ARTS 4 Justice Fall/Winter 2023
ARTS 4 Justice is a unique program which houses our partnership with the Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) District where we connect system-involved young people (ages 14-19) with visual and media arts programming and community-based projects. We use arts-based learning with healing centered engagement approach to confront and respond to the root causes of injustices found in communities across San Diego. We have worked with the JCCS South Campus class in the past and this session we welcomed the JCCS Global Campus to the ARTS center as well.
“It’s great because we tripled our numbers to serve more JCCS students overall this session”
- Teaching Artist, Kelsey Kenny
We provide Arts Integration projects which support essential questions being asked in all JCCS Fall 2023 student learning — What inspires me? What makes me unique? This concept was combined with ARTS’ organizational-wide theme of "Handmade,” where all ARTS programs featured aspects of projects that were made by hand and crafted with a distinctly human element to them.
Learn more about the ARTS 4 Justice Teaching Artists from voices of youth from our program!
ARTS teaching artists Rob Tobin and Kelsey Kenny developed curriculum which encompassed a flurry of art projects that touched on these essential questions and themes. One of the early projects that ARTS 4 Justice completed was “Cardboard Community.” Kelsey and Rob challenged students to think about elements that contribute to a healthy society — What do you need in a community? What kinds of buildings do you see? The JCCS students each designed the architecture of their own structure and built it from cardboard and hot glue. Paint and details were then added to give the buildings their own character. These buildings assembled together made a town full of the contributions of individuals to fulfill the needs of the community.
“It’s nice to see students overcome fear and express themselves in different ways with different techniques and media. You see kids slowly come out of their shells and speak up in class to share”
- Teaching Artist, Rob Tobin
Students furthered their exploration of self through projects like “Nylon Sculptures” where they considered what ways to express their unique characteristics through symbols and colors painted on an abstract shape. The concept of identity was taken a step further in the project “Masks,” by creating an outer image to the public that might be different from the image that they keep to themselves. Students played with the textures of tree bark and made shapes by hand with the cardboard to construct this outer identity.
This session, ARTS 4 Justice organized a program-wide field trip to the Mesa College exhibition “Cosecha.” This multimedia art show featured different foods that are meaningful to each artist. ARTS 4 Justice spent time to think about what foods are important to them and why. This was later expressed in their own artwork done in class. The Mesa College art department was kind enough to give students a tour of their art facilities and the prospect that college could be an option for them in the future.
“The South Campus kids collaborated with Global Campus kids to unify in creating a large sculptural art piece”
- Teaching Artist, Kelsey Kenny
Much of the students’ work culminated into final collaborative sculptures which were showcased as part of the Handmade: Youth Arts Festival. ARTS 4 Justice students studied mandalas through the artistic technique of creating mosaics. For many, the process of making mandalas can lead to a sense of calm and peace and be a source of meditation. Students learned about their symmetrical nature, variety of shapes and color and how they show up in a variety of cultures from Tibetan sand paintings, Christian stained glass, Mayan calendars, to Islamic architecture.
Arts 4 Justice applied the concepts of mosaics both literally and metaphorically in how the students and artwork came together. The mandala-mosaic sculptures were made up of several individual and unique pieces, when put together create something beautiful. Each students mandala combined to create the larger class sculptures. The final product was one large collaborative art piece, “Mosaic Horizons” built from both JCCS Global and South campus' with each student adding their own distinct characteristics and becoming part of a greater whole. These sculptural pieces were made from tile, foam, wire, concrete, grout, wood.
“In some ways, the teachers of the JCCS schools have been able to use ARTS class as a reward for students”
- Teaching Artist, Rob Tobin
Through these creative handmade projects designed by Kelsey Kenny and Rob Tobin, ARTS 4 Justice Fall 2023 students surely have a better understanding of what inspires them and what makes them truly unique. The addition of the JCCS Global Campus to ARTS 4 Justice enhanced an already vibrant program.
ARTS 4 Justice Fall/Winter 2023 Participating Students:
Sofia C, Anna R, Esteban M, Alfredo P, Adelina R, Graciela R, Samuel G, Roberto G, Brandon O, Joseph S, Christopher S, Erick D, Alex M, Ezequiel, Anthony R, Alexandra J, Amy L, Bianca A, Dianella A, Guadalupe A, Javier A, Lea A, Melina J, Natalia G, Michelle U, Naohmi G, Genesis G, Ricardo L, Louis M, Victoria L, Grecia G, Yandel B, Ayanna F, Jesus S, Ana C, Moises C, Zander C, Karla H
