Art Brings Change

This past summer, I was able to have an internship with the Memphis Teacher Residency Camp. Camp is held in the Binghampton neighborhood at the community elementary school. If you know anything about Memphis, you know that Binghampton does not have a record of being one of the most safe or economically prosperous neighborhoods around. In fact, 48% of the households have an income under $20,000 with 33% of the households with no wage or salary income. For a while, the schools in the neighborhood were a similar reflection of the community.

Done by campers of MTR Camp 2014

            So, it was our goal during the summer to hold an academic summer camp for students kindergarten through third grade that incorporated art and drama into the day as well. After a week of training, the other interns and I were ready for the students. I was trained as a team leader meaning I would have the same group of students all day, leading them from breakfast to math to reading to lunch, then dismissing them to their prospective elective. From there, I lead a class of students in art projects before going to the gym to play. 

            After the first couple days with the Blue Barracudas, my group’s name, I wondered how on earth I was going to make it five weeks. They were rambunctious. They were wild. They didn’t get along. They were your typical third grade students in a school building during the summer, so I understood from that perspective. Despite the difficulty some days, the part of each day I looked forward to most was when I got to lead art class. It was there that I watched a whole new side of students emerge.

            One project we did was to create tie-dye t-shirts using sharpies and rubbing alcohol. I had taught our students a certain technique by creating circles of color using dots of sharpies then dropping the rubbing alcohol in the center. From there, the color would spread out in circular shapes creating a tie-dye effect. After explaining the project and getting them started, I looked over at one student who was drawing a train on his shirt. That was not the dot technique that I had JUST taught them. After asking him what he was drawing, he gave an obvious answer, “ A train.” I decided to follow his lead with the train. I asked if he would like to drop the rubbing alcohol on it. We did. After the colors dispersed, I took his shirt off his desk and walked five feet away. I held up his shirt facing him and asked what he thought. He looked in awe and responded, “Beautiful.” 

            That first grade boy was right. It was beautiful. It was his art. His creatively. Something he valued and gave him confidence. Although he generally was a tougher student to keep on task in the classroom, in art class he was in his own world of drawing, painting, and creating. 

            I had many moments similar to this one throughout the summer, but there has been a continuation of stories since I left. This neighborhood has embraced art as something to be valued and something to bring hope and change. The neighborhood has the Carpenter Art Garden, an outdoor area in which community members can do art, display art, and come together over art. Next to the garden is the Purple House, a house utilized for art classes, yoga classes, and other programs. 

            Throughout the semester, the Art Garden and the Purple House have provided many opportunities for kids and parents to come make art, display it throughout the community, and even sell the artwork at local festivals. If you were to go through this neighborhood that has a reputation of being rough, poor, and dangerous, you would instead be filled with hope. Painted murals, plywood boards painted with encouraging sayings, and wooden hearts painted like the Grizz are seen on every street. 

            Art is changing this community. Through the children who have more opportunities for art both in school and out of school and through the parents and community members who participate or get to enjoy the art displayed. 

            If you are ever in Memphis, be sure to drive down Tillman Street, the center of Binghampton, and then go down Carpenter Street as well, and you’ll see the heart behind this beautiful community.

http://www.carpenterartgarden.com

Scruffy Little City: Leadership Knoxville Scholars