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Hello and happy Spring! It’s been a celebratory and active April for us, so let’s get into the updates:
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Access for All at the MS Museum of Art
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At the top of the month, Riverside students, parents, and friends attended a day of art and learning at the Mississippi Museum of Art as part of their new Access for All program (where every first Saturday is free!). Esther Young took us on a gallery tour to examine pieces from the museum’s collection, we got treated to a pizza lunch, and then finished the day with MMA’s teaching artist drawing some “exquisite corpses.” Thank you so much to everyone at MMA who set up this day for us–it was awesome!
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After-School Planning for the Community Mural
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While Muralist Mentor Justin Ransburg continues to draft a wrap-around mural for our building, we got the chance to gather with students and parents to prep for the big reveal. Students decorated posters and drafted responses to questions like “What do you want people to feel when they see the mural?” and “Why do we need help from the community to finalize the mural?,” and then practiced collaborative public speaking by sharing out in groups. Thank you so much to all the students who offered truly touching and wise reflections, our hearts are so full. Check out some of what they wrote:
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“I want people to feel safe, loved, and that we are an open community” - ML
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“The more we reach for help, the more ideas we can come up with” - Jordan
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“No matter how old or young you are you will still be a part of the mural and community” - AR
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And if you or someone you know is a South Jackson resident who would like to attend the upcoming community meeting, where students will get local feedback about their proposed mural design, please reach out and let us know!
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A huge thank you to VBT Bicycling Vacations for donating 14 bicycles for our students and local families! Vilas and Ms. Vanessa spent an entire day traveling around the city distributing these new bikes to our community, so everyone can enjoy the physical and psychological benefits of getting around without a car. Briarwood Arts Center is now storing several of our remaining bicycles, which we’re excited to put to good use soon. Thank you BAC and VBT–we appreciate you!
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Soul City Solar awarded us a $3,000 grant to help make our space more sustainable. We’ve got a few options in front of us now (heat pump? community garden? something else?) and are considering the best use of these new resources. More to come!
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In the meantime, we are looking for a welder to help set up our building. If you’ve got any recommendations, please do share.
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That’s all for now! Happy Spring and see you next month!
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