My students need the most basic supplies, our classroom does not even have pencils or paper to work with. Items such as pencils, paper, and paint are needed.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
I first came to my school as an Artist in Residence this fall. I created my own studio space in their classroom affectionately called "Paula-la-la Land". After a semester of beautiful collaborations, I stepped in as their art teacher in the wake of budget cuts which threatened the program.
The staff describe my school, and its relationship to the surrounding neighborhood as being like a hurricane, our mascot.
We are located in one of the areas hit the hardest by the decline of the city. Rollo Homig of The New Yorker wrote "Much of [this area] matches what Detroit looks like in the popular imagination—an alarming amalgam of city dump, crime scene, and wild prairie". We are the "eye" of the storm amidst all this chaos. Our school is a safe haven for students. We strive to create a community which, at least for the school day, is an escape for our students from the hardship and instability which they face everyday. The school focuses on both academic as well as trade skills. We have a woodworking program, a custom bike making program, as well as an apparel screen printing program. We will also be the site of a community maker space in the coming year.
My Project
I want my students to gain an understanding of the world around them through getting to know the reciprocal relationship which they share with their environment. Much of the art which we will make will be about our immediate surroundings, as well as made using found materials from the environment. Not only does this create more original and meaningful work, but also exposes students to new forms of art. Some of our projects will include Pothole Prevention, a performance and installation of civic service where we will fill potholes in the surrounding neighborhood, a Kente cloth made from textiles woven with found materials on cardboard looms sewn together, as well as similar works made by students in Arusha, Tanzania. However, to do these things, we need basic supplies. Right now, my classroom has two pairs of scissors. Having rudimentary supplies to work with will help give my students the conceptual framework to push their work into a new realm.
Not every one of my students will become an artist.
Some won't even graduate. I want to be able to teach them critical thinking and creative problem solving skills which will be an asset to them no matter what vocation they decide to pursue.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Schubatis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.