What Makes You, You?
Self-portrait with donuts inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo, Kehinde Wiley, and Amy Sherald
A Creative Art Works program at IS 232 in The Bronx centers youth perspectives while exploring themes of social justice
Art is a powerful medium for shaping and defining identity, and identity plays a crucial role in shaping how we see the world and what matters to us. The Creative Art Works program at IS 232 in The Bronx challenges students to think about their own identity and values by making self-portraits in a variety of media.
According to CAW’s Program Manager of Teaching & Learning, Ivory Nunez-Medrano, “The curriculum for this program combines two concepts under the umbrella of social justice: one is identity, and the other community. By crafting their own visual narratives, and growing as members of a creative community, students can explore possibilities to recreate themselves and their realities.”
Students spent the first half of the program exploring how our identities shape our perspectives before beginning hands-on activities that reflect how we, as individuals, fit into a larger community. In early projects, students explored various ways of representing themselves in two dimensions, including tattoo designs and self-portraits inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo, Kehinde Wiley, and Amy Sherald, among others.
The culminating project will include creating a miniature self-portrait in clay and then placing it in a diorama that represents the world of the artist. These dioramas will reflect scenes of community. Based on the work produced so far, it seems likely that food, and its cultural significance, will feature prominently into these scenes.
Working with clay and paint requires a lot of patience and an openness to trial and error.
For students who spend so much of their free-time time looking at screens, working with clay is yet another means to self-discovery. CAW Teaching Artist Amrita Singh says, “Working with clay and paint requires a lot of patience and an openness to trial and error. For example, weight and connectivity need to be considered in the design of standing structures. It has been rewarding to see how the class has demonstrated their willingness to tackle these challenges.”
Amrita says it’s been gratifying to see her students improve their technical skills by working across media and embrace their own personal styles with more confidence. She has also noticed that their creativity has evolved over the course of the program.
“What has surprised me the most is noticing how their creativity has evolved from their work from 2D to 3D character work. For instance, some students have developed more abstract concepts of self when creating their clay counterparts and paired these characters with narratives that connect back to them as the artist. From fruit people to human-animal hybrids, students have reflected on how to best express themselves with the materials available.”
Teaching Artists and Program Staff
Amrita Singh, Teaching Artist
Yotzin Reyes, Teaching Artist Assistant in Training
Donna Manganello, Program Manager
Ivory Nunez-Medrano, Program Manager | Teaching and Learning
Madeline De Leon, Program Associate
This Creative Art Works program is made possible, in part, by funds from New York State Assembly District 77 and State Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner, and, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
