The New School for Leadership and the Arts M. S. 244
Class 705 Fall 2019 Residency
This fall residency responded to the Japanese tradition of a Bon-Odori, which featured prominently in Satoshi Miyagi’s production of Antigone. Students explored the binary ideas of right/wrong or good/ evil, defining for themselves what is “evil” or “wrong” in the world, while also considering a Zen Buddhist vision of the afterlife, where good and evil no longer exist. Students used the aesthetic tools of Satoshi Miyagi’s Antigone to create their own Bon-Odori, a group performance ritual that releases the Ma-ga-sashitas (evil ides) of this world. The final Bon-Odori performance included poetry written by the students, Noh-inspired Kata, basic percussion, poetry, and individual and group speaking. Featured here are video excerpts of the students’ rehearsal process and the final Bon-Odori ritual performance, well as the text of the students’ poems in their entirety.
Class 705 Group Poems for Bon-Odori
Class 702 Fall 2019 Residency:
The Electric Trading Card Project
The historical Trading Card Project was borne out of inspiration from our students visiting the Armory and observing the performance of “Gospel Electric”. Our students were tasked with thinking about and creating an homage to a person from their real life history that they considered to be of special importance. When we introduced this concept to the students, we wanted to immerse them into creating art based on them really sharing themselves. The process was primarily based on the fact that “Gospel Electric was a true story about a historical figure (Sister Rosetta Tharpe) who is anonymous to most people. Her inspiring story respectfully glorifies the fact that everyone need not be a, Quote…“star”. Due to the historical times in which she lived and other outside forces, Ms. Tharpe was an outlier in many (good) ways. Her amazing story manifested the realization that, by closely looking around your actual daily life, you are apt to be surrounded by “Stars”.
With the works shown here, the students shined a light on the stars of their everyday existence. The process asked them to list people that have influence on who they are becoming and then create a statistical representation and artfully create an expression of who they are and why they’re so special in their lives.
Each card is represented with a front and a back here. In the spirit of a sports card design, the chosen person is represented on the front and the back holds the students creative interpretation about that person. I’ve also included some of the many preliminary sketches that the students made before the actual card design execution. And finally, Leigh and I want to thank the Students of class of 702, and Ms. Mendoza for their patience and participation in what has turned out to be a rather historical year in itself.
I personally want to thank Park Avenue Armory and my co-teaching art partner in this endeavor, Leigh Poulos who was always there when I wasn’t!
- Larry Jackson
Class 702: The Electric Trading Card Project
Class 802 Fall 2019 Residency
This winter residency responded to the themes of identity, authenticity, defiance, and love in Trusty Sidekick's production of The Gospel Electric. Students reflected on their own different intersecting identities (including race/ethnicity, gender, religion, etc.) and the expectations, limitations, and stereotypes others place on them based on those identities. Students then compared their own ideas of how to be true to themselves with Rosetta Tharpe's journey of authenticity in The Gospel Electric. Finally, students created short devised theater pieces about other Women of Color musicians, celebrating their different ways of being authentic and creative, despite social pressures and inequitable power structures. Working in small groups, students researched their Women of Color musicians' lives, and created short performance pieces about how their musician stayed true to herself and kept creating music. Videos of the students' theater pieces are presented here, dedicated to these Women of Color musicians: Queen Latifah, M.I.A., Celia Cruz, Yuna, and Brittany Howard. Also on display in the room are students' final reflections, letters of appreciation to Rosetta Tharpe, their group's musician, and/or other women in their lives who inspire them to be strong, brave, creative, and authentic.