Press Release
For Immediate Release
December 23, 2002
AWE CONTACT:
Lisa Becker
Executive Director
(414) 933-3877
Art Project Brings Children, Community Together
MILWAUKEE, WI – “Every song is a part of who we are”. At least
that’s the message the fifth graders at Milwaukee Spanish
Immersion School were singing at the dedication of the “Impressions”
art installation. Leading a procession of parents, volunteers,
and community leaders, a chorus of "Cantamos Americanos" resonated
through the halls of the school where city and county officials
including Daisy Cubias of Mayor Norquist’s office, Alderman
Joe Dudzik and county supervisor Daniel Diliberti joined in
celebrating the achievement of more than 200 students at Milwaukee
Spanish Immersion School at the art opening last Tuesday.
The "Impressions" project, sponsored by Artists Working in
Education, was the result of a three-week artist residency
at the school in which artists Juan Flores and Jorge Abundis
worked with students in the 2nd through 5th grades to create
plaster masks inspired by mask making in the Mexican tradition.
The masks were installed into the ceiling tiles and now enliven
more than 300 feet of hallways in the school. The 100-plus
tiles paired side-by-side in a continuous procession create
an undulating visual rhythm of high relief faces for a stunning
effect. Standing at the intersection of two hallways, one
onlooker remarked, "The masks appear to go on forever and
ever."
Students, parents and teachers at Milwaukee Spanish Immersion
School expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to work
with Flores and Abundis in the creation of a permanent artwork
for their school. According to Yvette Martel, Principal at
MSIS, “We try to give our students as many opportunities to
express themselves through art. This project was a way for
them to make a lasting impression on our school community
for years to come.”
The experience of working with two talented Latino artists
is likely to leave a lasting impression on the students, as
well. "We feel very fortunate to have been able to sponsor
Juan Flores and Jorge Abundis for this project," says Lisa
Becker, AWE Executive Director. "Both artists have an extraordinary
ability to engage students' imaginations in the creative process.
The benefit of this experience for the children, the artists
and the school will be long-lasting."
Daisy Cubias, staff assistant to Mayor Norquist, agrees. “When
we involve children in the arts, they are able to integrate
their learning into other areas. Art is a way to engage children
in another avenue of education. I am grateful that there are
organizations like Artists Working in Education so that children
can experience this way of learning through art.”
Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School is an MPS school located
at 2765 S. 55th St., Milwaukee, WI 53219.
Juan Flores is a sculptor and a painter who hails from Aquila,
a small town of Mexico located in the Veracruz region. He
studied visual arts at the National School of Fine Arts, La
Esmeralda. Juan’s work has been shown in Mexico, Cuba, Puerto
Rico, Italy and the United States. In sculpting, Flores works
in a variety of media, including plaster, clay, sand, concrete,
bronze, fiberglass and ice.
Jorge Abundis resides in Milwaukee and is bilingual. He received
a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Most recently, Abundis has been working as a visiting artist
at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, where he directed a
group of children in the creation of an altar for a Day of
the Dead celebration. Abundis, an accomplished artist in his
own right, is assisting and translating for Flores on the
“Impressions” project.
Artists Working in Education, Inc. (AWE) is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to provide youth in the Milwaukee area with
arts enrichment programs to enhance human potential, advance
learning and cultivate community. This project is supported
by AWE and made possible in part by a grant from the Greater
Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fund. For more information
contact Lisa Becker, AWE Executive Director, (414) 933-3877.
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