ART & RUNNING IN LITTLE VILLAGE, Neighborhood Explorations + Archives
in partnership with Telpochcalli School + Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education | 4th-8th grade
Inquiry:
-Through experimentation with art and running how do we develop a deeper sense of our community and ourselves?
-What does it mean for our group of young people to run and do art in their neighborhood?
-Through self discovery students gain a deeper sense of who they are, but also develop a deeper sense of the community, therefore developing a sense of self empowerment and control of how others in the community view them as young people…
Students created a zines which are collections of reflections and art pieces from the 2 years this program ran. We investigated: pattern, color theory / colors of our community, technology, experimental screen printing, watercolor painting, mapping our senses, mapping our run, physical monitoring walk/run journals, how our community like other communities, systems, self awareness, breathing, posture, stretching, proper attire, strength and endurance
We distributed nearly 200 zines. Students were able to personally connect with community members and business owners to introduce themselves and extend a personal invitation to Telpochcalli’s annual Art Fest. Students made personal connections with police officers, firefighters, local librarians, tattoo shops, restaurant servers and managers, and local artists. We also hosted family runs, interviewed community members from all levels.
My Chicago: Students’ Perspectives on Their City
By Michelle Green Posted May 16, 2019 In The CAPE Blog
At Hoyne Elementary in Archer Heights, music teacher Andre Porter is working with CAPE Teaching Artist Jessica Mueller to build on work he began with his students last year as part of CAPE’s ATLAS program for fine arts teachers. Currently, Andre and Jessica’s 8th grade students are in the midst of an expansive project that will help them express their own views and understanding of their neighborhood and Chicago in general though photography, sculpture, poetry, video, audio, watercolor painting, songwriting.
To shape their creative concepts and consider different modes of expression and representation, the students are exploring the work of Chance the Rapper and lifelong Englewood resident/artist/ activist, Tonika Johnson. The students are also asking themselves and each other:What is my daily reality of Chicago?
-Is my reality in line with the often negative perceptions of the city?
-Does my reality offer a different perspective that pushes back against those perceptions?
-How can I express my Chicago through visual, digital, literary, or performative art?
*to read the full blog post click The CAPE Blog 1 0
Click here to view Andre Porter and Jessica Mueller’s 2020 Artist/Researcher Partnership project What’s YOUR Story? which took place at the hight of the pandemic. Andre and Jessica, along with fellow CAPE teaching artist Gina Lee Robins co-curated and built CAPE’s 2020 online CONVERGENCE exhibition which can be explored through this link.
The 2020 CAPE Convergence exhibition was designed to immerse visitors in a virtual environment that explores the successes and challenges faced by students, teachers, and artists as they navigated the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The curation of this process broke new ground on what a collaborative arts partnership would entail and how explorative the process could be in the future.
Telpochcalli | TCEP | CAPE Parent Art Program
The Telpo|TCEP|CAPE Parent Art Program engages with projects that have a particular focus on self-empowerment, reflection, examination of the past and its impact on present-day situations. We have been examining how our childhood experiences and upbringing influence how we choose to raise our own children, how this shapes our self-worth, and how through art and shared dialogue we can reframe this conversation.
Portfolio Design Project | Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education
Formerly a Program Manager at CAPE, I managed the multiple layers of a million dollar, research based federal grant. I developed and organized professional developments and supported partnerships for over 40 artists, arts teachers, and academic teachers, while working with principals and district officials.
LOVE<3 by Alexandra Munguia -Mueller; Collaboration, Consent, & Ownership with Children
This is a photo of my studio space at SAIC during the summer 2017 residency after I invited my children in to see my space for a whole 15 minutes. Growing up with and artist for a mother, my kids are not shy around materials or in artist spaces. My son curiously looked through my Mother Work/d kits while my daughter went straight for the paint and sponge, looked to me to give her the go ahead and went for it. This has me asking:
1) What does it mean to have a child’s work in professional/academic spaces?
2) How can I collaborate with my children as true partners with their consent, allowing them to have ownership during the process?
jessicamuellerart.com 