Community Arts

Artistic Goals: Our Family Dish project achieved our goals to offer each parent and child the opportunity to create at least one plate or centerpiece within a family set of dishes. Participants learned how to use professional ceramic tools appropriately and artistically to craft their pieces. Once the dishes were created, participants learned the proper techniques on how to glaze their pottery. The families used creative designs and patterns to distinguish their work as a cohesive set while also featuring the unique contributions of each family member. Upon completion of the project, a final celebration was held during which families shared a meal and proudly presented their set of dishes to the group. Approximately 24% of all participants chose to attend a second workshop and 80% expressed interest in developing their pottery skills through additional classes. Strengths/Challenges: We found the best staffing combination for each workshop included: one artist, one staff member, and two or more volunteers. This level of support ensured participants received adequate one-on-one support throughout the process. Step-by-step demonstrations were provided for each project, which greatly helped each participant complete their artwork successfully. Many participants chose to attend the final, advanced workshop session. It was critical for staff and volunteers to be familiar with the techniques and strategies learned during the initial plate workshops so that our artist could focus her attention on instructing how to create a centerpiece. As we had hoped, many families were motivated to try their hand at creating centerpieces following the plate workshops. This leads us to believe that we could possibly offer additional complex clay projects in future classes. Returning families expressed strong interest in tackling more intricate projects, both functional and sculptural. The biggest challenge involved accommodating the varied paces of work while still offering a chance to come together at the end of each class for important group reflection. We learned to manage this by having our reflection time happen once half the families had completed their work, allowing the remaining families to finish after reflection. Lessons Learned: In the future, we’re interested in offering more advanced-level clay classes alongside the beginner-level classes. We believe this approach would encourage new families to attend, and motivate returning families to continue developing their pottery skills. We discovered that the ideal participation number was 12-15 people per workshop. This size provided individuals the support they needed while maintaining an intimate and personal experience for families. Scheduling the workshops in pairs during the same weeks with a shared celebration event at the end also worked well to foster a sense of artistic community as well as allow savings on kiln use. Community Served: Our project focused on providing an opportunity for family connection while making art. We successfully reached the intended audience, as all attendees were connected to Perspectives’ Kids Connection program, which serves both families living in our Supportive Housing as well as the surrounding community. A total of 79 unduplicated individuals participated (50 children and 29 adults). Children ranged from five to thirteen years of age; adults included a mix of parents and grandparents. 100% of these 29 families meet the low-income designation, 75% of which are single-parent families. Thirty-one percent of the families live in Perspectives’ Supportive Housing Program and are considered homeless. These families have a history of trauma including violence, mental health issues, and chemical dependency. Denise Tennen, the artist identified in the proposal, facilitated all six workshops. Mickie Key, Kids Connection Program Manager, four Kids Connection staff, and four volunteers attended and supported the sessions. Tennen was assisted by at least one staff and two volunteers during each class. By serving 79 individuals and 29 families, we nearly reached our intended participation rate of 80 individuals and 30 families. In comparison to our 2014 Family Dish project, we served an additional 15 individuals and 3 families during this project. We attribute this increase to the growing popularity of the project and the staff’s recruitment efforts. Outreach Efforts: The project was promoted in a variety of ways to ensure all interested families were able to participate. Kids Connection staff has built strong relationships with our families, which served as the main avenue to encourage involvement. Staff contacted families directly about this opportunity in person or via phone. They reviewed project details and supported the adults in the registration process. The project was also supported by staff in our Supportive Housing Program, who encouraged mothers to take advantage of the workshop and helped problem-solve schedule conflicts. Project Accessibility: Accessibility was a top priority in the Family Dish project. We removed barriers to engagement by providing a meal prior to each workshop, free transportation, and free childcare for younger siblings. We ensured access by offering all activities at Perspectives Family Center, where children were already participating in our after-school programming. Workshop sessions and the celebration dinners were provided at no cost. During the classes, all materials and tools were provided free of charge. We chose the plates and centerpieces as our art activity because it was a simple way to create beautiful pieces within our fun and structured format. Six workshops were provided for 79 children and adults to create art together. 94% of participants indicated that the project improved their pottery skills; 100% of parents reported this as a positive experience for their family and would recommend the class to another family. Participants described the class as, “fun, inspiring, a new learning experience, and a way to be expressive.”