LIVING ARTS BLOG
Animation and Emotional Storytelling
Thirty years ago, I created my first video with my family’s VHS tape recorder. I dressed my friends in costumes and set up my Barbies. I was using animation techniques without even knowing what stop-motion was – I honestly thought I invented the technique!
Thirty years ago, I created my first video with my family’s VHS tape recorder. I dressed my friends in costumes and set up my Barbies. I was using animation techniques without even knowing what stop-motion was – I honestly thought I invented the technique! This passion continued through high school and college and it lead me to co-owning a video production company and to developing my own art practice. Now, I produce, direct, and edit music videos and documentaries, while also creating sculpture-based video art installations that incorporate hand-drawn animated elements. Utilizing time-based media as a story-teller is so powerful and magical to me, so when I started teaching thirteen years ago, it was truly a natural fit.
While teaching animation techniques, I take inspiration from two other Detroit artists: filmmaker and painter Nicole Macdonald and animator Gary Schwartz. Nicole is a good friend and was my first and only animation instructor! I took one class with her at the Detroit Film Center in the early 2000’s and then immediately incorporated it into my practice. Gary was a great mentor and gave me some valuable advice early on that really transformed my life as a teacher. He told me to focus on teaching how I create, myself. This is such simple advice but as a working artist balancing creating and teaching, it has allowed me to stay energized and engaged in the work that my own students create.
The heart and driving force of my work and the work I inspire my students to create is emotion and story-based. Utilizing animation as a tool to tell a story is really amazing because a viewer already understands and accepts the possibility of surreal elements or exaggeration. With animation, you have the freedom to use images as metaphor without distracting your audience so it’s a tool that is helpful for not only the artist but also the viewer!
I also help motivate students to feel more comfortable trusting their own creative instincts and to get out of the perfectionist loop were you get hung up on details and lose focus on the greater whole. In my classroom, we never use pencils because this encourages the erase and redraw cycle which often never ends because we’re stuck on thinking ‘this isn’t good enough,’ instead of accepting and moving on to completion. Looking back on a finished piece and realizing what could be done differently next time is always more helpful and satisfying than being stuck on one detail and never finishing. A goal for myself and for them is to share and to continue to share – we can’t do that if we don’t finish the project.
Video Animation - Iris Jimenez
Hi my name is Iris Jimenez, I’m 13 years old, and I go to Living Arts. I've always been really passionate about art and animation and Living Arts is the place that has brought out the best in me. I take 2 classes in Living Arts: Video Animation and The SPOT. These two classes have made me feel more passionate to do what I love and the teachers are the best people to get along with.
The first time I came to the animation class was during the summer of 2018. The animation class is a place where I can be myself and do what I love. The class is so much fun and I learned so much about animation. I even got to make new friends there. Ms. Natasha has helped me so much with animation. She teaches us different types of techniques and honestly I just think she's the best. She is very caring and super easy to talk to. But most of all I love working and being with the people in this class. We all share such similar interests and are passionate about what we love to do.
Video Animation - Elise Moore
My name is Elise Moore, and I’m 16 years old. I go to Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy, and I am a junior. I have participated in Living Arts’ Video Animation class since Summer 2013. In my free time, I like to write and play music, create different types of visual art (like drawing and animating), and read.
Throughout my time in Video Animation, my favorite part has been working with the teacher, Ms. Natasha Beste. Ms. Natasha runs the class very smoothly and keeps all of us students on the right track. She introduces each project with such enthusiasm that it is contagious. When I first started this workshop, I was very shy and rarely spoke about my ideas. Ms. Natasha really helped me come out of my shell and to this day allows me to express who I truly am.
In the near future, I want to continue in the Video Animation class, and to create more short films there and in my free time. Later on, I plan to attend college to learn more about animation and character design. I hope to work at an animation studio as either a storyboard artist, animator, or concept artist.
Before You Take the Stage: A Chat with Living Arts' Senior Artists
In the 45 minutes window between school and rehearsal, I met with 5 young women at the FREC-Mercado. In preparation for their upcoming 20th Annual Student Showcase, we sat down to talk about their history with Living Arts, and the role the organization has played in their lives.
In the 45 minutes window between school and rehearsal, I met with 5 young women at the FREC-Mercado. In preparation for their upcoming 20th Annual Student Showcase, we sat down to talk about their history with Living Arts, and the role the organization has played in their lives.
“I came to Living Arts when I was 5 or 6,” stated 18-year-old Xalma Palomino. “The studio was right around my house, so my mom just signed my sister and I up for a ballet class once a week”. 18-year-old dancers Carolina Anaya and Andrea Hinojosa also began in ballet. “Xalma introduced me to dance because we’ve been friends for many, many years. My mom signed me up and I took every class they took,” says Anaya. Alexis Harris, 18, began dancing when she was 3 years old, and was introduced to Living Arts by her grandmother at 8 years old. Alexis in turn introduced Tanykia “Diamond” Davis to Living Arts when the girls were in the 8th grade.
On Sunday, June 9th, Xalma and Carolina, along with fellow senior dancers Alexis and Andrea, will be performing in their last Showcase. The recital will be held at Cass Technical HS, where most of the young woman attend. The performance will be bittersweet for the girls as they are also graduating from high school and moving on to different things in life. “It’s sad because we’re leaving now. We became like a family, we all grew up with each other like sisters,” stated Xalma. Andrea added, “We really became close to each other and not seeing them every day is going to be weird.” What started as a fun activity as children has become a passion for these young artists.
Dedicating so many years to their craft, has not come easy. “We’ve had to choose between school activities and rehearsals or performances at times. I even missed my mom’s graduation,” said Alexis. But the sacrifice is worth it. When Diamond and I spoke on the phone, she talked about the feeling of creating. “Every time I get in the studio to dance or I’m making art at the SPOT, it’s a chance to be the best dancer or artist I can be. It helps my mind expand and open up.”
There’s a consensus among all the young women that their craft has given them a sense of freedom. Jeimy Lopez, 18 ,shared, “Making art, especially painting, gives me an outlet for stress. I can channel that I have into making something beautiful.” Jeimy began as a dancer as well, but realized she didn’t have the same love of dance as visual art. She’s passionate about the open-studio model of the SPOT and has previously presented on the approach at conferences. She continued, “For teenagers who are just trying to see what art has to offer for them, it’s better to have a research-based approach in the studio, where the mentor is there to guide along the way. It helped me to discover art as an outlet.”
Through the arts, each of the young women have found an identity that is all their own. “I’m more outspoken now and not afraid to express what I want,” said Carolina. “So many kids feel like they’re going to be judged for what they do or say, and I feel like through dance, I’ve gained so much confidence.” Each expressed they’ve faced criticism for not being “enough” (whether their art was something that didn’t speak to others or their bodies didn’t scream ‘dancer’), but they all site persistence and the support of their fellow artists as their motivation to do what they do.
When asked what advice they wished they’d heard more of as children, and what advice they wanted to give to young artists, they shared encouraging words to keep making art. Diamond summed it up best when she said “You can do whatever you set your mind to as long as you keep at it. Anything you do can be a form of art. When you move your body, it’s a form of art, when you’re drawing, painting, it’s art, whatever it is, it will tell a story to someone. It might take some time, but don’t give up. It will get you somewhere in life.”
Click here for more information about Living Arts’ OSA program. And for tickets to the 20th Annual Student Showcase, click here.
Living Arts Receives $40,000 Commitment to Arts Access for Detroit Youth
Renewed partnership support comes from Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation
Living Arts is proud to announce a $40,000 grant award from the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation. This partnership will provide 100 free enrollments for youth and children in Southwest Detroit to access Living Arts’ Out-of-School Arts program.
Students at our Out of School Arts animation class. Photo by J. Lindsey Photography.
Renewed partnership support comes from Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation
Living Arts is proud to announce a $40,000 grant award from the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation. This partnership will provide 100 free enrollments for youth and children in Southwest Detroit to access Living Arts’ Out-of-School Arts program.
“This continued partnership with the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation will ensure that Detroit youth have access to high-quality arts experiences regardless of their family’s financial situation.” said Alissa Novoselick, Executive Director of Living Arts. “We’re proud to partner with an organization that supports the positive enrichment in the lives of our youth,” continued Novoselick.
Living Arts’ Out-of-School Arts program offers a wide array of class offerings after school and on weekends at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center. Instruction in multiple disciplines is offered, including video animation, songwriting and recording, visual arts, multimedia art, and dance. Classes are available for youth ages 3 months to 18 years old, and no one is ever turned away for inability to pay.
“These programs give students a place to be after school and the chance to try dance or animation or beat making without worrying if they can afford it or not,” stated Tanykia “Diamond” Davis, an 18 year-old participant in the Out-of-School Arts program. Davis recently spoke at a 20th anniversary celebration for Living Arts on her experience with the program. “Like me, a lot of the students at Living Arts have a scholarship to attend classes. Because of Living Arts, kids like me have the chance to try out something new and stick with something they love, and be around mentors that inspire them,” said Davis.
Our Voice, Our Power: An Evening with Las Cafeteras
On the evening of February 20 at the FREC-Mercado, we gathered cozily with our Out of School Arts parents and children, enjoying a meal together in the company of our new friends, the musicians of Las Cafeteras. We assembled in the Art Studio, buzzing about, discussing the details of our days as the sun gently set through the windows of the studio. Ready to begin, Las Cafeteras began strumming guitars, energizing us and inviting us into the experience. This familial and comforting space set the scene for our evening of writing songs together.
Thanks to Las Cafeteras andUMS staff for making this evening a powerful and special event.
On the evening of February 20 at the FREC-Mercado, we gathered cozily with our Out of School Arts parents and children, enjoying a meal together in the company of our new friends, the musicians of Las Cafeteras. We assembled in the Art Studio, buzzing about, discussing the details of our days as the sun gently set through the windows of the studio. Ready to begin, Las Cafeteras began strumming guitars, energizing us and inviting us into the experience. This familial and comforting space set the scene for our evening of writing songs together.
When I was approached by Emilio Rodriguez (former Living Arts teaching artist and current Community Programs Manager for UMS) about our hosting of a songwriting workshop for our youth, my instincts as a mom and daughter kicked in. Inspired by our Parent Advisory Council, I immediately felt the workshop needed to be centered around the bonds between our youth and their best advocates.
As a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, as well as a parent myself, I value the opportunity for parents to express their important visions for their families. As a first generation American growing up in Chicago, I was aware of my parents’ desire for a better life for themselves and their children. I have benefited greatly from the intentions set forth by my parents and all those who came before me. It feels incredibly important to be able to share bravely these intentions and dreams we have for each other within our families, however we come to define what family means. Knowing that sometimes it’s difficult to share these emotional dreams for one another, it seemed that songwriting could support us here as a doorway.
With parents in one group and children in another,we all worked for the next 2 hours that evening, guided by the thoughtful and loving guidance from Las Cafeteras. In their normal art-making space, children busily got to work responding to prompts---I am from, I fear, My dream for you is--and so on. Parents did the same but in their own space in the atrium.
The energy in the space where parents were writing was quiet, reflective, and-- most importantly-- without children present. As I walked quietly into their space, I observed parents as I had not been able to see them before: as purely creative, focused, and relaxed. Together, they created an ambience of what felt like a calm and powerful sea, waves of thoughts ebbing and flowing visibly. The determination of their words was very present. They worked quietly and profoundly, not bound physically to their children, as parents normally are. They were individuals manifesting and creating, together. Next, they gathered in a cypher, excitedly and nervously, sharing their writing with one another. They enjoyed each other's’ support, hugged by the musical accompaniment.
Upon returning to the Art Studio, Las Cafateras invited everyone to share these newborn songs by playing a soft melody. Guided in the cypher, parents and children shared with one another first as a whisper, gradually raising volume until a cacophony of poetry and music filled the room. These intimate exchanges communicated directly, bravely, and softly. The words are power. All seem eager to share the fruits of creative labor and love. All seem grateful to receive the precious words, once unspoken, now out in the world.
The parents and children were then invited to share their words within the larger group, accompanied by the beautiful, live music, keeping the steady heartbeat of the entire experience. In this exchange parents and children manifested their origins, fears, beliefs, and their wishes for each other. Every person shared, emboldened by the energy of each other and sounds of encouragement from our new friends and their instruments. In this space, art is a portal -- connecting us as individuals to one another, as a community of individuals, and as a unit with all the potential of our togetherness. Here, art emboldened us to stand in relationship with each other, creating a pathway for connection and supporting the long-term journey of finding our power as people.
Check out the video below for a glimpse into our evening:
Dhamaal 2019 Honors Youth Dance Ensemble
On Saturday, February 2nd, the Living Arts Youth Dance Ensemble was invited to participate as honored guests at the Detroit Dhamaal 2019 Bollywood Fusion Competition.
Held at the historic Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Detroit, the competition featured Bollywood dance troupes from colleges across the nation. Board member Matthew Nahan spoke about the Living Arts programs and the value of teaching artists in the community. Nahan also introduced the Youth Dance Ensemble performance.
Photos: Zack Bissell, Tara Toumaala
Video: Tara ToumaalaOn Saturday, February 2nd, the Living Arts Youth Dance Ensemble was invited to participate as honored guests at the Detroit Dhamaal 2019 Bollywood Fusion Competition.
Held at the historic Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Detroit, the competition featured Bollywood dance troupes from colleges across the nation. Board member Matthew Nahan spoke about the Living Arts programs and the value of teaching artists in the community. Nahan also introduced the Youth Dance Ensemble performance.
"Dhamaal was in an old building, and it's a place where famous dancers have performed," remarked twelve year old, Jasmin Aleman. "I like how we were the honored guests and got to go perform.” Music Hall has featured esteemed performers including Fred Astaire, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and more.
The piece performed by the YDE was collaboratively choreographed by Dance Program Director Marianne Brass, teaching artist Rachel Herbert, and the young dancers. “We began working on the piece in the summer of 2018 and it was premiered in August at the Detroit City Festival. We asked the dancers to explore themes that relate to their current experiences and how their decisions play a role in the shaping of their identities,” stated Brass. After investigating these concepts, the dancers developed individual solos that were choreographed into the group work.
“I consider this dance a piece of living art because it’s continuously evolving as we dig deeper each week in rehearsal. Through guided discussion, reflection, and movement exploration, dancers are continuing to evolve this work of art in collaboration with their mentors.”
"It was a great experience; I was really happy to be there. I'd like to go there again,” said Aleman.
The Youth Dance Ensemble will be performing this collaborative work, along with other dances from their repertoire at our 20th Showcase in June 2019.
Detroit Dhamaal generously donated a portion of the proceeds from the evening to Living Arts. We are so thankful for their continued support and partnership.