Middle & Upper School Students Participate in Workshops to Celebrate Black History Month!

In honor of Black History Month, during activity period last week, Middle and Upper School students had the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops of their choice to explore the role of art as a vehicle of social change. Students celebrated Black artists and had the opportunity to create their own pieces.⁣

⁣

ART WORKSHOP⁣

In the Art Workshop students captured the essence of their voice by telling stories visually through collage. They watched a video where artist Cornelius Tulloch explained how Louis Armstrong used collage to express himself, during the racial injustices that lead to the Harlem Renaissance. Louis Armstrong captured the resilience of African Americans by shedding light on societal injustices. Students were asked how they would tell their story and share their experience through collage. For this workshop students came prepared with meaningful images and found objects that reminded them of home to create powerful collages of their own.⁣

⁣

MUSIC WORKSHOP⁣

In the Music Workshop students explored the art of the cadenza in jazz music and how it related to redlining in America. They watched a short video of New York trumpeter Marquis Hill. Hill demonstrated how Louis Armstrong wrote music cadenzas. Students each had an opportunity to create and share their own cadenzas. Students were encouraged to bring an instrument if they had one.⁣

⁣

WRITING WORKSHOP⁣

In the Writing Workshop students explored the role of art as a vehicle for social change. They watched a video in which African-American spoken-word poet Daniel J. Watts recited a poem and broke down his technique. After a brief discussion, students spent the remaining time composing a poem of their own.⁣

⁣

Special shout out to Ms. Anvar, Mr. Carson, Ms. Coratti, Dr. Sipley, and Ms. Varsos for hosting these fabulous workshops, as well as Ms. Garfinkel for assistance with the organization.⁣

⁣

#TheKewForestSchool #WeAreKewForest #GoJaguars #MiddleSchool #UpperSchool #Art #Music #Writing #BlackHistoryMonth