Mennonite Central Committee News Service
(1)
August 13, 1971
THE SKY IS REALLY THE LIMIT
by Lois Dyck, VS, Atlanta
Rolls of paper were stretched out for
30 feet along the floor of Walden School's art department. We
distinctly felt that this time we had over-reached any possible
objective. However, since we had been repeatedly informed that
Walden was to be decorated to the hilt, Mrs. Mathias and I blocked
out a few rectangular shapes and tried not to imagine what the
result would be. The art consultant had suggested a mural of
Atlanta's skyline that jutted up behind the school, and we had
agreed that it would be a challenging project.
The enthusiastic artists were anxious to shed
their tennis shoes so they could crawl across the white expanse
to start slopping paint. Erratic cloud patches appeared as kids,
in their rush to overcome the skies, swept their brushes happily
over the blocked skyscrapers that we had painstakingly drawn.
When the painters were convinced that there was no immediate
deadline for this project, they leisurely progressed to designing
details in the skyscrapers. The 11-14 year-old students thought
it was fun to stretch out beside a skyscraper and still be dwarfed
by its height.
Two weeks went by and even though six
classes contributed daily to the mural, it still looked like
an endless job. Boys drew sportscars, trucks and a replica of
the MCC van on the winding freeways. Instead of painting the
buildings in conventional colors, brushes dabbled into hotter
shades. Whenever things would be going great, someone would drop
a tin of tempera on someone else's skyscraper. Washing brushes
resulted in the discovery of the spray hose in the sink. In classes
with up to 40 kids, there were usually some who maintained their
cool by manipulating the hose.
After a dizzy month had passed, the
memorable day arrived when we rolled up the mural and wound our
way up the stairs to the huge expectant bulletin board. Mr. Dixon,
our principal, supplied instructions for stapling and stabbing
the monstrosity to the cork board. Distant drums must have rolled
somewhere as we stood back to survey our handiwork. With one
long sweep of our critical eyes we could see how the perspective
of the buildings added dimension to the scene. The artists were
enormously proud of their skyline and pointed out where they
had contributed to the display. The famous Polaris of the Regency
Hyatt House overlooked it and all agreed that it was good!
Simultaneously with the skyline project,
some of the students from the John Hope and Walden schools began
illustrating pictures which depicted their black world. During
the day, Walden students drew scenes for the "My World"
contest sponsored by Mennonite Publishing House in Scottdale,
Pa. In the evenings, Mrs. Mathias and I returned to the John
Hope School where children ages 10 and 11 participated in the
Community School art program. It was difficult at times for the
artists to remember that they were to draw from their own experiences
instead of imitating the white man's world. Their instructions
were to show something for people who never come to their city
what their community was like. This work was eventually mailed
to Scottdale.
There were three judges in the final
contest that involved ten American cities. In the judges' opinion,
the children had performed well. A letter we received stated:
"Like any contest, there are some groups that succeed better
than others in catching the spirit and there are also some schools
that have definitely succeeded best in the "My World"
art contest. The schools in Atlanta and the Good Shepherd Bible
Club in New York City both did outstanding jobs.
The Atlanta prize winners were thrilled
to receive their prize money. Proud mothers were surprised that
the talents of their children had received such recognition.
Four first place winners who received $50 each are buying clothes
with the money and depositing the rest in the bank. The remaining
$94 was distributed to the 22 second and third place winners.
These children will see their drawings published later this year
in Christian Living when they receive a complimentary copy. Hopefully
in the future, inner-city youngsters will have another opportunity
to express themselves creatively.
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