Three classes of 20 kids each + 5 days of painting workshops = 1,000 paintings!

It’s so rewarding to see other people get excited by Brush Fire! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the positive feedback. And I like sharing it with you too! Here’s what the teachers at the Tenderloin Community School had to say about our collaboration with their students and Lick-Wilmerding High:

“I had no idea how great it would be…Students were allowed to paint freely and without reservation as much as they pleased with quality materials….It is rare in the everyday school setting that students are allowed to express creativity with the purpose of self-exploration…. Painting several days in succession seems to strengthen students love of painting. I was wondering if the activity would be sustainable over a period of days and the kids just wanted to keep on going. Also, the paper; what a wonderful luxury it is: so nice and big!

….Adults learned to let the kids express them selves without giving feedback but instead asking questions in order to find out the students intent. This method is exceptional for building a vocabulary of self expression. I love love love every thing about it!!… Thank you for bringing us your amazing program.” – Barbara Sizelove, Kindergarten Teacher

“Our class looked forward to each and every session with you … the big draw was the doing of “art,” and a close second was the medium used throughout this project. … the conversations I was privy to were priceless and real. My students were able to let their guards down and enjoy the moment. Aside from the fact that this project was a fantastic way to end the school year, I know this experience will be one of the few things, that many years from now, the children will actually remember from 3rd grade. It was a pleasure working with you.” – Stacy Joe, Third grade teacher

"Big Kid" painting done during role play.

Every year for a week, Brush Fire partners with a private high school and an elementary school that serves students from mostly low-income, immigrant families. This program, in its third year, never ceases to inspire me.

Prior to meeting the elementary school students, I train the high school kids in the Brush Fire Method. The corner stone of the method, encouraging process over product, is not well received by the high school students. In a way, this is understandable. Lick-Wilmerding High School is quite competitive and many of the students have been groomed for Ivey League institutions all their lives. The value of doing a painting ­ or anything ­ without regard for the result is foreign to most of them.

So we do roll plays, each of them taking turns painting and mentoring to see how it feels to encourage with probing questions rather than praise or criticism. Of course, knowing how to phrase a well-timed question takes longer to master than a single afternoon, but I give them as solid a base as I can in the time we have.

"Little Kid" painting done during class.

Before we know it, we are at the Tenderloin Community School, where each of the high school students is paired with one or two kids in each of three classes and the game is on! I give each class their prompts and circulate around the room, encouraging and guiding the “big kids” as they get to know the “little kids.” I am amazed by how quickly the little kids connect to their high school mentors and how the high school students quickly understand that the unconditional nature of the painting process allows for this profound bond to form.

It’s not all smooth sailing, and we use the end of our day to sort out problems and share our joys. As the week progresses, the joys are bigger, the problems are less important and everyone is deep in creative process. We don’t explicitly set out to teach the older youth about the less privileged existence of the younger ones, but I know the difference in life style comes up, and I can only guess what effect it has. It seems as if the potential for multi-layered learning on all sides is being realized by everyone, with creative process as the point of connection.

Hey All! I go this in my mailbox today from Nancy Quinn.  This is the vote
that will decide if we get the Arts Commission funding for Malcolm X
Academy. Please do what you can to show up to this!

Dear Arts Supporters,

Come to City Hall on Monday, June 22 and be part of the democratic process!
The Arts Commission’s budget will be presented to the Board of Supervisor’s
Budget & Finance Committee shortly after 11am on Monday, June 22nd.

Public testimony on all General Fund departments will be heard beginning at
5pm that day. There is no scheduled order for public testimony; first come,
first heard.

Please come and voice your support for the impact of the arts on your
community.

This is one of the most important ways to communicate to the Board of
Supervisors how vital the arts are in your life. And it’s one of the most
effective ways to ensure City funding for the upcoming fiscal year.

The hearings and testimonies will be held in the Board Chamber, Room 250 in
City Hall.

For more information, go to: http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp

Pass along this information to anyone you know who values the role of the
arts in San Francisco!

Just one reason to keep the painting program going!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the uncomfortable process of attending my first public grant panel at the San Francisco Arts Commission. The good news is we received funding for our program at Malcolm X next year! The bad news is that the Arts Commission itself may not get funded this year, so they might not have the money to give us. The situation will be decided in 10 days. So close and yet so far…..

I could get discouraged, but I choose to get creative. Anyone want to join me in holding a bake sale? If selling cookies works for the Girl Scouts, it can work for us!

My painting is a time machine. If I had one I would go back to a certain date and everything in my life would be different. The yellow light means the machine is on, the white stripes symbolize purity, and the black machine is my real problem. This painting shows how much I really want to change.

In our last painting class in juvenile hall for this series, I overheard J. say, “Face it. If you are prostituting yourself, you are a prostitute. If you stole a car, you are a car thief. That’s just the way it is.”

At first I was glad to hear her say this because it sounds like taking responsibility for one’s actions. In retrospect, though, I would have liked to have talked more to her about this. Are we defined by what we do? If we are, can that definition change even though we can’t change the past?

Can we be redeemed, even if we seriously screw up?

Of course I believe in redemption or I wouldn’t do what I do. I think it is telling that last week our painting topic was ” who do you have to forgive and why?” and all the girls chose themselves. One thing I know for sure is that redemption may be possible, but it sure is not easy.

Next year's 5th graders, Malcolm X Academy

Attending the 5th grade graduation at Malcolm X Academy yesterday gave me a great opportunity to reflect on why Brush Fire is so important to me. In a nutshell, it helps me to grow and hopefully gives the students something to hang their hats on too. At the very least, getting to know this group of youth has given me a huge appreciation for all the changes a person goes through between the ages of 7 and 10. I also appreciate the immense resilience available to all kids, especially this group.

As I watched them walk across the stage to get their diplomas, I tried to see the men and women they will become. They may not ever know how much I’ll miss them, but as their lives stretch out in front of them, I hope they will rely on their creativity, their extraordinary ability to make something new and exciting and healthy and whole out of what ever circumstances they find themselves in.

The 2009 graduating class at MXA

June 9th is the last day of school for students in San Francisco Unified School District. This day is especially poignant for me this year, as I will be saying good bye to many people who have had a huge impact on my life over the past years.

First, I will be sad to say good-bye to the 5th grade class at Malcolm X Academy. I feel so fortunate that we were able to work together since most of them were in 2nd grade. I learned so much about the power of unconditional love and uncritical support for creative process by working so long with them. In fact, the trusting relationship I have with so many of them as a result of our work over the years is one of my most prized possessions. I’m pleased that we were able to work on the mural together. They made me so proud with their teamwork and best efforts. I’m glad that I will have their mural to look at next year, when they are disbursed to middle schools around the city.

My other long-term relationship with a student that ends with graduation is with T., a senior at Mission High. She has been painting with me since she was a freshman. It has been delightful to watch her grow from a goofy 9th grader to an intelligent, informed young woman. Along the way, I’ve watched her grow more confident in her creativity, which I hope will serve her well. I’m not sure if she is going to graduate; due to some really crappy family circumstances that were not in her control, she was not able to attend her classes on a regular basis. Regardless, I wish her well and I hope she will carry the lessons she learned from her creative process with her, just like I carry mine with me.

The finished mural hanging in the art room.