Client: The Center for Emerging Artists, New Courtland Senior Services and Masterman High School
Location: Philadelphia, PA, United States
Completion date: 2014
Project Team
Other
Genevieve Coutroubis
Overview
PROJECT SUMMARY
Students from Masterman High School and seniors from PSC-Spring Garden worked together to make a permanent piece for Masterman that combines geographic histories and biographical symbolism within the overall shape of the Masterman Mascot, The Dragon. The piece brings together the eclectic and diverse population that makes up the neighborhood and student body of and around the school.
Goals
Intergenerational projects where people create together can be endlessly explored as a way to generate imagery for commissioned artwork in educational spaces.
Process
The imagery for the different shapes was gathered through questionnaires completed by the participants about ancestral origins, childhood memories, favorite places and their interests. Each shape was hand drawn by participants in multi-generational workshops where students and seniors interacted and shared life experiences. They sat together to draw countries of origin, birthplaces, landmarks, rivers, flowers, objects and migration patterns. The images were combined later to make up a unified image of the dragon.