It was a big day: the opening reception at the Arts Center of Capital Region for the exhibition of the refugee children's artworks!
The exhibition lasts for a month --from January 14th to February 22nd. The event was a big success with many guests from the community as well as new interest in volunteering for the refugee center. In fact, I learned that there is now a potential partnership between the refugee center and the Arts Center to make a summer art camp for the refugee children. Also, my project will soon be showcased in our local newspaper, the Albany Times Union. I also heard that RISSE teachers are planning on taking the children to the exhibition this month for them to see their works and be proud of them. Also, for those who cannot make it to the exhibition, I would like to share a blog post that I am going to upload soon of the photos and videos of the exhibition with the children at the RISSE center and their parents.
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In the darkest time of my adolescence, Monet’s paintings filled my life with bright rays of sunshine and warmth. I envied him, believing that he must have been a happy and joyful person, being able to express such brightness in his works.
I was surprised to learn that Monet's life was dark and filled with misfortunes during his younger days. Then how could he had drawn something so bright and beautiful? This was when I learned about the concept "opposite realities." Art, same as myths and stories, can portray a reality that is different from one's reality. The one with a dark past may have the strongest desire for a brighter future. Then, even unfortunate experiences in life can fuel the brightest work of hope. The opposite reality may or may not happen, but in the process, one gets to embrace more colors and be able to express his or her identity in much more vivid ways. That's how I learned to use colors from Monet: to paint a more colorful and brighter opposite reality –which in my case –actualized into a brighter future. My thoughts motivated me to come up with more methodical plans for the children. Because becoming good friends and earning their trust were the first step, I decided to mix art with fun activities, like making cookies and Christmas cards. And I saw the changes slowly but surely. As their eager little hands soon became covered in colors of green, red, and yellow, with chocolate bits and icing pens, they let their imaginations run free as they decorated their own handmade cookies. Monet is still one of my favorite artists. His eyes eventually went blind from looking into the sunlight throughout his life –to capture the beauty of light and the colors that come from it. Luckily for me, the radiance from the wonderful children I taught never blinded me. Rather, it only enlightened me with the new perspective of how to understand others and to guide them so that even the darkest memories can be the foundation for forming a bright and colorful identity. Since the start of the project, I have never brought the children any 3D works like clay works and sculptures. Thanks to the generous help from the ceramics teacher at our school, I could bring the children a huge block of clay for them to play with. At first, they asked me what they were supposed to make, so I told them to make whatever they want. I gave some ideas such as cats, dogs, flowers, and etc. However, once they got used to the texture of the clay, they started to come up with their own ideas --one of them made a shark, another one made a seal, a girl made a motorcycle, and the other made a girl's face with a fancy necklace. I was surprised to see how good they were making the 3D art --they seemed to have more experience with the art than I did. The creativity they showed me reminded me of how amazing their ideas can be despite their young age. The experience reminded me of this quote: "The modern reader insits on his capacity to understand mythical 'images' instantly, because he can respect as 'scientific' only page-long approximation formulas, and the like. He does not think of the possibility that equally relevant knowledge might once have been expressed in everyday language. He never suspects such a possibility, although the visible accomplishments of ancient cultures --to mention only the pyramids or metallurgy --should be a cogent reason for concluding that serious and intelligent men were at work behind the stage, men who were bound to have been used to a technical language..." In next class, I will be bringing them a set of acrylic paints for them to paint their works with. There was RISSE’s annual Open House on #Giving Tuesday, Nov. 27th, 5-7:30 PM.
There were so many cute performances by the children at RISSE. It was great to see the children I had in my art classes perform in front of so many people. They danced, sang, rapped, and played instrument. I received an honor from RISSE for my project, Painting Inspiration, and was unexpectedly honored with a proclamation of honor by a member of the Common Council of Albany, Mr. Owusu Anane. It was such an honor for me, and it was such a meaningful event since all the children were there watching. I had the chance to thank them in front of everyone for sharing their experiences, their emotions, and their creativity with my activities. There will be an exhibition at the Arts Center on January 25th, 2019. The contact has been signed, and the event is being officially prepared. Installation 1/12 – 1/13
1. Floor plan 2. Edits Made to Natalie’s flyer, Run it by the Communications office 4. Everything framed - Complete 5. Find out kids’ names for labels 6. All labels created in a document 7. All labels printed and mounted 8. Description of project printed and mounted 9. Create a list of supplies with Mrs. Slaughter to take down with us to install 10. Confirm helpers to install (12 and 13th) 11. List of works 12. Artist’s Statement 13. Send digital file / resume? 14. Mrs. Slaughter --big frame for the two works at RISSE Opening Reception Friday 1/25 6-8 1. Vans and drivers for Friday 1/25 2. Singers confirmed 4. MR Announcement for event - be sure to run it by adults first 5. Email to community - be sure to run it by adults first- 6. Invite Staff from RISSE? 7. Could we get families there? Bus route? 8. Donation box? $10,000 9. Merchandise table - run by a student De-Installation 2/23 – 2/24 1. Create a list of supplies with Mrs. Slaughter to take down with us to install 2. Confirm helpers to de-install |