August 30, 2012Comments are off for this post.

Taller Portobelo Norte Artist Residency, Summer ’12

Taller Portobelo Norte Summer Art Colony, Colón, Panamá 2012

July 7, 2012Comments are off for this post.

The Native American After School Art Program

Mission

The Native American After School Art Program (NAASAP) unites Native American youth and assists them in developing skills and perspectives that will result in an increased knowledge and sense of pride in their cultural identity. Through community arts programming, youth will become self-empowered to effect positive change in their own lives and in the Native American community of Baltimore.

Purpose

The Native American After School Art Program (NAASAP) exists to provide a safe, structured, environment for Baltimore’s Native youth to assemble themselves together. NAASAP programming presents Art as a vehicle for young people to address issues that are important to them. NAASAP will lift up the voices of Baltimore’s Native American youth as they are empowered to work creatively toward real goals. Their sense of purpose, efficacy and ownership of their community will grow in this process.

We will pursue the following goals in order to move towards accomplishing our mission and purpose:

  • Create a safe, positive, nurturing, learning environment
  • Emphasize the crucial connection between knowledge and pride in one’s heritage, one’s sense of self-identity and one’s aptitude for success
  • Facilitate youth’s development of skills through experiential learning that will   benefit them both in the classroom and in their lives outside of school
  • Make strong use of the arts in all aspects of programming
  • Assist youth in developing a sense of ownership, citizenship, efficacy and the importance of working for positive change in their community
  • Help facilitate a youth-run process of program planning and implementation
  • Engage youth in community asset mapping to educate them about what resources are available to them as community members
  • Foster intergenerational working relationships between different age groups of young people; young people and the Native American Senior Citizens in all aspects of programming
  • Continue Native cultural and traditional practice
  • Share our stories as Native people
  • Practice consensus building
  • Promote nutrition and wellness through cooking and gardening
  • Promote “green” practices as Native stewards of the earth

July 7, 2012Comments are off for this post.

Hard Workin’ Pilgrims

Hard Workin' Pilgrims: Lumbee Indians in Baltimore City Industry, 2011

July 7, 2012Comments are off for this post.

Community

Ashley Minner with students at the Baltimore American Indian Center.