Current status of the OTWP: 5/30/11

May 30, 2011 under Project Updates

Latest OTWP Update:

June 8th, 2011: Meeting with the property manager, a few notables, as well as original project coordinator on a previous project 20 years ago on same wall. Meeting will take place at the property manager’s office.

Still working on finding a paint company to donate all the painting supplies as well as the paint. Some rough estimates put the wall at 1,500 Sq ft. Cost of primer alone would be roughly, $500 – $700. Cost of paint brushes, paint pans, tarps, and other supplies would be $2,000+. That’s not even including the actual paint for the kids to use.

Once the wall permit is secured, the next phase will begin. Contacting the school and working with school officals to get in touch with the art teachers, parents and of course the children themselves. This project will be for the graduating 8th grade class. (I’m not sure of how many kids there are. For the sake of even numbers and clarity I’m using the figure 100 as a means to describe the volume of children that potentially could be involved with this project. (Note: Children will not be required to participate.)

OTWP is currently looking for people to assist during and after the project has completed. (Help with setting up & cleaning up.)

Another thing OTWP is in need of is food and drink for the wall’s unveiling. I would like to have a party to commemorate and celebrate the wall’s new incarnation. I want this to be extra special for the kids. Ideally, I would like to make this a recurring project that each successive 8th grade class would paint their dreams and hopes.

More updates coming soon…

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Creative concept for the OTWP.

May 19, 2011 under Artwork, Creativity, Inspiration, Thoughts

In honor of Booker T. Washington, the namesake of the Booker T. Washington Junior High School across the street from the wall, I have come up with an amazing concept that will intertwine perfectly with the OTWP! But before I get into my concept for the project, I’d like to acknowledge the incredible human being that truly stood up for struggling African-Americans during the post-slavery and the first quarter of the 20th Century. His commitment to equality is legendary. If you are not familiar with his achievements or his life, here’s a snapshot.

[From Wikipedia]: Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915. Representative of the last generation of black leaders born in slavery, he spoke on behalf of the large majority of blacks who lived in the South but had lost their right to vote. While his opponents called his powerful network of supporters the “Tuskegee Machine,” Washington maintained his power because of the sponsorship of powerful whites, widespread support within the black business, educational and religious communities nationwide, his ability to raise large amounts of money from philanthropists, and his accommodation to the political realities of the age of Jim Crow segregation.[1]

He once said, “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.“

What an extraordinary man that I truly look up to as inspiration. So building upon his great legacy, a perfect way to remember and contribute to Mr. Washington’s lifelong dream would be to give these children the tools they need to not only survive, but to follow their dreams and contribute to community and humanity. When kids are free to express themselves and create, they open entire new worlds of endless possibilities. Through painting, their dreams become closer to reality. Children need to be able to think creatively and freely.

It is with great pleasure that I will announce the proposal of a large portrait of Booker T. Washington to be painted as part of the OTWP. As a painter, I would be more than honored to personally do this and contribute to the project. This will be one of the main focal points of the project and I’m super excited to get started with it!

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Current status of the OTWP: 5/14/11

May 14, 2011 under Project Updates

The beginning of the week looked promising as I had a few really important conversations to get the ball rolling on the OTWP as well as some really amazing conceptual ideas for Social Media integration.

Part I: I first contacted the main office at the Booker T. Washington Junior High School, and spoke with a warm and sweet receptionist and had a quick and incredibly powerful conversation regarding my desired plan. She suggested that I speak to the Parent coordinator and then proceeded to transfer me to her extension. No answer, left a message. I tried to call again the following Monday, as the weekend had just passed. Got in touch with my contact and she kindly gave me a few minutes of her time to discuss my concept. She was completely on board with it and suggested that I get in touch with the art teachers. That being said, she then said that I would need to get in contact with the owners of the wall.

Part II: Did some quick research to find out who was the owner of the wall; The Red Oaks Apartment complex, a city subsidized home for elderly people, which is managed by Manhattan Associates, LLC. Called up the main number and was directed to ask for the property manager. She was unavailable and I left a message. I called again the next day and the same result, no answer. Called again the following day, but this time I tried for her assistant and spoke to Maria. She was open to my idea and told me that she would contact the property manager via email. This was great news! A couple of days go by and I did not hear back from Maria. I called her back and got in touch with her. She mentioned that she was going to print out a letter of our correspondence and place it on the property manager’s desk along with the email she sent out a couple days prior.

Part III: A friend of mine in real estate, contacted me and asked me how my project was coming along and I gave her the great news and also the slight impasse that I now could potentially face. She told me she would call a few people and see if she could contact someone that can help make the OTWP one step closer to a reality. Got a call back the following day from my friend who exclaimed that sometime next week I could have a face to face meeting with management company of Red Oaks Apartments!

Part IV: Creation of the OTWP website! Slowly but surely the website is coming together and will be a hub for all information relating back to this project. Social Media feeds are up and running; Twitter & Facebook, with more on the way. Soon a foursquare location will be created for students to check into when they meet and greet each other at the wall. Leave digital updates to each other with tags delineating search terms and trending topics that are relevant for the kids. Kids will crowdsource data & information about the wall and create a lush landscape of what it means to be a student at a particular time and place in their lives.

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