Mosaic of Angelo, created by Jason Mecier
In Kalamazoo, we continue to be inspired by the national CIS office unveiling of What We Are Made Of. Initiated earlier this school year, this collaboration between pop artist Jason Mecier and CIS students resulted in 3-D mosaic portraits of students being displayed in a gallery in Washington D.C.
Since then, we’ve been thinking a lot about what we’re made of. We’ve been curious about what others are made of. CIS staff told us what item represents part of what they are made of, and if you missed that January blog post, you can learn what they said here.
During April’s poetry month, Mrs. Andrea Walker and her fifth grade class at Woodward School for Technology and Research collaborated with student leaders from Woodward’s Poetry Club to create a combined What We Are Made Of piece.
Their work—made up of words like tiger and turquoise, books, snow leopards, lip gloss, and glitter— graced the lobby of The Civic Theatre as part of the 2019 Kalamazoo Poetry Festival “body themed” offerings.
Putting the final touches on the collaborative work.
Sophia attending the Champs Celebration with her family.
Inspired by the national campaign, CIS of Kalamazoo created a What We are Made Of exhibit as part of our 12th Annual Champs Celebration. The local photo exhibit, sponsored by Warner Norcross + Judd, was a collection of six CIS students from the Kalamazoo Public Schools reflected in mosaic form. Each portrait was assembled with elements from the students’ lives that represent who they are as individuals. Below are a few samples to share from the event.
Here’s Sophia’s along with what five items she identified represent her and her story:
1. Venezuela My home country.
2. Soccer / Running Shoes I have played soccer the majority of my life. I participate in the Girls on the Run Program. It is my first time being in a program like this.
3. Wolf If I were an animal, I would be a wolf because of the way they think and they are fast.
4. Pizza It is my favorite food.
5. Puzzles I love to do them with my lunch buddy mentor at school.
Here’s Matt’s mosaic:
Here’s his response to five items that represent his identity and story:
1. Lion Symbol of confidence and bravery; I stand up for what I believe in.
2. Mom’s Obituary My mom passed away a couple of years ago.
3. Sketchbook & Pencils I like art and use it to express myself and how I feel.
4. Hammer Represents my dream of giving back to the community by building more schools and activity centers for kids.
5. Brick It’s solid and can’t be easily broken.
We so appreciate learning what kids are made of and hearing the stories that shape who they are. You can check out the National CIS website page here and discover more stories. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and you may spot a few students from Kalamazoo who are featured along with other CIS students from across the country on the site!)
Tags: Andrea Walker, CIS, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Felicia Lemons, Jason Mecier, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Warner Norcross and Judd, What We Are Made Of, Woodward School for Technnology and Research
