School. It’s a place where you go five days a week, but what do you think about it? Teachers. Classmates. Friends. Cliques. Grading. The lunchroom. Bus rides. Tests. Pep rallies. Homework. What do you like? What would you change? What do you want others to know about your education experience?
In the Spring of 2018, we invited high school students from the Baltimore area to participate in a series of four workshops about the state of education in Baltimore and beyond. These were opportunities for students to share their voices and to produce a series of messages that express their views about school and education.
In the Fall of 2018, students from the Augusta Fells Savage Institute of the Visual Arts organized a one day Summit to workshop and share stories of their school experiences. They were supported by students from the JHU undergraduate Museums and Society course, “From Treasure House to Production House: Exploring New Roles for the Museum in the 21st Century,” led by the Peale’s Director, Nancy Proctor.
Below: The #SayItLikeItIs workshops kicked off February 9th at the Peale.
[envira-gallery id=”2351″]We will hold monthly workshops beginning February 9, 2018. Each workshop’s conversation will build upon the previous month’s discussions.
We have space for a maximum of 30 students. Students must complete this application to be considered for participation.
Workshop participants will receive $20 for each full workshop you attend and an additional $20 if you attend all four workshops for a total of $100.
The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture will serve as host for conversations and resulting messages. The Peale Center was once Colored School Number One in Baltimore, a segregated educational space for children of color. Workshop participants will create messages that connect the building’s legacy to contemporary education issues.
This project builds upon the success of the BMORE Than The Story, which brought together high school students and college seniors to co-design an exhibit addressing issues related to the 2015 Baltimore Uprising. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History in Culture in Baltimore hosted the exhibit, which received local, national and international awards including Best Community Curation in the City Paper’s 2016 Best of Baltimore awards.
The collaborating BMORE students decided what messages they wanted to address in their exhibit. Similarly, Education in Baltimore Today will “turn over the mic” to high school students to hear what you have to say and share those messages with others.
The workshops will be held once a month starting 4-6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. Food will be provided at each workshop.
Participants are expected to attend the entirety of all four workshops.
Who would make a good workshop participant?
We seek students who are excited to share their stories and experiences about Baltimore education, are critical thinkers, good listeners, and good communicators. Workshop leaders will select a diverse group of students who represent different grades and schools across Baltimore, who are interested in a variety of activities and skills, and who have interesting stories to tell about Baltimore education. Students with an interests and skills in visual art are especially encouraged to participate.
Interested in participating?
Complete this application no later than 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb 6, 2018.
We will notify applicants about their acceptance on a rolling basis. Once the workshop is at attendance capacity, we will not be able to accept new applicants, so fill out the application today!
These workshops will take place at The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture located in downtown Baltimore at 225 Holliday Street.
Questions? Contact Audra Buck-Coleman (buckcol3@umd.edu)
Project leader bios:
Audra Buck-Coleman, project director
Audra Buck-Coleman is an Associate Professor and graphic design program director at the University of Maryland College Park (UMD). She has written, art directed, curated, designed, authored, directed, and collaborated on numerous design projects including Sticks + Stones, an international multi-university collaborative graphic design project that investigates stereotyping and social issues. She also directed BMORE Than The Story, a collaborative art project with 50 high school and college students addressing the 2015 Baltimore uprising.
Simone Durham
Simone Durham was born and raised in Sacramento, California, but has lived in Maryland since 2011. She obtained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Arts degrees in Sociology from Morgan State University in Baltimore. During the year between obtaining her master’s degree and entering the doctoral program in sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, she taught undergraduate level courses at both Morgan State University and Anne Arundel Community College. She also worked for the Office of Student Success and Retention at MSU for the three years spanning her master’s program and year off, coordinating the university-wide Financial Literacy Program and working to track and assist students in the six-year graduation cohorts. While at UMD, Simone’s intends to specialize in the Social Psychology and Stratification areas. Her research interests include racial identity development and socialization, race relations and inequality, and social justice.
Lamontre Randall
Lamontre Randall is an East Baltimore native and a local activist. He attended Baltimore City College high school. His leadership efforts earned him Youth of the Year for Baltimore and a spot as Youth Commissioner under the Baltimore City Youth Commission. He holds a Bachelors in Criminal Justice and a minor in Asian American Studies from UMD, where his diversity work earned him numerous awards. He is very active in the Baltimore community and started his own organization called Cool Peoples where he mentors the youth around the concept that “cool is being a positive role model.” His work includes improving the lives of those in the juvenile system, advocating for undocumented immigrants and limiting truancy within schools.