Providence After School Alliance

Program Profile: ¡CityArts! Mural Project

Bolted to the wall outside of Room 207, on the second floor of Roger Williams Middle School, stretch seven panels of faces painted boldly onto 2'x2' segments of plywood. An eighth panel precedes the aforementioned ones, suggesting a common thread to such seemingly disparate images: DIVERSITY.  The panels are the product of a 10-week AfterZone program, led by Providence ¡CityArts! for Youth instructor Andrew Sloan.  Andrew,  a soft-spoken cultural anthropology buff-cum-artist, wielded a two-pronged approach to this program: an opening up to the diversity of the community and the world at large; and individual student investment in a group project, namely the creation of a mural.

To initiate the first component, on the program's first day Andrew laid out 60 black and white portraits on a table and instructed each youth to choose one that spoke to them – no explanations or reasoning required.  These portraits of people from around the world – different ages, shapes, hairstyles, accessories, sizes, colors – became the focal pieces for the program.  Along with his teaching assistant Sula Noriega, Andrew began to introduce the youth to the art world – the mixing of colors, the feel of paint coaxed from a brush to a canvas.  After sketching their selected portraits freehand, Andrew transferred each youth's line drawings to transparencies to project them onto 2'x2' pieces of plywood, enacting the program's second component: the creation of a mural whose sum would be greater than its parts.  Youth outlined their projected drawings, and the painting commenced.  

Part of the depth of this project lies in the little touches and unexpected byproducts. To paint these portraits, the group created a single color palette that each painter drew from, so that one portrait's background yellow was another's hair-color yellow.  And the most fascinating component remains the stories that arose.  After spending 10 weeks with their portraits, the youth began to imagine personas – characters with a history, a name, a family, hobbies (meet Mohamid the ambassador and Perry the photographer). "It wasn't part of the initial plan," Andrew reveals. "But about halfway through the program, the kids' banter gave way to identities – they took ownership of who this person was."
So now the second floor of Roger Williams seems a little brighter, a little more nuanced, something Andrew had planned from the start: "Prior to the program, I met with [Roger Williams Principal] Rudy Moseley and [¡CityArts! Education Director] Adrienne Gagnon to discuss this program, and its celebration of awareness of cultural diversity and how we could find permanent homes for it," Andrew recalls.  He would like to see this extended throughout the school, with additional middle school students visually reinterpreting a new set of portraits.  But for now, he is happy with the outcomes of this project.  "The kids went further than anyone expected," he boasts. 

Video Highlight: Misfited Monsters

Extra! Extra! Monsters have descended upon Gilbert Stuart Middle School!  Led by former AmeriCorps member and Big Nazo performer Miguel Rivera, Misfited Monsters is a first-time AfterZone program that incorporates literacy (through paranormal research and study), art skills, and video production.  Students who participate in this curriculum script their very own monster movie, design and create their creatures and sets, and star in, shoot, and edit the final picture.  So grab some popcorn and hold onto your hats: 

AfterZone News

Nonviolent Verses Finalist in Earth Day Contest in Washington, DC

James "Mr. Deep Positivity" McBride's AfterZone program, Nonviolent Verses, will travel to Washington, DC the weekend of April 24 to perform outside the White House on the National Mall.  The group was selected from a countrywide pool as one of three finalists in Earth Day Network's Song for the Earth Contest for their original song, "Save the World." On Thursday April 22, the Providence Journal even featured the group in a cover story, and posted rehearsal footage on their website.  To learn more about Nonviolent Verses, contact Mr. Deep Positivity or read more here, and don't forget to take a listen to "Save the World."

Urban Naturalists Receive Grant from Jane Goodall Institute

Last month, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, an AfterZone partner, was awarded a grant from Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute.  The grant award went toward purchasing bat houses for Neutaconkanut Park.  Youth from the Audubon's Urban Naturalist AfterZone program constructed and painted the homes for these often misunderstood mammals.  Congrats!
                 

Teacher Profile

Jackie Nelson, a three year teaching veteran, is in her first year at Perry Middle School.  As the Computer Applications/Keyboarding Teacher she brings a lot to the table.  When she is not collaborating with library staff in creating Power Point presentations for family events and PTO meetings, she helps in the AfterZone – this winter session she supported the City Year-led Psychology Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on Wednesdays it was Roger Williams Park Zoo's Pets & Vets, a course which introduces students to the field of veterinary studies through guest lectures, and trips to animal hospitals and farms. 

Jackie graduated from URI with Art History and English degrees, and received her teaching degree from RIC.  She has since taught at both the middle and high school levels in Providence and Pawtucket.  Why did Jackie decide to work in the AfterZone? "I was interested in building relationships with the students outside of the classroom," Jackie shares. "It is nice for me as a teacher to be able to relax more with the students." Jackie believes that the opportunities that the AfterZone provides for the students will be memorable and significant in each child's life.  In the future, she would like to be an assistant principal or pursue something else with helping urban students develop healthy, nonviolent problem solving skills.  Many thanks to Jackie for her dedication!

Be featured!

Want to see your AfterZone program featured on our AZ in Action page?  Contact:

Jeremy Hawkins, Public Relations/Development Coordinator
401.490.9599 x163
jhawkins@mypasa.org