WE RISE is a Pro-Peace Arts and Music Festival that took place at The Eastside BrotherHood building on October 13th, and the JWJ crew was invited out as featured artists for the entire day!
The Eastside Brotherhood building is a historic landmark in Jacksonville. This location was selected for a reason, and if you have the time to read up on it, you totally should! We are bridging gaps and bringing all walks of life together through the arts.
Ideas always start taking shape in the classroom, and for this one, we had to work collectively and decide on a strong design that represented peace, togetherness, and unity. At a time when violence seems to find its' way into so many pockets of humanity, we use art as a tool of mass creation and healing for not only our own community, but as a means of inspiring other people everywhere.
The JWJ artists came up with this powerful, yet simple design for their permanent mural, and I have to say, they executed the piece perfectly!!! I could not be more proud of these brave artists :) :) :)
But don't take my word for it, check out the pictures below, and if that isn't enough, you can drive by and see in person at 915 A. Philip Randolph Blvd for decades to come. THIS is the power of art.
Not pictured here (and I wish I had one of her) is the amazing Ang Marie, who guided the students along their mural path all afternoon making sure everyone was taken care of, Thank you Ang!!!
What you DON'T see is all the organization, time, and energy that goes into prep- work for these events. Smashing glass, cutting tiles, selecting and storing paint, rocks, mortar, and so much more!!!
We had such a blast teaching community members how to create their own mosaic medallions and peace rocks. Several JWJ faculty members came out to support and participate, and we made some new connections for future public art opportunities as well. #itsallaboutthearts #theartsaddup
None of this would be possible without the planning and organizing skills of artist and festival owner, Nico Holderbaum. She has given my students countless opportunities to be involved in our community through public art, and we owe her thanks, smiles, and hugs for years! Thanks, Nico!!!
The art club showed up in a strong way and worked together to create some magical memories.
Next up is our campus mural, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" inspired by the lyrics of James Weldon Johnson himself. We will also be designing and executing a mural at R. L. Brown Elementary for their student garden, how cute! After that, just right around the corner is "Color Me Kona", and this event is definitely one you do NOT want to miss!!!
Artists, come by my classroom next week to sign up for a shift, and parents, click the link below to find out more:
https://www.colormekona.com/
In October, DCPS had visitors from the National Accreditation Board come and visit schools to make sure all is up to standards, etc, etc ... The visual arts specialist of the county selected three (that's right, ONLY THREE) schools to create small canvas paintings to go into a sort of goody bag for the board members as a representation of our art departments as a county.
Yeah, you guessed it, the rockstar JWJ artists were selected as one of those THREE SCHOOLS! I will upload more pictures of the individual pieces next post, but just as a teaser for ya, here is an overview of several of the mini masterpieces my students created.
JWJ ART is making moves here in Duval, y'all, and we are nowhere near stopping now! YAY, ART!!!