by thesavageway | Mar 25, 2015 | clean graffiti
#thesavageway won an art grant sponsored by Project Art Aid’s Queen City Soup. The grant is to execute positive Clean Graffiti messages/art around high-risk Charlotte neighborhoods. Upon winning, #thesavageway partnered with Project LIFT & West Charlotte High School to make a larger, more direct community impact. As this project unfolds, #thesavageway will be documenting their experience working with the students.
Time for another Clean Graffiti Art Grant Progress Update! On March 24, 2015, we returned to the West Charlotte High School campus for the final presentations of the students’ Clean Graffiti design ideas. Since this Clean Graffiti project was incorporated into the curriculum, the two groups had to give us a formal presentation (public speaking, power point and all) to explain their idea.
West Charlotte High School IB Art Students with #thesavageway.
Once again we brought along videographer Jacob Teer but this time we also had Eric Halili of Rebrand Media join us for additional footage and interviews.
The crew! Left to right: Jacob Teer, Eric Halili, Paula Bartlett, Torrie Savage. #thesavageway
Group 1:
First up was the group that called themselves “The Brainy Bunch.” Team members Sinclair, Lobna, T’maizjah, Valery and Caleb presented their idea to “Choose Your Own Path.” The idea stemmed from the notion that determining who you are in life should be your decision and that you shouldn’t have to follow down someone else’s path. They talked about the right brain/left brain dichotomy and how it’s okay to be different. They design was both whimsical/creative and yet structured. The group member were great presenters, very professional and well spoken. They even thought through incorporating social media into the design and how that exposure would help inspire students beyond the school.
Group 1 presents their Clean Graffiti idea for #thesavageway at West Charlotte High School.
Group 2:
Then we had the pleasure of watching Group 2. While they didn’t have a creative name for their group like Group 1, it was clear in their intentions. Team members included Ketsana, Mathis, Amani, Miya and Makayla. Their idea was “We Rise By Lifting Others” and the design showcased powerful animals (an elephant, rhinoceros, lion and an eagle) all leaning on each other for support. The team boasted, “We can get to better places as a community by working together. It’s okay to ask for help!” They thought about how their message would impact not only West Charlotte High School but the Charlotte community as well!
Clean Graffiti idea for #thesavageway project from West Charlotte High School IB Art Students in Group 2.
Judging Criteria:
After the presentations, we had the difficult job of selecting a winner. When judging, we took into consideration the following:
- Overall concept
- Creativity
- Scalability to all 9 Project LIFT Schools
- “Stencilablity” of design
Winner:
While both teams did a wonderful job, we had to select a winner. And the winner is…. Drumroll…. Group 2!
Winning team members pose with Paula & Torrie of #thesavageway.
We are beyond grateful that all the students were open to this project and really took the idea to heart. We heard more positive feedback from the students than we could have ever imagined. The fact that they had the opportunity to put their stamp on this project and truly make it something that their fellow students and community members could be inspired by was everything to us!
Next Steps:
We will be transforming the students’ design into stencils and getting them cut. In the meantime, we will be finalizing the exact locations for each Project LIFT School and in about a month, we will return to West Charlotte High School to put down the completed project with the IB art students!
Stay tuned!!!
by thesavageway | Dec 30, 2014 | clean graffiti
#thesavageway won an art grant sponsored by Project Art Aid’s Queen City Soup. The grant is to execute positive Clean Graffiti messages/art around high-risk Charlotte neighborhoods. Upon winning, #thesavageway partnered with Project LIFT & West Charlotte High School to make a larger, more direct community impact. As this project unfolds, #thesavageway will be documenting their experience working with the students.
On December 18, 2014 we met for round 2 with the West Charlotte High School students. Today we brought along one of our videographers, Jacob Teer, to capture our progress and record the class for a future video we are having produced.
Paula & Torrie with art teacher Mrs. Beverly Smith.
Jacob Teer – Teer Drop Photography
Since our last visit, the students have been broken into two groups and they have done some incredible research on graffiti artists and Clean Graffiti as an art form. We sat down with each group to get their feedback on the method and to answer questions. These IB art students started pulling away the layers of what Clean Graffiti could be and how they see themselves using it for our art grant. As this project is now part of their curriculum, they are required to create a portfolio piece on Clean Graffiti. Here is a small sampling of their initial research work.
Research by the students on the art form.
Next we started talking design ideas for the Clean Graffiti art grant. Every idea we heard was impactful, well thought out and meaningful to these students. We threw around the idea of pollution prevention and protecting the planet, making a statement that Black Lives Matter, and different positive thoughts in a more deconstructed form. We were blown away at how focused the students were, as well as how serious they are taking this project.
West Charlotte High School IB art class.
To sit back and listen to how this project has ignited a spark in these west Charlotte students is awe-inspiring. We always wanted Clean Graffiti to be used in a positive way, but to have first hand input on what will ACTUALLY speak to these kids is an incredible experience.
“Personally, I have taken this task seriously because we are not just creating artwork, but we are also inspiring positive actions from our peers,” stated Mathis Gales, one of the art students. His powerful words continued, “This task has been a huge blessing because this is our opportunity to give back not just to our school but our community as well. Our project has the potential to have an immense effect that will go beyond the walls of West Charlotte. . . Many people at our school don’t have someone in their life giving positive messages, and our Clean Graffiti project will provide that for them.”
Group talk about the Clean Graffiti art grant at WCHS.
Chatting with the Clean Graffiti groups at WCHS.
This project is turning into more than just a simple positive message campaign. It is challenging these students and hopefully inspiring a community. We are excited for the progress. Stay tuned for more updates in the New Year!
by thesavageway | Nov 19, 2014 | clean graffiti
Update time! As you know, we were awarded Project Art Aid’s Queen City Soup art grant a few months ago for our Clean Graffiti project (YAY!). You can read more here but the basics of the project are that we are putting down positive, inspiring messages in lower income neighborhoods around Charlotte in both English & Spanish. Our goal is for the community to see how something as simple as cleaning can change someone’s perspective.
#thesavageway team at the Queen City Soup proposal night!
In all honesty this project was simply an idea at first. It was that project we’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t afford to do on our own. We had no idea that we would actually win and get to do our community art project. So after winning the grant we decided that it would be best to find a partner in the community that could help streamline our project. We wanted to find a way to make the biggest impact on these lower income neighborhoods and align ourselves with an existing mission. Enter West Charlotte High School and Project L.I.F.T!
Project L.I.F.T. Facebook Page
Project L.I.F.T (Leadership & Investment For Transformation) is a non-profit organization right here in Charlotte. They are seeking to transform the way students, who traditionally perform poorly in school, are educated in reading and math and culture using a unique approach to teaching and learning. Their work directly impacts nine schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System:
We’ve teamed up with the Art Director at West Charlotte High School, Beverly Smith, to incorporate her advanced art students in our QC Soup project. They will learn about sustainable media and what Clean Graffiti is all about. During several class talks, we will work with the students on the design process and guide them through the actual messaging that will speak to them. Students will also help select exact locations around the campus that could have the most impact. Through this project, these art students will put together presentations and present the final design ideas to the #thesavageway team. Then we will choose a winner and get the design into production. The execution of our QC Soup project will take place primarily around West Charlotte HS with a few locations in the community where students walk everyday. In addition, each Project L.I.F.T. School will also get a Clean Graffiti spot to tie the entire project together.
#thesavageway Queen City Soup Grant Proposal flyer.
We know that by partnering with a community member like Project L.I.F.T. we will have a more direct connection to these neighborhoods as well as creating a conversation with our project. When we embarked on this journey, we had no idea that we would be able to work with these West Charlotte students and have a chance to help boost their morale to and from school. It has been such a pleasant surprise. We are BEYOND excited at our direction! We will be sure to give continuous updates as things unfold! Stay tuned!
