This is from PCA…

Piedmont Council of the Arts (PCA), The Bridge | Progressive Arts Initiative, and Siteworks Studio collaborate on a unique public art project for Charlottesville Parks and Recreation’s Summer Camp. The StoryLine Project will join local artists and designers with young people (grades 4-6) in the Parks and Recreation Summer Camp to creatively explore and interpret the places where they live.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The project centers on a walking expedition of the neighborhoods of downtown Charlottesville, during which participants will learn to use close observation and creative expression as a means of understanding spaces, places, and the stories that enrich them. During the StoryLine walk on July 9th, four teams of young people and artist mentors will gather information and ideas about their neighborhoods through personal interviews, poetry, sketching, photography, journaling and more.  The project will culminate with the creation of a collaborative mural on the Community Chalkboard on July 16th.  The mural will illustrate the young participants’ layered visions of their StoryLine walk and the neighborhoods it explored.  A micro-exhibition to share and celebrate the project will take place in August at the Bridge | Progressive Arts Initiative.

PROJECT SCHEDULE
The StoryLine Project will take place between July 7 – 16, 2009 through four morning sessions led by project leaders Greg Kelly from The Bridge PAI and Pete O’Shea from Siteworks Studio, with support from Parks and Recreation camp counselors and community volunteers.  Community members and press contacts are invited to visit and observe any of the projects sessions, which are as follows:

DAY 1: July 7, 2009: Project Intro with Campers
9:00am – 12:00pm at Tonsler Park
Summer campers are introduced to the project and activities through a video, slideshow, and discussion led by project leaders Greg Kelly and Pete O’Shea. Campers learn about exploratory walking, documentary photography, and the poetics of gathering experiences; are given an Urban Explorer’s Backpack; and breakout into 4 teams with leaders to take a short intro walk.

DAY 2: July 9, 2009: StoryLine Walk – An Expedition of Downtown Charlottesville
9:00am – 12:00pm at Tonsler Park & throughout downtown
Local artists Damani Harrison and John Casteen talk with campers about poetry and storytelling – or how to “see with words.” StoryLine teams embark on a 2-mile neighborhood expedition and document the walk with words and images, using poetry, interviews, photography, drawing, and more to record and enhance their experiences.

DAY 3: July 14, 2009: Intro to Mural Making
9:00am – 12:00pm at Tonsler Park
Greg Kelly and Pete O’Shea lead a discussion and slideshow on mural making, with guest appearances and demonstrations by local artists Jeremy Taylor, Allyson Mellberg Taylor, and Patrick Costello. Campers learn how to tell a story with images and split into teams to design and plan the collaborative StoryLine mural on the Community Chalkboard.

DAY 4: July 16, 2009: StoryLine Mural Creation at Community Chalkboard
9:00am – 12:00pm at Community Chalkboard and Podium
StoryLine teams are joined with local artists and designers to create a mural of their walking expedition experiences on the downtown Community Chalkboard. Throughout the creation of the mural, campers read poems and share StoryLine experiences at the Community Podium.

STORY|LINE EXHIBIT & CELEBRATION
To celebrate and share the StoryLine Project with the campers’ families and community members, The Bridge | PAI will host a micro-exhibit from August 22-23, 2009 in the gallery at 205 Monticello Road in Belmont. The exhibit will show drawings, photographs, studies and ephemera from the StoryLine project. An opening reception and celebration will be held from 3-6pm on Saturday, August 22nd, and the exhibit will be on display from 12-3pm on Sunday, August 23rd or by appointment.

For more information or photos from the StoryLine project, contact Maggie Guggenheimer at director@charlottesvillearts.org or 971-2787.

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