Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School
for Science and Technology's Art Program
Katrina 5th Year Anniversary Project
A letter from Amelie Founder/Director
Having completed our 4 year core program, we are now ready to train others in this work, interning them here and at other schools and communities. We have more than ten thousand people diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in LA. , and no large scale response for recovery. This training will work in two ways: first, the high school students and young adults will become engaged with the arts as healing as they learn to implement this program, thus experiencing their own recovery. This training will bring skills in conflict resolution, communication, mind/body/spirit integration and the arts for expression and re-patterning. The second component for recovery is the economy derived from paying myself, my staff and the interns, which supports their commitment and completion for the 2 year certification.
NAMASTE
Storm Work
The “Storm Work” began in January of 2006 at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for Science and Technology. At the time the school was displaced, located in Central City at its temporary location. While the school was fighting to return home to the lower 9th Ward, the “Storm Work” began at the invitation of our school board.
The “Storm Work” took various forms according to the grade level. Mos Chukma was working with students from Pre-K to 7th Grade. It took approximately 6 to 8 weeks to complete this section of our program. All work derives from a prescribed methodology incorporating art and movement, geometry and the natural sciences, developed over many years.
The older students worked in Storm Work Books, which allowed the students to explore their feelings and tell their stories through words and pictures. These pages were the basis of larger art projects. The younger students worked with images and words and created art of their storm experiences. In these creations, our students always place themselves in their art. This produces a kind of narrative art form. The students embraced the deep nature of the work with the realization of their impact on many. This work is developmental and progressive.
Mos Chukma Institute plans to continue the “Storm Work” through 2010. This year our work takes us into the body, dance, theatre, spoken word and 3-Demensional art installations.
PROJECTS
Pre-K through 1st Grade- Gardening
3rd Grade- Memorial Boxes
4th Grade- Storm Theater
5th Grade- Storm Journals
6th Grade- Storm Books
8th grade- Film Work Shop
Memorial Boxes
At the beginning of the school August 2007, Mos Chukma responded to the needs of the students’ loss and grief with a special project for the 2nd Year Anniversary of the flood. In this art piece we gathered students, 3rd grade through 7th grade, and created a large collective work. It is approximately 5 feet wide and 4 feet high. On the left side was our Memorial Box in which our students incorporated their Grief and Loss due to the flood. The right side was our Hope Box. In this box we put all of our hopes and dreams for our community.
Our children were asked to remember their difficult past but also to project their future community in a healthy positive way. This project was based in our ‘storm work’ and was finished for the day of the anniversary August 29th, 2007.
On this day, the President of the United States, George W. Bush visited our school. There in our school’s library standing within feet of the Memorial Box, President Bush gave his speech. Our children’s voices are so powerful that they were included in the presidents article on the AP wire entitled Bush Vows Sustained Help for New Orleans, August 29th 2007.
“Bush with uniformed students at his side, near mostly empty bookcases in the library at the Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology, and a symbolic “memory box” made by school children.
School art teacher Amelie Prescott, who doubles as a grief counselor of sorts, says the project was part of an effort to help the children overcome their grief and fear after the storm.
“It doesn’t do any good to put it away,” said Prescott, who was born in New Orleans but left when she was six years old. “You have to go to that moment of trauma and fetch back your spirit.”
On the black and white “grief and loss” side, an angel plays the saxophone; a black-crayon drawing of the Superdome sports area shows refugees heading there and a roof blowing away; and molding-clay figures beg to be rescued from the top of a paper house.
On the colorful “dreams and wishes” side, among figures of reunited families, one message stands out: “I wish that everyone could come back to New Orleans.”
Prescott, 65, retired…came to New Orleans last year after selling her house in Berkeley, California.
Since classes resumed August 12th, Prescott has tried to help children as young as eight years old, some of whom still break down when it rains, work through their grief.
A blackboard on a short easel shows some of the results, including the grim toll of the storm; “Desperate. Angry. Helpless. Hungry. Homeless.”
On the more hopeful side, the children wish for “Stronger Levees. Taller Levees. Better playground. Nicer, happier people. Rebuild houses. Grandma Back.”
“They don’t feel sorry for themselves,” she said. “These are strong children. They’ve been through so much…still going through it.”
Many eyes teared up as they looked upon the students work.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14019162
David Green’s story
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/070829/usa/us_katrina2years
Based upon this Memorial Box, our 3rd grade students have expressed their desire to make their own Memorial Boxes, and so, in February, 08 we will begin this process. We work with three 3rd grade classes, which means approximately 60 students will be participating in this form of Storm Work.
We will be collaborating with Christopher Porche West a well known local photographer. Christopher will head the construction of the boxes. Also Rashida Ferdinand, a local resident of the Lower 9th Ward and professional ceramicist will be working with us to help guide our students in the ways of three-D clay construction, to mold figures for the boxes.
Goal: The goal of this project is to create Memorial/Hope Boxes with the third Graders at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science of Technology, enabling the students to express and reframe their storm experience through 3-D construction and storytelling. Also this work will be promoted within the communities through various venues such as gallery exhibits and films.
Timeline:
The storm work will begin in Mid- February and continue into May, 08 until the projects are completed.
Objectives:
• To reframe the students’ storm experience, bringing them into a safe and nurturing present time.
• To allow the students to express their storm experiences through the emergence of their creative spirit.
• To promote a positive outlook for our students and their world.
• To inspire and empower our students to share their stories with their communities and the world.
• To work and to learn from local experts.
Transcendent Dreams
A documentary film about Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology, the 1st school to open in the Lower 9th Ward.
Mos Chukma Institute is currently planning a community screening for it's most recent film Transcendent Dreams. Transcendent Dreams is a journey into a mighty school and people seen through healings eyes. This film is meant to re-connect the community with a message of renewal.
MLK NATION
As a way to preserve the local culture and continue the oral history of this land we have invited Ronald Lewis, curator and owner of House of Dance and Feathers, into our classroom. Ronald Lewis brings 1st hand experience and knowledge of the Mardi Gras Indians to the students. In November he worked with 4 of our classes. (Ms. Tompson’s 5th Grade, Ms. Williams’ 5th Grade, Mr. Tolbert’s 6th Grade, and Mr. Recasner’s 4th grade)
It’s been a wonderful learning experience. So wonderful, Mr. Lewis declared our classes to be the MLK NATION.
While in class our students learned first hand the beauty of their culture. Mr. Lewis shared a film which explored the history of the Mardi Gras Indians and then the children created patch designs on paper using markers and crayons. They made traditional African designs based in story or traditional Native American designs based in geometry.
Objectives:
• To preserve local culture and history through education.
• To create a local art form.
• To inspire these students to investigate their culture.
• To learn from a local expert.
• To renew pride and respect for their community.
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