One Point Perspective Drawings

Students in Art are currently working on One Point perspective drawings of ACECC hallways.  These works are in progress, but scholars are very excited by the results they are seeing at this point.

Art Club Unites

This year, the ACECC Upper Campus has seen the development of the ART CLUB with Mr. Harris as the sponsor. This club provides artistic opportunities beyond the walls of the classroom. It also will provide an opportunity for students that cannot fit art into their busy schedules. The club participates in art trips, community services, sales, etc. The club will also perform school service projects in the field of art.  Anyone may join the ART CLUB.  A scholar does not need to currently be in an art class to join.  We welcome scholars who have an interest in ART and would enjoy hanging out with others who like being creative and getting messy.  Right now, ART CLUB is meeting in the Art room on Tuesday afternoons.  Here is a sample of what we are currently working on.

Video from ACECC's first graduation - class of 2010

Queen Mother Bullard addresses the first graduating ACECC class and Minniejean Brown delivers the commencement speech.  This was a historic day.

ACECC Graduation - 1st Senior Class - with guest speaker Minniejean Brown

Queen Mother Bullard and Baba Bullard

Baba Webster

Site Administrator Mama Dock

Minniejean Brown Trickey addresses the 1st ACECC Graduating class - Class of 2010

Minniejean Brown Trickey - a member of "The Little Rock Nine"

I recently came across a folder of photos and videos that I recorded during ACECC's first graduation ceremony.  It was such an honor to be a part of this groundbreaking and historic day.

Drum and Dance from Ancestor Day - October 2011

This is one of the different drum and dance performances choreographed by Baba Danny Hinds.  Our campus is very fortunate to have him in our family.  Our scholars really embrace this style of performance art and put forth so much effort into each routine.

Portfolio Day 2011 - Kansas City Art Institute

October is "Portfolio Month" and is an opportunity for high school students to submit their art portfolios for review.  There are many sites throughout the United States and we are fortunate to have an awesome site here, in the Kansas City Art Institute!
Each year I gather up a handful of scholars and we go over to KCAI and visit the college representatives that attend.  Each year there are about 30 different colleges, universities and art institutes from all over the U.S. that show up to review and critique the student art portfolios.

Tons of students from all over the Midwest - and this is just one of the eleven rooms!

This is my 6th year of attending with students and I am always awed at the wonderful work that is being created by high school students from all over the Midwest.  It gets my creative juices flowing and gives me new ideas for future projects. 

Thank you Ms. Kim for taking us on the awesome tour!

On tour

Waiting for California

Mr. Lunn visiting with a California Visual Art Rep.

KCAI Self-Portraits

The lone scholar who was not afraid of the arachnid.

Once again, the artwork we submitted recieved wonderful reviews and we were reminded that the focus of high school students work should be on observational drawings (looking at the real thing and drawing from it rather than just from imagination or from magazines and the internet), exploring various media (art materials) and not just relying on pencil drawings, and being willing to try new things and fail.  Much can be learned from falling down.  Mistakes are educational too.

Honoring our Ancestors 2011

During the month of October, ACECC provides our scholars with an opportunity to honor our ancestors.  October is Ancestors Month and during this month our cultural arts committee, made up of the Campus Cultural Arts Director, the Fine Arts Chairman, Librarians, Professors and others have come together to establish ways for our students to develop projects and programs that will honor ancestors that have passed on.
This is the first year, we, as a campus, have come together and provided a well rounded program.  On October 28th 2011 our high school, Upper Campus hosted the first Ancestors Day Program.  Included in the festivities were Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Dance, Drums, Culinary Arts, and our Choir. The program was well attended and well received by our scholars, elders, parents and guests.  Thank you Baba Danny Hinds for your hard work as well as the other members of the "family".  Asante Sana (Thank you).
Please enjoy.

(I will attempt to load video of portions of the performances either on this post or a later post.)

Scholars hard at work

Rigor is defined as "The quality of being unyielding".  I ask from my scholars, to do their very best and improve today from where they were yesterday.  By asking for the best from my students, they often give me their best.  I appreciate each and every one of them for that.  Good job, good job.

Meeting one of 9 legends

As someone who strives to instill self empowerment into the students that I teach, it was a great honor for me to learn that our guest speaker at our 2010 graduation would be Minniejean Brown Trickey.
Minniejean Brown is a member of the "Little Rock Nine". This was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. On their first day of school, troops from the Arkansas National Guard would not let them enter the school and they were followed by mobs making threats to lynch.
To make sure that the students completed a successful day of school, President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. Each student had their own patroller to walk with them to school and during school, but the mob still beat them. After a few weeks, the patrollers left and the nine students had to protect themselves.
I was honored and pleased to hear Mrs. Brown- Trickey speak to our first graduating class. She urged each of them and us to rise against adversity, set your sights to your dreams and do not let anyone or anything prevent you from reaching your goals and your potential. It was very moving and inspiring to learn of her story and to hear her speak.

Remembering our past to move forward into the future

One of the principles that is taught at ACE, is the principle of "Sankofa".  Visually, the term sankofa is depicted as a bird that has its neck turned back, collecting an egg or placing an egg behind it's wing, while continuing to walk forward.  The philosophy is that in order for a person, or group of people to move forward, they must look back to where they have been.  Others have been quoted to say, "One must understand the past in order to avoid the same mistakes in the future" or "Someone who does not know their history, is someone who is doomed to repeat it."
In honoring Sankofa, I will take a look back to the previous year and post some of the events that were milestones and successes.

This first one highlights our 2010-2011 art show held in December of 2010.  Here we see the work of our scholars.  Drawings, Paintings, Sculpture etc.  Working with limited supplies, we were able to achieve wonderful results and raise the level of achievement for our scholars.