Graffiti, Poetry, Dance
How Public Library Art Programs Affect Teens
Shannon Crawford Barniskis
1
EXQUISITE CORPSE
1. Consider the line that was just written.
2. Fold the paper down over the line you read.
3. Write one line of poetry/wisdom/whatever that follows more-or-less logically from the previous one & DON’T BE RISK-AVERSE!
4. Pass the page to your left.
5. Read aloud when our time is up.
CC BY-SA 3.0A Cadavre exquis by Marc M. Gustà, Bernat M. Gustà & Irene Alcón.
This is happening right now…
… in a library
near you.
TEENS ARE
drawing henna tattoosremixing songsmaking flash videosknittingcookingdancingmaking altered books…
CREATING ALL KINDS OF ART
2
Why?3
(Johnson 2010, p. 147)
“If the provision of information is no longer its
most important role, how should the library reposition itself to remain relevant to municipal funders?”
LIBRARIESCIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
How do art programs in public libraries affect civic engagement in teens?
4
subquestions
• What does civic engagement look like to teens?
• How engaged do teens feel within their communities?
• What are the barriers to civic engagement? • How can art affect this sense of engagement? • How do libraries support civic engagement?
How can they support it better? • How do libraries support teens? How can they
support them better?
Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities
It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.
(Ehrlich, 2000)
5
and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and
motivation to make that difference
THE LITERATURE
Research & theoretical works onTeens, Libraries, Civic Engagement, & Art
Including: • How art effects civic engagement• Public Libraries’ civic engagement
mission• Social capital• Empathy• Forced “volunteering”• Best practices for teen library services
But articles or papers on the library art programs? Nope. 6
“My interests are valued by the community, and the library proves it.” says Eli Neuberger in Gaming and Libraries (Levine, 2009, p.16),
method
1 library
6 art programs
14 teens interviewed7
Teen-centered research
LIMITATIONS
the theory
8
ART MOVES US
“When I see a painting I think of why the artist would paint that way or have his thought in that vision. I tried to pretend I’m that artist and try to look at something, and paint it the way that they would paint it.”
(Nick, 16)
9
WE WANT TO CONNECT, WE WANT TO OPEN UP
“I’ve taught chain mail to a woman that was I believe was like 67 years old and she picked it up like that … you can really brainstorm with people from different generations that have different ideas on the same things.” (Eric, 18, who has taught classes at a library)
IT’S AN ADULT’S WORLD
strongly agree
agree
don't
agree or disagree
I feel like a valued member of my com-
munity (after)
agree
don't agree or disagree
strongly dis-agree
I feel like a valued mem-ber of my community (be-
fore)
“They just have their own reality and it doesn't have anything to do with your reality.”
(Emily, 12)
WE WANT TO HELP, BUT DON’T PUSH US
“I think adults and parents are thinking that our generation should go out and pick up garbage and stuff and try to make other people happy but most of us think that it should be helping make us happy and other people happy.”
(Megan, 13)
CREATING A COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS US
When you paint with someone and you the share the paper you will see two different stories collide … and it makes a spark.
(Callie, 14)
don't agree
or dis-
agree
disagree
strongly dis-agree
When I am over 18, I will likely remain in commu-
nity I live in now (be-fore)
agree
don't agree or disagree
disagree
strongly disagree
When I am over 18, I will likely remain in
community I live in now (after)
LIBRARIES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR US
I definitely do feel closer to the libraries that I go to…the more programs that you go to the more it feels kind of like home in a way. Not a real home but like a really comforting awesome place.
(Eric, 18)
DOES OUR ENGAGEMENT SHIFT?
Leveling Up: “Now I feel like I’m a little bit freer…with different ways that I could affect other people.”
(Kayla, 12)
strongly agree
agree
don't agree or disagree
strongly disagree
I am willing to take action in my commu-nity to make things
better (before)
strongly agree
agree
don't agree or disagree
I am willing to take action in my community to make
things better (after)
CAUTION:
10
“If you only feel like you are valued and you aren’t actually valued then you’re not going to get any sort of civic stuff done.”
(Rachel, 16)
communicating relevance
planning programsconnecting with teens
getting fundingmarketing services
engaging communityfacilitating democracy
11
ART FOR ART’S SAKE
ART MOVES US
studio space
teen-created music for library publicity
12
IT’S AN ADULT’S WORLD
intergenerational programs
adult response13
WE WANT TO CONNECT, WE WANT TO OPEN UP
flash-in-the pan clubs
hire teens, 20-somethings to teach
14
CREATING A COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS US
teens on the Board of TrusteesTeen photo-journalism on social networking sites
15
WE WANT TO HELP, BUT DON’T PUSH USannounce protests, volunteer opportunities, donations
teens to steer projects while not being overwhelmed by them1
6
DOES OUR ENGAGEMENT SHIFT?
connect library programs with real engagement opportunities (such as a knitted graffiti project after a knitting class)
ask teens to do the book-talking, perhaps using xtranormal or other web-based digital tools
17
LIBRARIES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR US
participate in arts programs with teens to build the sense of a shared experience
ensure that the library participates in local art or community festivals to build the sense of the library as an artistic community institution
18
Research needed
• More case studies• More one-on-one
interviews• Quantitative
evaluation of 7 themes• Study of other teen
programs• Study using other
metrics• Study of other creative
programs and services 19
Teen Ink images used with permission.
1. Graffiti IS Art. By xcrunnerchicka16, Carthage, MO. http://www.teenink.com/art/photo_illustrations/19445/Graffitti-IS-art/
2. Henna. By Amanda Manfredi, http://www.amandamanfredi.com/3. Potpourri. By polskavic51, Las Vegas, NV. http://www.teenink.com/art/all/16935/potpourri-4. NO. 3 study of time, By j.Dieppa, Northridge, CA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/pen_ink_drawings/49870/NO-3-study-of-time/5. Teenagers. http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/MCA/91691.htm6. Johanna. By CrystalBlood, Clinton, CT. http://www.teenink.com/art/computer_graphics/58294/Johanna/7. Stop Yelling at Me. By Kimmy_Krak, Macomb, MI.
http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/56661/Stop-Yelling-at-Me/8. Pinhole Camera. By AliceCrowley, Concord, MA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photographs/58479/Pinhole-Camera/9. Goodbye, Think. By sgrace, West Chester, PA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photo_illustrations/9961/Goodbye-Think/10. Wrong Way. By ladybug95, Milwaukee, WI. http://www.teenink.com/art/photographs/58498/Wrong-Way/11. The Addiction Tree. http://www.threefishandaram.com/2010/06/12. School Work. Alice1995, Sierra Vista, AZ.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photo_illustrations/95765/School-Work/13. Untitled No. 1. by mbean876, Ferry, WV. http://www.teenink.com/art/charcoals/7398/untitled-no-1 /14. Widened. TheWrittenMe, Prosser,WA. http://teenink.com/art/computer_graphics/89808/Widened /15. Really. saher, east windsor,CT. http://www.teenink.com/art/woodcuts/27039/Really /16. Santiago. josehadathy, Marietta, GA. http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/92875/Santiago /17. life's only a dream. By AlyssaC, morrisville, PA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/86539/lifes-only-a-dream /18. Birds. By Tambriell, Salyersville,KY/ http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/88620/Birds /19. I to see. By KedaBeta, Orlando, FL. http://www.teenink.com/art/photographs/44903/I-too-see/
Other images taken by SC Barniskis