Categories
Education Resources

Creative Practice towards Civic Change

Just learned about this Canadian organization, Broken City Lab, via FB where a friend posted a link a great bibliography they have put together:
50 TITLES / 50 PERSPECTIVES: A READER’S GUIDE TO ART & SOCIAL PRACTICE

Looking forward to exploring more – esp the research blog and projects.

Broken City Lab is an artist-led interdisciplinary creative research collective and non-profit organization working to explore and unfold curiosities around locality, infrastructures, and creative practice leading towards civic change.

They work in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and abroad.

 

Categories
Education Resources

Rethinking Cinco de Mayo

Rethinking Cinco de Mayo by Sudie Hofmann from the Zinn Education Project 


Cinco de Mayo has been celebrated in the United States more than in Mexico. Celebrations in the state of Puebla (100 miles east of Mexico City) are common, but are fairly uncommon in the rest of the country. Many Puebla residents are conversant about the 1862 battle and how naval forces from Great Britain, Spain, and France traveled to Mexico to negotiate various financial debts. Spain and England settled their conflicts and left quickly but France decided to fight, believing they would be the easy victors and could establish a French colony in Mexico. Mexican soldiers, greatly outnumbered and poorly armed, prevailed. The battle is a source of pride for many Mexicans but not necessarily a major national holiday. READ ON

.

**Teaching A People’s History /Zinn Education Project is an incredible resource for teaching (and self-knowledge.)

Categories
Resources

Teaching Difficult Subject Matter

Student Voices database on international democracy issues.When tragedies happen killing of Trayvon Martin, one way to deal with the pain is to use it as a teachable moment. Here are some resources I have collected that tackle difficult issues head on or present alternative narratives. I am always looking for more.

Civic Voices: An International Democracy Memory Bank Project
Be sure to see Student Voices database on international democracy issues.

Teaching about Trayvon Martin (see previous post)
Be sure to take a look at the KLW chart

Question Bridge Educator Portal

Spark a Movement  a girl-fueled activist movement to demand an end to the sexualization of women and girls in media.

LAMPlatoon is a program which allows you to put that offending commercial on notice by exposing the underlying stereotypes and talking back to the insulting messages. Putting Ads on Notice.
[Learn About Multimedia Project]
They have a great how to guide

Speaking of great how to guides:
The Yes Lab Knowledgebase with a few pointers on how to carry out projects

Center for Artistic Activism

Thousand Kites A national dialogue project addressing the criminal justice system.
Calls from Home is a radio show project of A Thousand Kites that brings the voices of families to the airwaves as they send greetings directly to their incarcerated loved ones.

The Appalshop Channel

Positive Exposures on genetic differences

RELATED LINKS
Social Art Practices Blog
Imaging America Blog
Laundromat Project
StoryCorps DIY interview instructions
PBS Educators
Art of Regional Change

Categories
Resources

a great book list

Linda Burnham of Community Arts Network just put together this great book list at Powell’s books. The books pertain to art and its place in community. It includes books about community-based art in all media, socially engaged art, art in public places, art and public policy and art in education, healthcare, civic dialogue, community development, corrections, cultural democracy, environment and spirituality…and topics of interest to people who make community-based art.

Categories
Resources

Online Sources for Curriculum Ideas

Workshop Exercises contributed by Tisch Students to the Office of Community Connections

Exercise chapter in Urban Ensemble booklet – pp 37-68 Dowload PDF

Venice Arts is a treasure trove of resources, activities and more.
Click on Library tab and then see pull down menu.

Artists in the Classroom: Ten Collaborative Projects (Center for Documentary Studies, 1998)

Literacy Through Photography Blog

Urban Arts Partnership has a rich website – worth exploring entire site
For specific curriculum ideas, look at Photography posts on the blog

For inspiration, take at a look at Storymapping Projects, an interesting interface for presenting stories

Categories
Resources

On Reading

Dear Governor: Lobby to Save a Love of Reading – SchoolBook:

Interesting article from NY Times School Book section about standardized testing and thinking about how to develop a love of reading.

and it looks like SchoolBook on nytimes.com is worth more exploration
Categories
Resources

FUZE

FUZE is devoted to supporting artists, thinkers, and activists. We believe art has the power to inspire and challenge us, foster productive dialogue and reflection, and suggest innovative methods for social and political transformation. FUZE serves as a catalyst for socially conscious and creative people in pursuit of informed and innovative dialogue. More

Categories
Education Resources

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Interesting ideas from the Art 21 Blog
 Teaching with Contemporary Art
Categories
Resources

Notes on Community Engagement

Fragments of NOTES/THOUGHTS from the Imagining America conference, Convergence Zones: Public Cultures and Translocal Practices, Seattle, WA, 9.23-9.25.10

You can be global while being local.

Nancy Cantor, Chancellor – Scholarship in Action @ Syracuse U
institutional responsibility and engagement
promoting scholarship and community simultaneously
Say YES to education program providing tuition to Syracuse city high school students

Caryn McTighe Musil – American Association of Colleges and Universities
Our {universities and colleges) welfare tied to community’s welfare
Civic learning spiral – braided elements with public action
 only 1% of community-based work is political according to the AAC studies.

Categories
Resources

Have Them Sit Down: The Civilians’ Method

The Civilians were founded in 2001. Our work often combines aspects of journalism with a creative process. We like to engage directly with the real world through interviews, community residencies and other experiences in order to create new theater from creative inquiries into the most vital questions of the present. read more of NPR story