The uprising in Baltimore last April took a toll on the city, but it also weighed heavily on the youth. An art curriculum at ConneXions Community-Based Art School was designed to help students understand what happened and allow them to express their feelings through visual art.
On Wednesday, several high school students were putting on the final touches on a piece of artwork they have been working on for the entire month. The mural located in Gallery CA depicts the Baltimore uprising last year through students’ eyes.
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“I felt like wow, is this how riots turn out? I understand they're fighting for their rights, but what does stealing have to do with it? Breaking into places and burning down the CVS,” said Faraji Qiydar, a 10th grader at ConneXions.
“They were burning down stuff, stealing, and putting everyone in danger,” added Tanaira Johnson, a 9th grader.
Their school is located in Greater Mondawmin not far from where the riots broke out, and aside from conversations about what happened teachers, wanted to give students another way to process the events starting with an empty canvas.
“They just wanted an opportunity to really express what their experience has been and also the aftermath,” said Christine Stiver, one of the visual arts teachers guiding students on the project. “What's happened since, and how they're still living through it and what their life continues to be like living and working in that neighborhood.”
The mural shows images of Freddie Gray with angel wings, Martin Luther King Jr., and a police figure pointing a gun at a person holding their hands up.
“They sort of move through these places that they saw in the news and saw being wrecked but that's not their community. Their community's filled with love, filled with joy, it's full of support and so this isn't just about the negative effects it's also about the positivity, and getting students to feel comfortable talking openly about how they feel like they're being represented,” said Stiver.
The art curriculum is called Rising Up, and through 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional art installations and video projections, students took a closer look at factors leading up to the Baltimore uprising while learning about significant moments in black history.
“It’s a way to contextualize current events with the past but using art as a tool to do so,” said Ada Pinkston, another ConneXions visual arts teacher helping students with the project.
Through art the students are being educated, but they also hope to teach something to all those who view their work.
“Emotion, the creativity through us, from us,” said Emmanuel Brown, a 9th grader.
“It feels like I'm able to tell them what should happen and what we can do in order to prevent this in the future,” said Qiydar.
This Friday is your last chance to view the artwork before it's painted over. There will be a reception at Gallery CA located at 440 E. Oliver St. from 7 to 9 p.m. with student performances and a final look at the finished mural.
The students also produced a video that includes personal opinions and reflections on the Baltimore Riots and the communities they live in. You can see it below:
Rising Up from Connections Arts on Vimeo.
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