Illustrate to Illuminate
My Playground
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT
If you look at NAWA artists, you will often find highly skilled artists with big hearts. They talk about issues that are relevant in society, and they teach. Many teach in their studios; some teach and mentor in residencies. The NAWA artists share the vision for bettering the world we are in through creating meaningful art that makes students think.
“I think” Playground
Kai Harm, Hilltop Country Day School, 7th grade
You can run, play, ski, or maybe snowboard.
You might get queasy as you teleport around the bouncy, soft Playground.
You might get hungry, so get a bite but don’t get an only fright or go and take a hike
in this happy, confused, infuriating, optimistic place, but don’t forget where you are, or you might never escape.
That’s one of the most distinctive features of NAWA teaching artists. They not only want to share their craft, but they also want to share a kind, heart-based approach while teaching the craft. Two like-minded NAWA artists, Elena Zelenina, our membership chair, and Executive Director Jill Cliffer Baratta suggested My Playground as a theme for this pilot Art in Conversation project. It’s an inspiring thought to look at the world as a giant playground, and if we had the power to build our playgrounds to our desire, they would reflect things we love to do the most. For some, it might be canvases and paints; for some, nature and animals; for others, it could be friends; and for still others, the whole Cosmos as our big playground.
“Lucas Land” Playground
Lucas Kozonasky, Hilltop Country Day School, 7th grade
With gentle gold, I paint my dreams,
With yellow soft, I draw my friends.
I code my world
I drift away
I sculpt my place to play my game.
The project is designed to start a conversation in our society and across the states on something that we, as artists, mothers, teachers, and activists, want our young generation to form an educated opinion on so they can carry on NAWA’s vision of supporting each other and having a voice. The Membership Committee happily invites all NAWA teaching artists to join this community engagement project.
“Cha-cha-cha” Playground
Scarlette Balint, Hilltop Country Day School, 3d grade
You can dance, play, and teleport
At the Cha-cha-cha Playground.
You can hop, walk, and pet a cat.
At the Cha-cha-cha Playground.
You can’t be mad, angry, or sad.
At the Cha-cha-cha Playground.
But you can be beautifully crazy
At the Cha-cha-cha Playground.
