Voice of APLI: Mini-Residencies
Photo Description: Above is an image of a mermaid on pink construction paper. The mermaid is drawn in pencil and has a rainbow fin. The mermaid has dark hair and bangs. On the mermaid’s outfit are the words KIND, LOGICAL, BRAVE, SENSITIVE, and EMOTIONAL written in green pencil.
After a full spring of learning, growing, and forging community with the APLI family, I was super excited for the grand finale of the experience -- a mini-residency with real students!
My school partner was Gina Cesaro, an art teacher serving elementary students in Roselle Park. Earlier this year, we partnered to present a mini-lesson in response to the APLI workshop "Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Voices" in February.
When I learned I was collaborating with a visual arts educator, I was super excited to see how drawing, painting, and other media could interact with my art forms: theater and writing. Our mini-lesson -- and later on, our mini-residency -- was anchored by the fabulous and gorgeously illustrated children's book "Julián is a Mermaid," in which a young boy sees women dressed as mermaids on a subway train and immediately falls in love with the gorgeous goddesses, though perhaps not in the way most male-presenting characters in a kids' book would.
In the story, Julián decides that he too wants to be a merperson, and as soon as his abuela (grandmother) steps away, he repurposes curtains, house plants, and other objects in delightful imaginative play to transform himself into a mermaid. When his abuela discovers him, he expects her to be mad -- but she isn't. Instead, she gives him pearls to complete his outfit and whisks him away to join revelers -- including the subway goddesses -- at the Mermaid Parade. Overall, it is a sweet, simple tale of acceptance, queer joy, and multicultural celebration.
For our virtual mini-residency, Gina and I worked over the course of three weeks to have her students, 39 second graders, create their own mermaid worlds. On the first day, we had them select words to describe themselves like pretty, brave, strong, handsome, smart, etc. We then addressed how many of these words were often gendered, but dispelled the myth that they had to be -- words have no gender, and everyone can describe themselves in any way they want!
We then introduced them to the book "Julián is a Mermaid" with a YouTube read-aloud, then asked them critical questions about what happened in the story, focusing on how imaginative play was a liberating, joyful experience for Julián, and how his abuela empowered his choices with love. They finished the day with beginning to draw their merfolx.
The following week, the students applied a rainbow of color to their mermaids, and added in the words they chose to describe themselves. It was a soothing session, with Gina playing relaxing, meditative music in the background.
Finally, we ended with a presentation -- a virtual parade! -- of the finished mermaids. While our goal was for them to simply create marine self-portraits, some kids enthusiastically added fishy friends, bubbles, waves, and other under-the-sea delights to their compositions. They clearly had fun with this assignment!
They ended the day by writing mini stories about their mermaids, which many did with the assistance of a madlib, which you can try below!
MADLIB START
My name is _______________________________ (name you call yourself)
And I am a ________________________________ (adjective) mermaid!
I am __________________ (adjective) and ___________________ (adjective)
and am really good at ____________________________________ (activity or school subject).
I love to swim all day and _______________________ (favorite hobby)
with my friends __________________ and ___________________ (your best friends’ names).
I love to eat ____________ (favorite food) and play with ____________ (favorite sea creature)
Join me in the sea!
MADLIB END
As a teaching artist, the greatest lesson for me was watching Gina at work with her students -- she was effervescent, accepting, and kind. The kids had endless questions -- could they use this medium? Could they add fish? What if they want to do both the freeform story and the madlib? Was it OK to add this color or that?
Through it all, Gina's answer was consistent -- the kids could do what inspired them most! I loved watching how she enthusiastically empowered choice and artistic freedom in her teaching practice, and seeing her in action has motivated me to cultivate my students' creativity through choice with even more gusto.
Looking back now, it's hard to believe that APLI is over! I am grateful for the community I've made and for everything I've learned. Our cohort has the potential to transform the lives of so many students -- English Language Learners, Disabled students, LGBTQ+ students, and so many more folx who need loving and supportive teaching. Here's to hoping we can "APLI" what we learned to creating a brighter future!
About the 2021 Voice of APLI: Summer Dawn Reyes
Photo credit: Acid Test Photo
Summer Dawn Reyes is a playwright, director, production manager, teaching artist and actor. Her work has been highlighted in numerous festivals including the Downtown Urban Theater Festival, the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival, FringeNYC and more. She is also the founder and director of Thinking In Full Color, an organization that empowers women of color through education and the arts. TIFC has received two commendations from the New Jersey State Assembly and the inaugural Jersey City Arts Council's Performing Arts Award. Summer is also the co-founder of 68 Productions and the winner of the Permanent Career Award in Literature from the Society of Arts and Letters-NJ and the N.J. Governor's Award in Arts Education. Summer loves karaoke, rubber duckies and crosswords. She's also a big fan of modern dance and genetics. She is married to a very tall Greg and the proud stepmom of a slightly smaller one. For more information, visit ThinkingInFullColor.com or follow her @thinkinginfullcolor
Summer will be sharing her experiences throughout the APLI program year.
The Arts Professional Learning Institute is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA. It is generously supported by the Grunin Foundation and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
