Winter 1997 TAB Newsletter

For a several years TAB produced and distributed a newsletter once or twice a year. They are really wonderful keepsakes, so over the coming months we will feature various issues.

These newsletters and the writings they contain speak to the diversity of TAB and dedication it's numerous supporters, members and friends.

To best read these you can click on the image to enlarge. Enjoy!

Community Arts Lab

The Community Arts Lab (CAL) was a unique experiment in community art making that has deeply informed the TAB narrative and practice. CAL was a learning environment, a production facility, a a gathering place, a theater, puppet production studio, gallery, library, office and who could forget “art-supply alley”. This was a place where artists and cultural workers of all ages could come to teach, create art, learn or launch new initiatives. Every day and evening was busy, with phones ringing and schedules packed. It was a dynamic environment that birthed many new initiatives at a time of renewed interest in civic engagement and social change.

There were several ongoing program areas that included workshops for people of all ages and abilities. These initiatives fell under four program areas:

• Youth Community Arts Training Program (YATP)
• Community Arts Training Program
• Popular Education and Labor History
• Women’s Space

Workshop samples included drawing, painting, sewing, paper making, print making, collage, photography and theme based workshops such as “How Would Fredrick Douglas Respond to Big Mountain?”, “Stone Soup” and “Community W.O.R.K.S.”.

From 1998-2004 CAL grew and developed alongside of TAB. Events became larger and more dynamic. CAL had outgrown it’s small studio. The center, maintained by a volunteer collective, simply didn’t have the resources needed to re-open at a new location that was up to code.


In 2004 the decision was made to close CAL, incorporating it’s rebirth into our long range planning. That day may not be far off, and as with all TAB projects, it will be something new, unexpected, exciting and cutting edge.

DIETZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MURAL PROJECT

The “Whole Systems Ecology” mural at Dietz Elementary School was designed and painted by 48 students in Ms. Kievit’s and Mr. Requadt’s third grade classes.

Teaching Artist and muralist Michael Schwartz worked with students over 12 sessions to design and paint this student work. This mural sought to illustrate the connection between art and ecology in our desert bio-region. Our theme revolved around the classroom curriculum of whole system ecology and sustainable design. Students studied observational drawing , the elements of art and artistic design elements such as balance, repetition, and symmetry in nature.

After combining our ideas we transferred the designs to four 4 x 8 panels. There were daily journal exercises and writings and looking at works of art. Painting was an exciting step of the process, and everyone wanted to continue working. For one session we tried an experiment by inviting classical musician Bret Lashley to play music as we painted on our mural. Mr. Schwartz asked him to think of works that expressed the design concept of Unity and Variety and various types of line. Among the works he selected were “Magic Flute Variations (Theme by W.A. Mozart) Opus 9 by Fernando Sor (b Feb 1778; d Paris, July, 10 1839) and “Study in A minor Opus No. 50” by Mauro Giuliani (July 27, 1781 – May 8, 1829). The live music added a wonderful element to the classroom. We worked several more sessions carefully layering our paint onto every part of the mural.

Finally we finished and had some time to reflect on our experiences. Mr. Schwartz worked with Dietz Custodian Alan Hall to install the mural in the cafeteria, where the Dietz Community will be able to enjoy the work for years to come.

A special thank you to all the staff and parents at Dietz, and to Christine and Greg and Cheryl for helping out in class!

Move, Paint Create!

Over the past few weeks we have been working hard getting the word out about Tucson Arts Brigade and our work bringing artists to work in school, community centers, with neighborhoods and organizations.


A few weeks ago we were honored to host guest artist Mizu Desierto from Portland and local Tucson artist Jodi Netzer. They teamed up to teach a dance/theatre workshop and present a special premiere performance at the Rhythm Industry Performance Factory. Bodies of Water was a preview of the 2nd annual The Water Project: Tucson’s Synergistic Water Festival, a festival that promotes creative and proactive solutions for our most precious resource.

We have a great new website, you have to check it out!

Also we participated in a bunch of fall fiestas including Barrio Centro, the 29th Street Celebration, Tucson Meet Yourself, Green Builders Expo, and the HOKO Festival. People could come get their face painting or create recycled art from plastic bottles.

Our Mural Arts Program up and running!

Tuesday - Howenstein High School 3-5pm (For youth living in Barrio Centro)

Wednesdays - Boys and Girls Club on 29th and Columbus, 2:30 - 4:30

Thursdays - Arts For All on Oracle (for youth city wide), 4 - 6pm.

We are scheduling several other projects so look for some fantastic new murals in the months to come!

Our Youth Advisory Board will be meeting this winter. If you know youth who are interested in facilitating their OWN community arts project please contact us so we can tell you how to get involved. This group will have their own budget and 100 percent youth led process.

We are asking artists to bring examples of their work to our next meeting Monday November 15 6-7pm at the Armory Park Community Center 220 S. 5th Ave.. We will be sharing our work and talking about an upcoming exhibition and TAB fund raising opportunity.

More updates soon!

Looking Forward Looking Back

For the September 11 National Day of Service we prepared

 the mural site at Arts for All. 

That night we led the Play Area Sandbox at BatNight

I love this blog, mostly because I can share the story of TAB's 15 years of work in an open environment. Many of the murals we have created in Tucson over the years have been connected to a group or event. That is to say they are community initiated and involve dozens of people in every step of the process. 

This fall we will be starting three new projects. We will be working with Arts for All, Barrio Centro Neighborhood Association and the 29th Street Coalition on designing and painting a series of four murals. We created blogs for Barrio Centro and the 29th Street projects. We are still awaiting the go ahead on the plans for the Archer Center mural. We expect that project to take place in 2011.

Also we are in the early stages of planning a mural about water to coincide with the annual Water Project Festival.  

I have no idea what these murals will look like, that's part of the fun of this work. The people who live, learn, play and work in these areas will be doing the designing and painting. 

The same is true for the two murals seen below. These projects were both done before digital cameras took over the world. I'll see if I can't dig up some better images.

NAAPAE (North American Alliance for Popular and Adult Education) Mural
5 1⁄2’ X 30’ on Canvas
Where: OISE/University of Toronto, CANADA
When: February, 1999
Lead Artist: Michael Schwartz

About this mural:
Mural from the Commonfire Conference: Coming Together Across Borders and Issues for Economic, Environmental and Social Justice. This Participatory mural was created by over 75 participants during the five day conference in Tucson, AZ. The mural, on canvas, was then shipped to Canada.

Seeds for Life
7’ x 7’ Acrylics on Wood
Where: Private Family Garden, Tucson, Arizona, USA
When: 1999
Artist Facilitator: Michael Schwartz
About this mural:
This project involved 26 people in an intergenerational 12 week project. The mural depicts the four directions, four elements (water, air, fire, earth) and the genetic diversity of the Sonoran Bioregion. We discussed gardening, seeds, rotations of life, the moon and much more.

More to come next month!

Two New 2010 Murals

Miracle Manor Neighbors reviewing their mural design.

2010 - "Miracle Manor Neighborhood Mural"
Location: 2520 N. 15th Ave
14' x 64'
©2010 Tucson Arts Brigade/YES Network/Michael B. Schwartz

2010 - The 4 B's
Location: Wakefield Middle School
8' x 30'
©2010 Tucson Arts Brigade/Wakefield Muralists /Michael B. Schwartz

The Tucson Arts Brigade's Mural Arts Program (TMAP) has several new murals about town that have involved dozens of people in every aspect of the mural planning and production process. You can follow the links to the project sites.

Early TMAP Murals Part 1

Each of these murals has their own story and memories. There were many hundreds of people who helped create these and more than 70 other works during the early TMAP years (1995-2004). Most of these works were never documented digitally, so we will be adding more images and stories over time. 

"Building Community"

1998

3-5th Graders from Miles Exploratory School

(Scott St. building demolished)

"Our Yaqui Culture"

Old Pascua Plaza

1998

"Share the Bounty"

4th Avenue - Winsett Park

1998

"Save the Scenic Santa Ritas"

1998

Queen Ave., Dunbar Spring Neighborhood

"Do Justice Love Mercy" "forgive the Debts to the Poorest of Nations"

2000

(destroyed) had been on River Road

"Hope Beyond Conflict" Mobile Mural

2003

Create by students of many faiths.

"The Old and New Tucson" Mobile Mural

2002 Summer Mural Arts Camp