Gestures W'06_07 FINAL 2.indd - Temple University

Since “The Element” was a
temporary piece last year, this
year it is Nicholas’s goal to install
a permanent community project,
“Dominoes on Seventh.” This project’s
mission will be to create a space for the
residents of this growing community to meet
and play dominoes, a popular game within
their neighborhood’s history. The inspiration
for this project will be drawn from the rich
diversity of the area.
ART / ART EDUCATION
Systemic change using a sustainable model
of civic engagement is the philosophy behind
the Cross-Disciplinary Arts in Community
Program at the Tyler School
of Art. Tyler is the fi rst program of
this nature on the east coast, offering
academic training in communitybased
arts that is cross-disciplinary,
partnership-driven and long-term.
William Yalowitz and Pepón Osorio
are the Tyler artists and art educators
behind the execution
of the program. The
purpose of their work
now is to provide Philadelphia
youth with an
opportunity to explore,
through the arts, key
issues of confl ict with
Hanin Tarabiya,
Oran Dessau, and
Efrat Unguru in a
scene from Six Actors
in Search
of a Plot.
which their communities are confronted.
First year student, Nina
Gernesova, completes
the installation of the
path and the paver
border at The Village of
Arts and Humanities.
Badge of Honor addresses a generational
pattern of incarceration that has historically
overwhelmed the predominantly Latino
families of North Philadelphia. Typically seen
as a personal issue rather than a community issue,
it is extremely diffi cult for youth to break the cycle.
An installation by Osorio will center on a video
conversation between an incarcerated father and
his son and will serve as source material for a larger
initiative that works in close collaboration with
the many constituent groups of the community to
uncover individual stories and weave a collective
narrative that recognizes this community crisis. A
video and comic book/handbook will be created
about the understanding of community
cultural and racial diversity. Basic
guidelines of legal rights and duties
“ As architects, it is our
charge to explore ways to
improve the environment.
As Temple students and
faculty, we need to fi nd
opportunities to engage
with our community.“
-DIANNA NICHOLAS
The projects are designed to
generate dialogues among youth
on these issues and to engage
them with in-depth community
arts processes with professional
artists, university students, and
local community members, as they
build arts and leadership skills.
when stopped by the police will be outlined
as well. These visual pieces will be
distributed to middle and high schools.
Pre-Occupations & Hyphe-nations is
an international community arts project
examining the Palestinian-Israeli confl ict
and homeland insecurities through multiple
lenses. The catalyst component for the project
is Six Actors in Search of a Plot, a movementtheatre
performance work co-produced by
Peace Child Israel and Temple University’s
Tyler School of Art focusing on the confl ict.
A series of public forums and workshops
around the performance will bring together
Arab-American and American-Jewish communities.
The discussions and refl ections
generated in these forums
An installed view of
the concrete pavers at will provide youth with a
The Village of Arts and chance to explore their own
Humanities. These pavers responses to the confl ict,
were installed spurring the development
as the border of a new
of a new community arts
path made of Ecopavers.
performance. This movement-theater
performance
will serve to build artistic
exchanges between Philadelphia
high school students and
Israeli/Palestinian high school
students.
A scene from Six
Actors in Search of a
Plot featuring midwife
characters played by
Israeli Liat Cohen, left,
and Palestinian Ranin
Bisharat.
Other programs across the
nation have a more shortterm,
service-based approach
to community change, while
Tyler’s involvement will benefi t
students long-term. Recognizing
the ongoing work
of the community partners
and seeking to support and
amplify their efforts in new
and innovative ways are
all part of the curriculum.
An integration of the artmaking
process with course
work and collaborative work
with the community, are all
key components of the education
a student will receive
through this program.
TYLER GESTURES WINTER 2006 03