The Center for ArtEsteem collaborated with Oakland Unified School District’s summer Healing and Academics for Kids (HAcK) program once again to integrate art into their English and Biology classes. The projects culminated in a final exhibition at The Crucible to showcase the skills they learned and creativity they expressed.
Teaching Artist Jamiani Gray created collages with Ms. Coleman’s English class based on the book “There There” by Tommy Orange. A polyphonic story centering 12 Native characters living in Oakland, students were invited to choose a character they connected with and create a multimedia self portrait illustrating how they relate to the stories and experiences of the characters Orange crafted.
With the support of a Spanish translator, one student, David, shared his process: “I identify with Opal because of her immigrant experience, and I am an immigrant coming to the US. I chose to draw this because it is about my experience at school making friends. I came in 2020.”
District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife gave him several high fives. “Everybody is a hero in different ways,” she reflected. “Everyone is amazing.”
Teaching Artist and ArtEsteem Artistic Development Manager Etty Alberto worked with Mr. Gonzalez’s Biology class to explore the Golden Ratio. They created papier mache models of the Fibonacci spiral and compared how this pattern is found on the human body, plants, and animals.
Dany Mendoza presented his projects: “I learned about fingers in the hand, and I figured it out using the skill of observation.”
When asked how his sculpture relates to his hand project, he explained, “I was able to see the Fibonacci sequence in hands and fingerprints.”
The audience was also invited to draw their handprint on a group art project exploring how the Golden Ratio is found in the natural world.
The enrichment provided through arts integration shines through the students’ heartfelt and detailed artwork. ArtEsteem is proud to be a partner of Oakland Unified School District, and looks ahead with joy for future opportunities to cultivate creativity and knowledge.