Art In Nana Kenieba
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This is a student driven art and design project focused on creating “super murals” on the exterior of the buildings at the Namballa Keita School in the Malian village of Nana Kenieba.
Getting Started
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This project welcomes students as well as family members. The process will begin with simple random color drawings. Using white paper and colored markers, pencils and crayons participants will be encouraged to draw anything at all. These images can be based on everyday things, local or traditional stories and visuals that are simply self-inspired. There can be family portraits, favorite animals or surrounding landscape. The goal of this first session is simply to get everyone to draw.
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Art Buttons
Out of this first group, artwork will be selected to be made into buttons and pins. Because of the weight of the button machine the actual manufacturing of buttons and pins will be done by school students in the US. At this point we will show the Nana Keniba participants examples of the buttons and how some of their artwork will look.
During the following sessions everyone will be encouraged to continue drawing but this time button templates will be handed out so the participants can create images specifically for that surface/space. This is the beginning of the process of experimenting with design for a specific surface. These buttons and pins eventually will be used as part of an exchange where African students will trade their buttons for buttons and pins made by American students. The buttons also can be use to raise awareness of the projects both in the US and Mali as well as raise funds for materials, supplies and workshops.
During the following sessions everyone will be encouraged to continue drawing but this time button templates will be handed out so the participants can create images specifically for that surface/space. This is the beginning of the process of experimenting with design for a specific surface. These buttons and pins eventually will be used as part of an exchange where African students will trade their buttons for buttons and pins made by American students. The buttons also can be use to raise awareness of the projects both in the US and Mali as well as raise funds for materials, supplies and workshops.
Workshops
During this process there will be a series of mini workshops hosted by local traditional and contemporary Malian artists. It is important the students experience not only the work and visual process of artist within the village but get a chance to see the artwork that is made around the region. The content of these workshops will be based on artist available at the time. These workshops are not limited to visual artist but will be opened up to storytellers, musicians, dancers, griots and scholars; anyone who is capable of inspiring and informing the work of these students through aspects of Western African culture.
Designing For The School Buildings
As the design work continues the participants will be given line drawings of the front wall of the different school buildings. These look like drawings you would find in a coloring book. Not only will the students and other participants get coloring book drawings of the entire building but details of specific walls and posts where eventually paintings will go will be handed out. This will give everyone a chance to see what the artwork might look like on the building
Once there is a body of design work available all the participants including school staff will come together to make decisions on what images will be used and where they will be placed. It is very important that all those participants have the opportunity to have their work placed somewhere on a building.
Once there is a body of design work available all the participants including school staff will come together to make decisions on what images will be used and where they will be placed. It is very important that all those participants have the opportunity to have their work placed somewhere on a building.
Paralleling International Connection
While design work is happening in Nana Kenieba with Malian students a group of American students will be designing artwork for a wall or large multi canvas mural here in the US. The US students will reserve a space on their mural, on which the Malian students will be invited to create a design. Conversely, a section of a school wall in Nana Kenieba can be reserved for US student artwork. Although logistically challenging creating contact between these groups will be important. Because Nana Kenieba is a remote village, with no electricity and limited electronic communication it will be necessary to establish a relay communication link through Bamako to the US.
Bringing Students Together
This can be the start of an ongoing, sustainable student-to-student link where ideas and educational resources can be shared. Ideally, if fund raising is successful a small group of American students can head to Mali to help students in Nana Kenieba with the actual execution of some of the super murals.