Your Mind in an Abyss by Chris.

Art work, Sketch books.

Pictures from the first few sessions.

Here are some pictures from our first few sessions.

WE DID IT !

We found a sponsor for our program! Jobs With Justice agreed to be our fiscal sponsor and we became a "Bread & Roses" project. That made it possible for us to pursue funding. We polished up the mock grant we presented at CAT and submitted it under the JWJ banner to the Regional Arts Commission. Just then Kresge Arts in St. Louis announced they were coming back for 2010. Only ten groups would be funded. It sounded like a long shot, but we submitted our letter of interest and we were one of the ten groups selected! Talk about excitement! RAC came through as well and we were sufficiently funded to go back to the Riverview Gardens School District to work out the details of our community arts program.

There had been some changes at the School District. Brian Jones,the Drama Coach we had been working with through our six months at CAT, along with all the teaching staff in the District, had been layed off when the State Board of Education took over the school district. He had reapplied and was waiting for confirmation that he had been re-hired. And there was a brand new District Superintendent. Dr. Rainey was good enough to meet with us in the middle of all the re-organization. He liked our program! Brian was re-hired and we were back on course!

Graduation

CAT graduation is approaching and that means we have to be ready to present! 3 For Justice team members have been pushing hard to get everything done! Today we have been working to finish our grant proposal. Tonight we will be practicing our presentation!

We are really serious about making our project become a reality on the other side of our training. The kids at Riverview Gardens High School are really special and so is their Coach Brian Jones.

Technical Difficulties

Our interview video with Brian had some technical difficulties due to a known bug with flash player in blogger. The issue should be resolved now. :)

Brian Jones Interview

A short interview with Brian Jones.

Scheduling Meetings

Today we are trying to coordinate the schedules of five very busy people. We are trying to find a day that we can all meet which is proving to be a challenge. 

Also we are working on our grant application.

CAT Institute

Brett, Dail & Joan are brought together through CAT (Community Arts Training) Institute. During this 5 month Fellowship we have learned so much. While joining our skills and efforts with the experience of CAT, we have connected with a wonderful group of educators and students in Riverview Gardens School District.

We are in the beginning stages of collaboration with Riverview Garden High School's Drama Team. Thank you Riverview Garden's Principal Yolanda Pitman who shows interest in our project, Mr. Brian Jones who has matched our enthusiasm, and Superintendent Dr. Natalie Thomas for leading us to such a great group.

For more information on the program that brought us together, visit their website:

www.art-stl.com/CAT

"Since 1997, the Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute is an innovative program centered on the belief that art has the power to be an agent for social change. The CAT Institute is a five-month curriculum fostering successful partnerships among artists, social workers, educators and community activists with the goal of creating relevant arts programs in community settings such as neighborhood organizations, social service agencies and after-school programs."

Welcome!

3 for Justice team members Brett, Dail & Joan are looking forward to a great collaboration with Riverview Gardens High School Drama Club. We are planning a multimedia exploration on the topic of "home." Our experience has been full of learning, teaching, collaborating and creating!

This blog will be dedicated to the process of our program & we are excited to share!