|
|
 Articles
|
 |
| Oh, oh T.A.Y. Can You See? |
|
There's a movement afoot that is really tapping into the unlimited reservoir of Oakland's creative youth. I witnessed & experienced transformation.
|
Oh, oh T.A.Y. Can You See?
I spent the last two Saturdays with the group called, T.A.Y. which stands for transition age youth. I was invited by my good friend, medicine-sister in the arts & humanities, Adriana Diaz, who by the way is not only the author of the book, �Freeing the Creative Spirit�, (available on Amazon, publisher is Harper, San Francisco 1992) & program coordinator for Health Through Art, www.hhrec.org she�s a painter & life-coach. I re-connected with Rachel Bryant, co-facilitator, who I met some time ago through www.babuf.org Critical Mass Health Conductor.
Adriana shared the poem, �Spring� by Mary Oliver (House of Light Anthology�Beacon Press of Boston) with us which helped us open not just our capacity to hear but also that of listening. The ear is just a portal that receives sound but the processing of sound was taken to a new level. We listened to the poem & painted our impressions. I saw artistic expressions come forth that had nothing to do with the poem & everything to do with individual creativity. I saw patterns that looked Tibetan or South West Native American from young folks that were neither.
When asked why they were there, what is the work we�re doing, some of the answers are: to learn about our selves, help us grow, to create a conscious frame for the way we experience life, to improve our power of self-expression. Other comments by students: �It is not like a class with a book�it is about how you live your life.� And, �It helps me express what I don�t feel like expressing. It gives me a way to express even what I do not understand.� (that�s one of my personal favorites!)
�When I�m in class I feel more energized because I am so used to having nothing around that interests me.� Another student said, �I�m worth more here.�
I came to learn about the world through their eyes. I learned more art terms than I had previously known, like: symbolism, narrative, assemblage, point of view, collaboration, recycling ideas. One artist�s work was described as having bold, assured colors.., huh?
They (we) learned about detail. Perspective, challenges of perspective. Developing our hearing & receiving, of course, but also our voices!
This poem is about a bear waking up in the Spring & is written by a lady who lives in the city. I painted the snorting snout of a bear high up on a mountain, looking at this strange city that has encroached upon the Natural world & she�s wondering what�s there to eat.
If you�d like to learn more about this life-changing project, please contact Adriana Diaz at her site www.yourcreativelifecoach.com & Health Through Art, 510-549-5990 www.hhrec.org
dwayne o. parish, (reporting the good stuff)
|
Posted on Apr 16, 2009 18:52pm by dopom9
(Return to Articles)
|
|
|
|
|
Find Lost Friends & Loves Ones
|
|
|
|
