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Press Release
For Immediate Release
January 22, 2003
AWE CONTACT:
Lisa Becker
Executive Director
(414) 933-3877
AAL CONTACTS:
Susan Miller, Principal
Gina Jorgensen, Art Teacher 414-604-7300
ART PROJECT HELPS STUDENTS MAKE SENSE OF A POST SEPTEMBER 11TH WORLD
MILWAUKEE, WI. Students at the Academy of Accelerated Learning are building a vision of the future. Under the guidance of artist Fujie Yamaguchi Moses, and funded by Artists Working in Education, Inc. (AWE), the entire student body is collaborating on a 12’ x 12’ story cloth depicting the students’ journey in life.
The project was conceived by Gina Jorgensen, the art specialist at AAL, who envisioned her students creating a story cloth in the tradition of the Hmong paj ntaub (pronounced pa’ ndau). “The Hmong quilters use story quilts, or paj ntaub, to depict their journey from Laos to America”, says Jorgensen. “All of our students have taken a journey of some kind. The word “journey” can be used as a metaphor to obtain goals and seek dreams. We can use this as an opportunity to stress the importance of making good choices.”
One thing is evident when viewing the children’s work to date – each student’s journey has been indelibly marked by the events of September 11th. Patriotic symbols abound in the cloth panels. American flags, bald eagles, and Miss Liberty are all part of what the children have incorporated into their work and are a reflection of what is most important to them. Many of the AAL students and their families have come to the United States from other countries -- Laos, Japan, Mexico and Iraq, to name of few. In many ways the story cloth also indicates the children’s connection to the global community.
“Art helps children to make sense of their world. The root meaning of the word ‘art’ is ‘to fit together’. As the children are fitting together the pieces of the story cloth, learning happens on a larger scale. They are fitting together the pieces of their world in the wake of September 11th. Art provides a means of coping and understanding”, explains Lisa Becker, AWE Executive Director.
The students of AAL will be working on the story cloth project from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 12, 13 and 14 at the Academy of Accelerated Learning, 3727 S. 78th St., Milwaukee, WI 53220.
Fujie Yamaguchi Moses is a painter who was born in Japan and began her training there. She has exhibited throughout Wisconsin, nationally and internationally. Ms. Moses is a graduate of MIAD in Painting and Printmaking and has studied Printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Ms. Moses has a degree in commercial art from MATC.
The story cloth project will be dedicated on May 2, 2002 at the Academy of Accelerated Learning’s annual Folk Fair. In addition to the story cloth project, the students are creating quilts that will be given to terminally ill patients. As well, some quilts will be sold through a silent auction at the Folk Fair. The Folk Fair will also feature an exhibit of more than 50 story cloths belonging to the school, teachers, parents and members of the community. The Academy of Accelerated Learning is an MPS partnership school located on the south side of Milwaukee, serving students within the neighborhood community and throughout Milwaukee.
Artists Working in Education (AWE) is a non-profit organization established in 1998 that sponsors artists to work creatively with children to advance learning through the arts. AWE accomplishes this through its School Studio artist-in-residence program and through its Truck Studio Outreach program.
The impact that AWE makes in children’s lives has been made possible by the support of many organizations. Some AWE sponsors include the Windhover Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin, Inc., the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation, the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation, Meridian Industries, Manpower Foundation and Target.
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