About the Project: The Judy Baca Arts Academy represents the tremendous potential for creative learning endeavors within the LAUSD. The support of projects that allow students to create images of themselves as successful individuals is crucial to the development of their future academic preparedness. The proposed four-week project is called the ‘Emancipation Project’, and will be created by members of the 6th grade class as a gift for the school in partnership with university students enrolled in the Beyond the Mexican Mural studio course through the UCLA@SPARC Digital Mural Lab.
Under the direction of Professor Judy Baca, undergraduate students will support the creation of an identity workshop meant to empower the academy’s youth. UCLA students, acting as hands on mentors, will challenge elementary school students to dream of who they can be, by creating a portrait that portrays a positive image of their current and future selves. The individual portraits will then be quilted together are a symbol of hope and unity giving a sense of ownership and strength to the school’s alumni. The portraits will be installed together in the school’s outdoor eating-area as an image of “emancipation” as they graduate from elementary school and succeed in their education with ambitious hopes for their future.
Proposed Project Timeline: The project will require four three hour-long workshops at the Judy Baca Arts Academy, executed on four consecutive Tuesdays as indicated below. UCLA Students will engage the 6th graders with an interactive identity workshop meant to facilitate sharing and personal expression. Photos will then be taken of the youth and then transferred onto a canvas. Students are encouraged to bring in items including: masks, hats, sacred items, memories, etc which they can add to their portraits, embellishing and amplifying their unique identities. The portraits will be creatively manipulated and enhanced by digital photo shopping means. The 6th graders will then be able to come back to their portraits, painting on top of them to create a layered identity. After the painting is complete, the portraits will be permanently installed at the Arts Academy.
Successful Winter 2013 Program: