The DescolonizARTE program is one that offers a safe space for youth to hold critical thinking conversations about social justice, identity and art. We are currently hosting virtual workshops where we explore various levels of life in the borderlands, from culture to our daily systems such as family life, history, school, and the environment. The mission/goal of the project is a long-term public display of art created by local youth after participating in workshops on art, social justice, civic engagement and leadership.
EC’s leading youth program is descoloniz-ARTE. It is an art youth program that creates a public art piece which is designed, created and presented by youth to their community. It started as a pilot, experiential program to empower young people through discussions about the formation of their identities, the historical context of southern New Mexico and how the young people can make an impact in their home community. It follows the same foundational curriculum of CYLSJ, however it leads young people to exercise their agency and step into their power while they make an art contribution to their community or school.
The pilot project, descoloniz-ARTE Berino, encompassed a series of facilitated workshops with young people from Berino and the surrounding area. The workshops generated dialogue sparked by content-knowledge and a broader historical awareness about the world they inhabit. Workshop discussions first centered around the history of their colonia. This was followed by asking the youth about the origin of their name, their families, and even migration stories if they have one. The idea was to empower youth through discussions about identity, history, and membership. Time spent together then led to dreaming collectively and conceiving narratives and imagery of themselves and their colonia which served as design ideas for a large-scale mural.
The painting process consisted of several steps: prepping the wall, outlining and practicing, painting, and covering with an anti-graffiti coat. Prepping the wall consisted of repairing parts of the wall that were damaged by time, as well as scraping and priming. Then we practiced large-scale drawing, we measured the wall and outlined the parts of the design. We started painting by layers and when we finished we signed and coated our mural. This process took two months to complete.
As the project unfolded, youth were able to experience their similarities and celebrate their differences—all within their hometown/colonia toward a larger goal of getting them involved in their own lives and in the events and circumstances that immediately surround them. DescolonizARTE’s process supported the development of a strong identity association within the youth as connected to community, pride in themselves and community, personal agency, and other markers of healthy self-awareness and self-esteem. We dedicated this mural accomplishment to the community and youth of Berino, and celebrated with an unveiling party at the park.
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