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First Round Artist Application Deadline is April
4th.
A second round of
artist applications will also be accepted up through May 2, 2008.
Click here to learn more and to
apply now!
Help spread the word!
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Contact Info
ArtCorps
www.artcorp.org
+1 (978)
927-2404
artcorps@nebf.org
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Artist Builds on Previous
Years' Successes
Over
350 women watch as the pieces of the giant face are assembled
onstage. As the ears are put into place, they chant, "Women
need to be heard." As the eyes are put into place, they chant,
"We need to be seen as subjects, not objects." The nose, "We
need to breathe an
atmosphere of peace." The mouth, "We have the right to
free
expression."
To
think that this Women's Day march--an enormous event for the
small town of Chiché, Guatemala--was organized in only 2
weeks, you realize that artist Brenda Cleary and Riecken
Library director Alba Estrada work together and with the
community very fluidly. In fact, Alba has worked with 2
ArtCorps artists before Brenda, so she knows how to take
advantage of an artist's talents to further the library's work
better than she did the first time. The community has enjoyed
past arts projects, so they show up for workshops more easily
than in other communities that have no previous ArtCorps
experience.
Investing 2 years of collaboration in
achieving this shared vision and motivation in the community
was well worth it: building upon this solid foundation, Brenda
Cleary has successfully completed 5 projects with high
community participation in less than 3 months. We invite you to read about
two of these projects below: Learning to Make Books and
International Womens Day March.
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Learning to Make Books
We held
8 open workshops in which any child who visited the library
could participate, and 120 children learned to make their own
books. "The chil dren lost their fear of participating and navigating
the world of books," in the words of library director Alba
Estrada. The children transformed thrown-out cloth, cardboard,
and cardstock as well as cheap paper, thread, and needles,
into books with their own hands.
The workshops
promoted literacy, self-sufficiency, and a spirit of
discovery, which are key goals of The Riecken Foundation. The
results were immediately tangible: children without resources
learned to make the notebooks they need for school and were
empowered in a very humble way to continue studying. It also
introduced me to the community in a friendly and productive
way.
Holding open workshops was a new idea for the
library, and Alba says it brought a higher number of children
to the library workshop than usual... Click here to
continue reading.
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International
Women's Day March
"Dream alone, and it
is only a dream. Dream together, and it becomes
reality."
Three years ago, the
Library, local Women's Office, and ArtCorps artist Kay Aplin
began the tradition of holding a colorful march for
International Women's Day in Chiché. This year, we broadened
the reach of this tradition by holding activities in the
2 weeks leading up to it, partnering with the new city
government, and we also introduced the tradition in
neighboring Zacualpa, which has another Riecken Library.
A parade of this size sends a message, and we wanted
to know what message the participating women wanted to send.
We investigated their ideas during art workshops. In Chiché we
constructed 2 giant puppets, a new banner (and touched up 2
from last year), and over 500 tissue paper flowers as
accessories for each woman to wear. In one workshop, we
created a puppet in the form of a bird. We invited the women
to share the dreams they have for the female community and
then to write them on the wings of the bird. In another
workshop, the women chose key words that expressed their
collective wishes: equality, respect, opportunity, and
coexistence. We also created the various parts of a face-eyes,
nose, lips-that would be carried separately and assembled
during the event. Drawing and writing contests were also held.
Traditionally, only women from the surrounding rural
areas march in the parade. This year... Click here to
continue reading. |
Who's Doing the Work
While
Brenda benefits from those who went before, she now faces the
next challenge: identifying and developing local art for
social action leaders.
About
Brenda Cleary: Brenda is a visual community artist from
Denver, Colorado. She has particular passion for women's
issues, having worked in a shelter for abused women and a
Native American foster shelter.
About The Riecken
Foundation: The mission of the Riecken Foundation is to
promote democracy and prosperity in Central American
communities through social and educational institutions,
specifically libraries, that awaken a spirit of discovery and
civic participation. Equipped with quality books and new
technology, they pull isolated communities into the bigger
world.
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