art/vision/voice - Maryland Institute College of Art

22 art / vision / voice
a youth-designed banner later displayed at the rededication of the
fountain in patterson park.
on site one day a week each. I understood that this decision would
create a complicated leadership dynamic, but was willing to take the
risk considering the circumstances.
In addition to mica students, cap projects require invested, willing
community participants, recruitment of whom is a task best left to the host
community. Banner organizer Cindy Lemons, born and raised in East
Baltimore, was assigned to recruit neighborhood youth for the project.
cindy When we first tried to recruit kids for Art Club, the name turned
many off right from the start. The instantaneous response was
“I can’t draw.” The kids perceived themselves as being “not good” at
art and didn’t want to risk trying. There were some interpersonal issues
as well, since many of the kids in Patterson Place only know and
feel comfortable with the kids on their own block. They see other kids
in school and form opinions about them without really knowing
them. But despite these problems, fifteen eventually signed up.
Mary Reynolds, mother of two participating young people and the
adult escort to St. Elizabeth’s for all participating youth on her block,
was a consistent adult presence at the Art Club, and gradually, with
encouragement from the cap team and the Banner staff, began to take
on a more formal role as a parent helper during the sessions.
mary I encouraged my kids to go [to Art Club] because they don’t have
art in school. When I was coming up we had all kinds of things to
do. It’s important to me because I was raised with arts and crafts.
I want my kids to be exposed. I’ve been to their school. I volunteer
there, and I know they don’t have art.
The first session was devoted to playing “get acquainted” games—a
conscious attempt to jump start the all-important bonding process
connecting the cap team and neighborhood youth.