The Trifecta
Hitting the Trifecta
Middle school students in two CAW programs in The Bronx grow as artists and as thinkers
According to a study by the Wallace Foundation, middle school students say they want three things from an art program: They want to learn real skills from real teaching artists in a real art space. Last fall, Creative Art Works hit the trifecta at two after-school programs in The Bronx. Students at MS 45 created their own comic book characters in the Cartooning and Anatomy class, while students at IS 254 explored a variety of techniques in a formal drawing class. Both these semester-long programs were taught by CAW Teaching Artists and offered a deep dive into a single subject.
Middle school students experience a rapid development in cognitive, emotional and social skills. They begin to look at things from multiple perspectives, think critically and abstractly, and to question authority. These programs offered students a chance to try out these new skills in a safe environment. The results ranged from profound insights to biting satire.
“My artwork is about how society tries to control us. Even though this is a robot, deep inside it knows what’s real, and what’s right and wrong. That’s why it’s crying teardrops of oil.”
A Gallery of Drawings by Students at IS 254
Finding your tribe and expressing yourself
Like all adolescents, students in the Cartooning and Anatomy program at MS 45 need to express their own identity; but at the same time, they crave acceptance from their peers. Developing cartoon characters and creating their own comic book pages allowed them to do both — find community among people with similar interests and create cool stuff that earns them respect from that community.
CAW Teaching Artist Cupid Ojala says he could see students making connections and building skills. “I think the "ah-ha" moment for most of the students was understanding that creating a character is a process, not just making a single drawing. We asked them to choose the identity of their characters, such as gender or non-gender, human or non-human, super powers, costumes, and the locations they lived in. We challenged them to re-imagine their character in several different ways, and to not only draw them but to make sculptures of them. In the end the students were creating a world where they had autonomy.”
Louis, holding a clay model of his character, with his mother and aunt and Teaching Artist Cupid Ojala (far right) at the MS 45 Cartoon and Anatomy culminating event.
“Louis is an A+ student who is incredibly prolific. He generates pages and pages of characters in hilarious scenarios, but most of the time in class, he does not speak — he just makes sound effects. At the culminating event today, he was so comfortable and was able to speak clearly and effortlessly about his experience in class.”
Cartoon and Anatomy Portfolios from MS 45
Students from both programs had the opportunity to build a portfolio of work that demonstrates their growth as artists. Several students have expressed interest in attending specialized art high schools which require portfolios as part of the application process.
“Pizza Chaos” by Louis
“I learned how to make backgrounds and tell stories through pictures. I learned how to draw characters in proportion with skeletons and muscles. The project that most captured my attention was when we sculpted, because I like working with my hands.”
“A New Start” by Alex
“The project that I enjoyed the most was developing every aspect of the characters. It was fun to make up a personality and clothing, and to use my imagination.”
“Spark” by Leroy
“One thing that I had never done before was using proportions for drawing people. This really helped me develop my drawing skills and learn how to [enlarge] and [reduce] figures. Creating the comic book cover was my favorite part, because it let me express the elements and style of my character. ”
“Horror Island” by Grace
These Creative Art Works programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural After-School Adventures (CASA) Initiative in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Ritchie Torres.