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Lunch Truck Project
Litter Critter
A leadership transition in fall 2010 prompted us to think about new strategies for engaging young people across the city. Following a months-long planning process, we restructured our staff and program design in order to build on our strengths while leveraging new opportunities. The revised program structure includes six tracks designed to accommodate students at all phases of their artistic development:
Art education instructor Brad Carney leads his class in a drawing lecture. Photo by Steve Weinik
Philly Chunk Pack Justice Taylor, Gary Steuer, Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Tony Goldman, Kenny Scharf, and Jane Golden pose for a photo at the Philly Chunk Pack mural dedication.
©2011 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Ben Woodward and Thom Lessner Photo by Steve Weinik
We offered instruction year-round, with classes meeting twice per week after-school, and daily during the summer. Instruction included a combination of lessons in artmaking technique, independent and collective art-making activities, field trips to local cultural sites, and work on murals. Students attended public events and mural dedications connected to the projects they worked on, which gave them a chance to experience firsthand the impact of their work on communities, to see their accomplishments celebrated, and to practice their public speaking skills.
ART EDUCATION ©City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Shira Walinsky Photo by Steve Weinik
Our safe and supportive classrooms facilitated fun and engaging learning experiences that were responsive to the interests and experiences of our students. Once empowered with skills as creative thinkers and makers, youth collaborated on major public art projects that helped lift them up as agents for positive change in their communities.
©2011 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Kenny Scharf Photo by Aaron Swan
In recent years, we have provided free Art Education programs to more than 1,500 youth annually at sites throughout Philadelphia, offering a constructive and engaging opportunity to young people with few or no alternatives for artmaking or other out-of-school activities.
Photo by Eunice Yu
FORGING AHEAD
REFLECTING BACK
Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Jane Golden, and Kamal Gray at The Roots Mural Project press conference.
1. Foundations and Innovations, serving beginning youth ages 10 to 22. 2. A2O, an environmentally-themed track offered at recreation centers for beginning youth ages 10 to 14. 3. Restorative Justice Youth, an introductory track tailored to a severely at-risk population. 4. ARTrepreneurs, an entrepreneurship themed track for intermediate youth ages 14 to 18. 5. Emerging Muralists, serving intermediate and advanced youth ages 14 to 22. 6. Youth Apprenticeship Program, a paid, year-long internship program within one of Mural Arts Departments for Emerging Muralists graduates ages 17 to 22.
The new approach also features: Lesson plans that are inspired by the content and themes of major mural projects, giving our teachers a chance to introduce a rich variety of subject matters and experts into our classrooms. For example, youth who are currently collaborating on a mural honoring Philadelphia poet Sonia Sanchez are writing haiku, exploring meditative art forms such as photography and minimalism, and crafting handmade books. A Youth Development and Engagement Manager who helps participants transition between tracks and prepares them for outside opportunities such as high school and college applications, internships, scholarships, and exhibitions. A team of highly skilled lead and assistant educators who work closely with each other and our Art Education staff to deliver innovative and effective programming. In addition to their classroom duties, they make weekly reflective blog entries about their experiences and participate in Friday education labs.
muralarts.org
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