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Hello, my name is Danette Marie Albino and I want to create an art education program
that services im/migrants and English language learners, called the Language of Art.
I chose this mainly through my own personal experience. I was born in Puerto Rico and
migrated to the States when I was seven years old. Through my struggles, I discovered art
making as a way of healing and I now want to be able to provide that to other im/migrants
and English language learners. Over the past 50 years, the im/migrant population has been
growing significantly and, according to Grantmakers for Education, it is estimated that by 2020,
half of all public school students will have non-English speaking backgrounds. Unfortunately,
im/migrants and English language learners are less likely to have access to art education.
For example, 73% of English learners are Spanish speakers, many of which are Latin@s. According
to Americans for the Arts, the arts education decline has hit Latin@ (and Black American)
students the hardest, with 26% of 18-24 year-old Latin@s in 2008 reporting that they grew up
with an arts education. With all the benefits of art education provides and the fact that art
has become a vital tool for the Immigrant Rights Movement, this must change. There are
a few places that have realized the importance of art education for im/migrants and English
learners that I draw inspiration from, such as the Immigrant Culture and Art Association
and the Immigrant Movement International. The Language of Art program will be a safe
space that provides accessibility to art education that enriches the skills, knowledge, and emotional
well-being of im/migrants and English language learners. The program will offer various free
workshops for all ages and abilities, including: workshops for children and teens held once
a month; an afterschool art club held once every week; an art camp for children and teens
during school breaks; a two-month long mentorship program for selected teens; 8-week long English
Through Art History and Art Making workshops for teens and adults; and an open studio session
held once a month in which participators of all ages have the option of sharing their
victories, struggles, stories before creating their own works.
The program will be located in Tampa, Florida, a city that is strongly influenced by im/migrant communities.
The program will work partnerships with the Tampa Museum of Art and the Santaellas Studios for the Arts, where
the workshops will take place. Volunteers with knowledge and experience in art and teaching
English will run the workshops. The program will be funded through various
methods, from Indiegogo to grants (one being provided by the Arts Council of Hillsborough
County) to local business and community sponsorships. We will also have a vendor's table for the
local farmer's market and festivals, along with an online store, in which we showcase
our work and sell crafts. We will also host an annual students' art show in which visitors
pay a suggested donation to enter. While this is a mock proposal for a class,
I hope to someday make such a program a reality. Art education needs to be accessible to all
people and a program like the Language of Art will be one step closer to achieving that. Thank you for watching.