Citri Southbridge Projects :

Description of the objects produced in Citri-Southbridge, Latin American and Kingswood community cethers in the summer of 1991:

In 1991, the Arts Van Go program produced various objects: 1500 drawings, ink washes and paintings, 130 name plaques painted on wood, 450 placemats (hand painted and drawn on burlap), 240 tie dyed handkerchiefs (30 of those were silk-screened designed with the Art Van Go 1991 logo), 130 mobiles (made from approximately 1,000 wood scraps and then painted), 130 necklaces (composed of hand made beads which were also painted), 130 chimes (constructed and painted), 130 Maraca’s (constructed of soda cans, rice, felt and paint), 130 Sculptures (12” sq. base, using 600 wood scraps, also painted), 480 tie dyed tee shirts with silkscreen designs and one large “Southbridge against drugs” banner (constructed of several silkscreen words that the children stenciled). To see more of the projects that were built at Citri-Southbridge see Kingswood and Latin American Community Center (via the missing documentation) the same syllabi was taught in all three locations.

In 1991, we focused on the home environment. We thought it would be exciting to make colorful objects that would enhance the home. We started with name plates, maraca music instruments, chimes, necklaces, handkerchiefs, mobiles, 1 ft. sculpture relief's and place mats.

Notes from Taira Liceaga (1991 Teaching Assistant + Collaborator):

“We believe that despite the budget, work hours and other limitations that we encountered, we found ways of creating products out of very simple things. The children learned how to use common materials in creative ways".

"The community centers that we were a part of didn’t seem to foster creativity or self-expression. We believe our presence and the Arts Van Go projects bring an alternative of hope and color to an otherwise limiting and non-stimulating environment. Some of the teachers were excited about the positive energy that came from this experience. Mrs Chandler at Kingswood, Mrs. Linda of Citri or Miss Lillian of LACC will attest to the success of this program. The Arts Van Go has great potential for the future and should continue serving the needs of the children that so much enjoyed it and have benefited from it.”

Tie dye shirts:

To start the program all three years, we would teach the children tie dye techniques, using a series of knots and rubber bands. They came up with a series of unique designs. We would go through approximately 300 shirts during that first week between Citri – Southbridge , LACC and Kingswood.

Silkscreen:

Once the shirts were dried, we set up the silkscreen jigs and taught the children how to use them. The logo we developed for the Citri - Southbridge Community in 1991 read as follows:

“I have a dream. MLK ”, “Warning: This may be the next Martin Luther King Junior”, “Go kids go, Arts Van Go, Citri - Southbridge 1991”. We used the same logo format for the LACC and Kingswood communities.

Maraca’s:

Also shown here are children wrapping aluminum cans in colored felt strips and decorating them with smaller felt scraps to be turned into maracas.

Chimes:

We made chime kits in this case 5 pipes per kit with supporting dowel rods. The children attached the pieces and wrote on the chimes with marks o lot.

Collaborative poetic murals (3'x4'):

We decided after several weeks to do a series of theme murals based on poetry that the children had written. Each neighborhood produced several of these murals on canvas (8 murals combined). These murals were left with the community centers.

3d relief's (12"x12"):

Pictured here are children making 1’ cubic ft. sculpture relief's and maracas. In the first two photos, they are gluing wood scraps in miscellaneous sizes to the Luann sheets we provided as basis for the relief's. Once the glue set, they were painted.

Citri-Southbridge anti-drug banner :

During the summer, we had a special request from Citri – Southbridge to make a banner for an anti-drug march. Using the same tie-dye processes that we taught for dyeing the T-shirts, we made handkerchiefs.

The children then used templates and paint to make the individual letters. The handkerchiefs were then sewed together to form the banner.

Collaborative mural canvas (5'x7'):

The murals were originally requested by the community centers as mementos of the 1991 Arts Van Go program. Since there were three communities, we produced three 5’ x 7 ’ murals.

The mural project began at the end of the ten week program, after the children hadcompleted many paintings, drawings and 3D projects. In developing the murals I had the children work together in groups. Since the murals making came in the end of the summer project, the children were really comfortable with drawing and painting. The murals were compositionally beautiful and full of color.

The Citri - Southbridge mural was primarily a design based on the surroundings. While at Citri – Southbridge, we were always outside, so the mural was about the houses that surrounded us. The Citri -Southbridge mural was set in the directors office of the Citri- Southbridge project.