2018 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2018 | Page 34

Community Partner: Jubilee Arts
Intern: Nicole Garcia
Site Supervisor: Nora Howell
What is Jubilee Arts?
Jubilee is a community program providing arts classes to the residents of the Sandtown-Winchester, Upton, and surrounding neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jubilee Arts is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, an area with a rich history of African-American culture, and is helping to bring the arts back to life in our community!
We offer programming in dance, visual arts, creative writing and ceramics in partnership with the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore Clayworks, area artists
and writers, and dancers.
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Collaborated with Lead Artists, Artist Interns,
Youth Workers/Artist Apprentices, and Supervi-
sors to plan and lead Art@Work program where
youth were given the opportunity to work with
artists on murals in Druid Heights
Reached out to the community to get commu-
nity members involved in the decision-making
process concerning the mural designs and to
invite them to events such as the final mural pre-
sentation and a block party hosted by Jubilee
Arts and No Boundaries
Managed the food service including storage,
distribution, and paperwork concerning the food
being provided to the program by the state to
make sure we remained in compliance
When I came to Jubilee Arts, I was fully aware that I was not the most experienced at the main
focus of the program with which I would be assisting. I would later come to realize that I could
be of help in many other ways. Jubilee Arts is a community arts center that offers classes in
dance, clay, painting, sewing, and more to people of all ages. Each summer, they run a program
called Art@Work through YouthWorks which offers youth the opportunity to see what it would be
like to work in the arts, specifically mural painting. While I am not a visual artist myself- dance
and poetry are my arts of choice- I have been a lover of murals since high school, where I ex-
plored famous Miami murals in Wynwood and did a theatre project inspired by Basquiat’s work.
I have always been impressed and inspired by the work people can do in such large spaces
and by the impact it has on the surrounding community. What made me most excited was the
fact that these youth would soon walk or drive by their artwork and be able to tell themselves
“I helped make that happen, that was me.” It is a powerful experience to make a difference in
your community, but it is something else to have a more tangible product of your hard work and
commitment. While I mostly worked from the office, making and answering phone calls to com-
munity members, preparing paperwork for both staff and youth orientation, and putting together
the certificates of achievement the youth would receive at their final presentation, I also got
the opportunity to interact with community members during dance classes held by Jubilee and
canvassing for events and Art@Work projects. This was probably my favorite part. I love hear-
ing the stories of people who are willing to share their love and light for their community. One of
the mothers of the community and her daughter, who I met, ended up being subjects of one of
the murals in Druid Heights. The look on their faces when YouthWorkers and other Jubilee staff
would say “Oh! You’re the ones from the mural” was beautiful. They were visibly excited but also
nervous to be a part of such a project. I will never forget that mother-daughter duo. I also loved
hearing about the youths’ different aspirations, like moving to New York and becoming a fashion
designer. It warmed my heart to know that they were working towards a career in the arts see-
ing as that was one of the goals of the program. I recently spoke to my supervisor about coming
back to volunteer during the school year and she said it would be a great idea, so now I do not
have to say goodbye to Jubilee, which gave me such a rewarding experience this summer.