object continuum: telling our stories
a community is a collection of people whose lives are interwoven, each life being a tapestryof stories and experiences that make up that individual experience. the telling our stories project at broadway neighborhood center is currently underway and will continue to grow and evolve throughout october and november of 2010.
WEEK ONE
one person attended the first night of planning and painting a communiyt mural. bionca has agreed to attend each from this point forward.
WEEK TWO
again bionca was the one student to participate along with her daughter devariana. bionca uses the neighborhood center as a resource frequently, and was excited to continue work. devariana's father, devarius, is also one of my students and was at his last football practice. he has promised to join us next week. the mural is now evolving into a family collaboration.
WEEK THREE
the mural begins to take shape. iliana joins us, as well as devariana's father devarius. it is decided that a base of green and blue will be laid. the kids are giving me pictures, and we are making plans to add their images and figures within the scene next week.
mukono, uganda
in 2009 I collected the first systematic data point in the iterative research process that will produce my dissertation. leading students from a high school for orphans of the aids epidemic in planning, composing, and executing a mural that depicts their individual, group, and national identities, i conducted qualitative research using a multiple-point approach to data collection. my approach is designed to generate new uses for narrative art-making as it pertains to at-risk student populations across a spectrum of geographic settings.
babylon art & cultural center
babylon art & cultural center was a 501(c)(3) community art center located in minneapolis from 2001-2005. equipt with galleries, a stage, and artist studios, the artwork and social programming reflected the diversity of south minneapolis through thematic exhibits and events inspired by grassroots community participation. as director of visual arts i curated babylon's galleries and shows, as well as coordinating outreach programming in minneapolis' diverse communities.
in 2003 i began to collaborate on commissioned public murals in minneapolis with iraqi artist haider al-amery and his uncle sabri al-amery, baghdad university professor of art emeritus, both of whom rented a studio at babylon. i later traveled with haider to new york city to paint two commissioned murals, and organized a caravan of artists from the twin cities to live with and paint murals alongside the indigenous people of chiapas, mexico, presenting our work at conferences in mexico city and seattle.
chiapas, méxico
universidad de chapingo, méxico d.f.
new york city and minneapolis
the world as classroom
one of my instructional interests is opening doors to students' participation in society by asking them to actively redefine their relationship with the visual environment beyond the art classroom.
email: daniel at danielkinney dot com