"I AM BEACH" Art Installation Series & Youth-Led Community Initiative
Vision
All youth reconciled to self, family, community and world in order to thrive, create and bring their voices and talents into actualization.
Mission
Creating positive youth-owned spaces and youth-designed and made art installations to break negative conceptions of vulnerable youth populations.
Project Description
Over the next year the "I AM BEACH" series and initiative will produce 3 art installations at 3 separate sites within the community, with the projected sites being Our Safeway, Rainier Beach Community Center and New Holly Family Center. Each installation will have different theme, projected themes being " I AM FREE", "I AM AWAKE" and "I AM CHANGE". The series will be completely youth-led and spearheaded and will be documented in a video series that will be made into a documentary and shown throughout the community and city in order to call others into this work. "I AM BEACH" seeks to call each resident of Rainier Beach into action and will need the following participants:
- 10 youth participants for each site; with a total of 30 youth artists
- 3 Artist Mentors for each site; with a total of 9 Artist Mentors
- Board Members; ages 12-90, projected need for 10-15 members ( board members to be in charge of items such as: press engagement,marketing and social media, community gathering event planning )
- Community gathering spaces for monthly meetings to talk about project status
- 3-5 video editors and/or producers; ages 12-90, to conduct video journal series and create documentary
- 20 community members to commit to take surveys throughout project
- community and outside stakeholders for funding and support, we want to pay all artists involved and create the most compelling art installations possible!
- ALL commmunity members to come to art openings at installation sites
- ALL community members and art-viewers to participate in ongoing “I AM BEACH” stories as collected at each installation site
After art installations are completed and video journals are edited, community members and stakeholders ( and anyone!) will be invited to a ribbon-cutting and public panel-forum at each installation site. Public panels will consist of participants of the projects and allow the community to engage with youth in the process of creating art pieces as well as ask questions of participants.
Once displayed at sites, "I AM BEACH" pieces will be available for viewing for at least 3 months at each site. During that time, anyone who comes in contact with these pieces will be able to interact with the art piece by answering the question, "What does this image evoke of youth of Rainier Beach?" and posting their answer on a community bulletin board that will be displayed next to each image and each site as well as on social media through the #IAMBEACH platforms.
Once displayed at sites, "I AM BEACH" pieces will be available for viewing for at least 3 months at each site. During that time, anyone who comes in contact with these pieces will be able to interact with the art piece by answering the question, "What does this image evoke of youth of Rainier Beach?" and posting their answer on a community bulletin board that will be displayed next to each image and each site as well as on social media through the #IAMBEACH platforms.
Need
" I AM BEACH" was created after a survey conducted with community members and parents as well as a listening project with youth of Rainier Beach where participants voiced need for positive influences for youth in their community and more positive opportunities for youth to be involved in. Participants thought the art installations should be showcased in space where the community visits so that community members could be reminded of the power of resilience in Rainier Beach and their part in that movement.
Assets
Leadership
Timeline
Budget
The above budget is the estimated need for the "I AM BEACH" project and initiative. Because the major grants that we will apply for are an "up-to" amount, we will need to pursue donors and in-kind giving.
Monitoring & Evaluation
" I AM BEACH" project and initiative will use Quantitative data by implementing the use of surveys at the beginning and end of the project. Surveys will be completed by all participants and at least 20 community members who will commit to being part of the project by coming to the community gatherings. This effort will be done in order to track any behavior and/or identity ( when it comes how they view self and/or community). Additionally,"I AM BEACH" will keep video journals which will ask intentional questions of all participants and community members surrounding their experience with racial profiling and police brutality and how that affects their community. These video journals will be compiled into a documentary that will quite literally show the journey their community goes on when it comes viewing self and Rainier Beach.
Sustainability
To guarantee sustainability, " I AM BEACH" will identify a leadership team early on who will be initial planners, recruiters of participants and board members and vision-builders for a retreat for future planning. This leadership team will be made up of 10 people ( 5 youth, 5 adults) and will delegate a majority of their responsibilities to the Board of Directors who will carry out tasks once board members are recruited and in place. The leadership team will oversee the studios as participants create the artwork as well as ensure that relationship building with the sites who will host installations have the information needed to provide "I AM BEACH" with the most positive and powerful experience. From the beginning, this project and initiative will be have the language of, "what can we do next?" and "how can we make sure we get there?" Additionally leadership team and board members will ensure that participants main goal is creating art work and team building so that the artists can focus on the creation of the images. Leadership team and board members will seek out local community organizations, non profits, family-owned restaurants and businesses as well as other organizations in the Rainier Beach area to seek support for sustainability and to ensure that they continue to listen to the community as the project evolves.