachers have taught me how to be a better person,” Emilio, a9year-old student at the Chrysalis, said. “A few days ago, a guy was being rude to one of my friends and I helped her and told him to stop. I learned that here.” The students of Chrysalis are taught to have an open mind and heart, celebrating each other’s differences rather than trying to minimize t h e m . “ I have