This is the narrative for a grant request successfully submitted to the Texas Commission on the Arts in 2016. It has been edited to remove institutional information.
Information on Audience Targeted by your Proposal
Economically disadvantaged
At-risk youth
How many adults will be engaged in “in-person” arts experiences?
25-35
How many children/youth will be engaged in “in-person” arts experiences?
35-50
Ethnic Information
Ethnic breakdown of individuals to be served
85% Hispanic
05% Black
10% White
0% on all other categories
Educational Audiences Targeted
30% Pre-Kindergarten
30% K-12
40% Adult Learners
0% Higher Education
Project Description
This project will bring together members of the South El Paso community to create Dia de los Muertos altars using materials significant to them, as well as supplemental materials. The altars will be created in workshops at the Armijo Recreation Center and then be fixed to the skirt armature for a large-scale Catrina created by artist Wayne Hilton, who will also supervise the workshops. The project would take place in the fall of 2016. The Catrina body and armature will be stored at the El Paso Museum of Art, so it can be used for future community projects at other Recreation Centers.
The project is intended to engage members of the community of South El Paso in creating artwork relevant to their culture in conjunction with local El Paso artist Wayne Hilton, and to introduce them to the El Paso Museum of Art as their museum. It is also intended to deepen understanding of the history and meaning of the Catrina figure, while allowing participants to explore and celebrate their cultural heritage through personal artistic expression.
Our hope is to foster a connection between the participants and the El Paso Museum of Art, and to provide a platform for members of the South El Paso community to share their stories and creativity, and be encouraged to continue to explore their creative side.
Measurable Objectives:
- To engage a diverse portion of the targeted community (i.e. children, youth, adults, family units)
- To encourage the sharing of individual and family stories
- To “unlock” or display the creative spirit within the participants
- To introduce EPMA to the participants as a place with relevance to them
- To encourage participants to continue to explore their creative side through participation in arts-oriented activities
Cristobal Rivera, the Program Manager for Hart Elementary School’s unit of the EPSO’s Tocando Music Project, has committed to having their students participate in the Community Catrina project. The EPMA has an existing partnership program with the Tocando Music Project, Art Beats, in which they explore art interpretation.
Key Personnel:
EPMA:
Kate Loague, Community Engagement Manager
Elisabeth Sommer, Museum Education Curator
Armijo Recreation Center:
Alejandra Dominguez, Recreation Supervisor at Armijo Recreation Center
Teaching Artist:
Wayne Hilton
How does this project address the priority area (Public Safety/Criminal Justice)?
The demographic of South El Paso is heavily Hispanic, with almost 50% having little to no English. Half are immigrants, and the median household income in 2013 was $13,133. Finally, almost 70% do not have a high school degree. These demographics make for a highly at risk population.
This project will encourage family bonding, underscore a pride in community heritage, and allow participants to explore their creative potential. Its base in a neighborhood community center will connect the El Paso Museum of Art with a known alternative learning place, while the assembling, celebration, and display of the figure in the Museum will open participants to another safe place for learning and enjoyment. The Catrina project will join with two additional programs aimed at this population, the Art Beats program with Hart Elementary in South El Paso, and Paseo al Arte, a bi-lingual program in development aimed at families with pre-school children. The Catrina project’s reach will be broader, however, as it has no specific age focus.
How will you gauge the success/impact of this project?
Success will be judged against the measureable objectives through observation, assessment of participant diversity, formal evaluation by the participants, and follow-up tracking. For example, we will capture participants’ information so that we can offer them scholarships for camps and classes at the Museum, and track their response. We will also track their level of participation at subsequent creative opportunities offered by the Armijo Rec Center.
How will you ensure the artistic quality of the project will be high?
Artist Wayne Hilton began creating a series of Catrina figures in 2011. These have been exhibited at the Mulvane Museum in Topeka Kansas, the Armarillo Museum of Art, the Centennial Museum at the University of Texas El Paso, and most recently at the Midland County Public Library in Midland, Texas. This project will take place in conjunction with an exhibit of his Catrinas (Hermosos Huesos) at the El Paso Museum of Art. He has also conducted both teacher and public workshops, including a teacher workshop for the Midland ISD.
Education Curator Elisabeth Sommer has overseen a number of education initiatives that connect creative activities with Museum exhibitions. She also initiated and manages Art Beats, the partnership with the Tocando Music Project afterschool program. Prior to coming to the Museum, she taught Museum Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, and headed education departments at historic sites in North Carolina and Staten Island, N.Y.
BUDGET
Project Budget
Altar workshop supplies $600
Catrina construction supplies $900
Welding labor (skirt framework) $1300
Workshop facilitation fee $1100 (4 at $275 each)
Artist fee (creation of Catrina) $1500
Total budget $5,400
TCA Request= $5,400 (Artistic Salary of $1,500 and $3,900 Program/Exhibit Production Cost)
EPMA Match= $5,724 (Administrative Salaries, Benefits and Contracts $3,626 and Marketing Materials $2,098)
The Museum Doctor 