Who Do You Want to Be?
“To be successful in school and in life, you need some form of reflective practice, whether that be artmaking, or writing about yourself, or personal planning. You need to have a set of tools to help you tell the story of your life.”
Freshmen in the Foundations program at A. Philip Randolph Campus High School use art to reflect on their identities, values, and dreams.
The transition from middle school to high school can be daunting. Academically, there are higher expectations and a greater emphasis on independent study and time management. Socially, students often enter a much larger school with a more diverse student body. This is particularly true at A. Philip Randolph High School, which admits over 300 new students each year. That’s why the Foundations program, a required course for all incoming freshmen, was designed to challenge students to develop a basic understanding of themselves in relation to the growth that they're experiencing as young adults.
The Foundations program includes Creative Art Works artmaking activities that offer students different ways to understand their own agency on their path through life. For example, one project, called “The Game of Life,” invited students to draw a board game based upon their life. Students could visually represent the challenges of navigating high school, family, and friendships. It was a playful and creative way for students to feel like they have a lot of power on their life path, but also understand that there are elements of chance as well.
Foundations Students created their own “Game of Life” based on personal experiences
“The activities in Foundations were designed to be open-ended and to respect different learning styles. I think that flexibility made the program successful.”
Most students in Foundations did not identify as artists, yet all were willing to try something new.
CAW fielded three Teaching Artists to cover the many sections of this program: Abby Walsh, Natalie Raskin, and Farah Mohammed. While each TA adhered to the basic principles of the program, they also brought their own unique perspective and approach.
Natalie said that, because Foundations is not an elective, most of the students did not self identify as artists, so it took some coaxing and encouragement to get everybody to participate.
“There are always some students who are ready to embrace what might feel like the childish aspect of artmaking,” said Natalie, “However, a lot of students at this age worry about being judged by their peers, so they don't want to get too engaged. Still, I feel like most students broke out at some point during the course of this program -- everybody made something. Everybody tried something new.”
What’s on your Mind?
This project was called “The Frankenstein Self.” Students were asked to visualize parts of themselves through shapes and textures. The idea was to get them to express what thoughts occupy their mind without using words.
Navigating Conflict
Engaging in conflict is a difficult thing for most of us, so being able to acknowledge how we feel as well as how it impacts others is critical to building strong relationships. For this multi-day project, Abby invited her students to pair up and discuss what kind of conversation they wanted to show and how to express it visually. Some students chose to work in groups of three – which often involves someone getting stuck in the middle acting as mediator.
Abby said, “It has been my experience that students are processing conflict in their lives already, so creating a safe container where they have both permission and guidance to explore these ideas is actually very interesting to them.”
Your Accented Name
Graffiti names displayed in the hallways of A. Philip Randolph Campus High School
Some styles of graffiti lettering are distinct to a particular region – kind of like having an accent. This project presented techniques that allowed students to design their own unique style of letters that speak as loudly as their voice.
The first day of the project introduced basic skills and offered students the opportunity to investigate shapes. The second day focused on color – playing with positive and negative shapes, exploring how different combinations and applications could make an image jump off the page. Students were proud to see their artwork displayed in the hallways.
Teaching and Program Staff
Program Staff
Program Manager Kevin Claiborne
Program Manager of Teaching & Learning Riki Sabel
Operations Coordinator Emilio Vides-Curnen
Program Coordinator Madeline De León
CAW Teaching Staff
Farah Mohammed
Natalie Raskin
Abby Walsh
This program was made possible, in part, by the West Harlem Development Corporation, and by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Creative Art Works’ school-based programs also receive support from the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation.