empowering youth through creative placemaking
TRANSCRIPT
Empowering Youth through Creative Placemaking
Tiva Lasiter MS Thesis Project: UC Davis Community Development Graduate Group
Turning Space into Place
BEFORE AFTER
Thesis Project Goals
• Work with high school art students for a high level of participation
• Engage participants in the design process
• Create a place that leaves a legacy of meaning
• Youth voices to be expressed and heard
• Opportunities for youths to gain skills and knowledge
Research Method: Case Study
• Group development
• Team building
• Participant observations
• Process tracking through journaling
• Photograph analysis
• Participant interviews
• Pre- and post- participation surveys
“Public works of art are a form of discourse and open conversations and dialogue. Such works of art can help communities work toward unity and empowerment” (Buffington, 2007). “Public art can help support and even generate community empowerment by honestly and respectfully depicting a wide range of people's experiences. When we listen to others' experiences we begin to understand why we should sit down together and discuss our community life” (McCoy, 1997).
“Public art offers insights into many dimensions of art beyond the expression of self, the art becomes something larger than the individual and self-expression. Public art in high schools motivates students, engages them in meaningful learning experiences, gives students hand-on experiences, increases their self-esteem, and provides them with a sense of ownership of the created space” (Garber, 2006).
How is Art used as a tool for Empowerment?
Research Question: 1.How are individuals and communities affected
by participating in public art making?
A. Are they empowered? By what means?
Youth will be empowered through the process of creating collaborative large-scale art that transforms space.
My Theory:
MURAL SITE BEFORE THE PROJECT
Finding and Creating a Partnership with a local High School
“We need a mural! Our site is really ugly!” -Kate Humphrey, Winters High School Art Teacher
Idea Sharing and Design Intensive
If I were to choose what inspires me most, I would choose___________. This inspires me because__________.
Design Planning- Inspiration and Idea Discussion
Mural Design Team Considers Ideas and Collective Inspirations
Site Planning and Preparation Team Learns How to Assess and Repair a Site
Mural Design Team Finalizes Design and Draws to Scale
Mural Transfer Team Outlines Design on Surface
Painting Teams Begin to Paint Lower Level of Mural
We Detail Entire Bottom Portion of Mural
Community Members Donate Two Lifts
Students Learn Large Scale Painting Techniques
Students Learn Teamwork and Collaboration
Student Teams Take Responsibility for Areas of the Mural
Students Work Together to Make Decisions
Winters High School Art Building BEFORE
Completed Mural Transforms Space and Creates Place
We Commemorate the Completion of the Mural
“I felt empowered to know I helped make something so great, and in collaboration with my schoolmates!”
“Great experience, definitely something i will tell/show my kids.”
“It was a great experience that I will remember doing in high school.”
“seeing our thoughts being included in the mural”
“being able to put personal material in the mural”
Student Feedback about the Mural:
“It was fun experience, and I had fun working together with my art class.” “everything went well, we had a lot of fun making this hopefully next year we could do the whole building.” “This was a really great project and i hope to do something similar in the future.” “This was a great project inspiring. Wish it could happen more around our community. Murals add a beautiful touch of art and life to blank canvases.”
“Very fun experience and I’d like to do it again.”
“i loved it.”
“i really liked working on the mural.”
“I would love to make more murals.”
“Fun.”
“It was cool.”
“Awesomeness.”
74 % Agree or Strongly Agree: Creating the mural was a positive experience for me.
77% Agree or Strongly Agree: I enjoyed working with others on this project.
62 % Agree or Strongly Agree: I liked having a mural artist as a mentor.
66% Agree or Strongly Agree: The mural gives me a sense of accomplishment.
57% Agree or Strongly Agree: I will be more likely to participate in a leadership role in the future.
“I do not like all the names written in the swirls. It takes away from the connection with the message the mural TRIED to give.” –WHS student
Students decided to paint out the wind. They felt ownership of the project and had the initiative to
make decisions and take action.
Seven key forms of Empowerment: 1. Building relationships through collaboration
2. Building self-esteem through accomplishment 3. Leadership opportunities 4. Building skills 5. Creation of a meaningful place 6. A sense of project ownership through decision making 7. High levels of responsibility and accountability
“it was worth it.”
The project had many challenges and students worked extremely hard, learned at a fast
pace, and achieved something that seemed almost impossible. Youth created a
meaningful place for themselves and developed strong relationships through sharing
their stories and working together. One student’s comment eloquently summed it up:
Recommended Practices 1. Prepare for delays. 2. Have a small group that can be fully engaged together. 3. Spend time on group development. 4. Develop many ways for the community to participate. 5. Create a place that transforms the space and reflects the story of the people and the place. 6. Have two leaders if you are working with more than 15 young people. 7. Have one focused and dedicated project to keep students engaged. 8. Have a balance between process and outcome, as they are equally important. 9. Have guidelines and a project plan but remain flexible throughout the process. 10. Involve the greater community through various means. 11. Have realistic project goals. 12. Collaborate with local businesses, people, institutions and organizations. 13. Students should have a high level of responsibility and be held accountable. 14. Allow plenty of time for securing project funds, preparing the site, group development, and building relationships. 15. Plan to incorporate a method to give participants recognition. 16. Have an approval process lined up for the mural or community art. 17. Evaluate the process and share the results.
Student Learning Opportunities on the Project • Sharing stories and inspirations, contributing themes and ideas • Mural design and project planning • Drawing final design to scale • Repairing surface cracks and holes, site preparation • Transferring the mural design to the wall • Working together in teams • Team leadership • Fundraising • Painting on a large scale non-traditional surface • How to work in collaboration on a large-scale project • Basic point and shoot photography skills • Learning history of mural making and public art • Participating in evaluation
How is Art used as a tool for Empowerment?
• Art is a tool for empowerment because people build connections through networking, receive recognition, and foster creativity through art making (Grams, 2010).
• When students play an active role in making important decisions, especially in an inclusive environment, they are given the chance to develop self-esteem, empathy, and dependability. These values foster social justice, rendering art education a very powerful part of the K-12 experience in American public education (Turk, 2012).
Empowerment: “The development of individual leadership skills and knowledge regarding the practice of leadership, and formal recognition by the community of their newly acquired skills (status) in the community” (Pigg, 2002).
“Connections among individuals—social networks and norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them” (Putnam, 2000).
Social Capital:
Youth development: “The process all young people undergo as they build the individual assets or competencies needed to participate in adolescence and adult life” (Listen Inc., 2000).
“Young people developing the skills and habits needed to actively shape democratic society in collaboration with others” (Listen Inc., 2000).
Youth civic engagement:
Community art:
“Art removed from the present commercial art world and market systems, not commodified objects but contextualized specific, sited group expression” (Mosher, 2012).