Aware & Awake: Creatively Transforming Behaviors and the World! created by Gala Narezo and Chantal Fischzang was on view in the Pepperman Family Fine Arts Studio at The Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York City from September through January 2014/2015. This installation explored how children can envision change in their communities while stimulating conversations about how everyone can be an agent of transformation. The installation included a mandala made from plastic bags, a mural illustrating the cycle of social impact (from idea creation to implementation), and examples of other creative projects that address behavioral change. In addition, hands-on workshops with Gala and Chantal and CMA’s Teaching Artists allowed children to explore social change ideas within their own communities.
Aware & Awake: Creatively Transforming Behaviors and the World! exhibit on view in the Pepperman Family Fine Arts Studio at The Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York City
A mandala containing a visual curriculum, illustrates the cycle of social impact from idea creation to implementation. Each colored section contains words and prompts that are used in exercises and workshops.
A close up of the center of the visual curriculum reveals the main qualities necessary to cultivate in order to engage in succesful self awarenes, social engagement and impact.
In section one Buckminster Fuller is used as a mentor whose quote guides students into an exploration of essence and nature. Synonyms and words exploring essence in other languages and cultures are nearby.
Section one in blue explores Mindfulness of Self. Questions are used as prompts to begin conversations and start projects exploring individual nature and essence.
Words in section one used to start lessons about listening, awareness, noticing, mindfulness and more.
Section two addresses Mindfulness of Others and the Environment.
Moving clockwise from the bottom right blue section, each section of the mandala addresses a new area to explore; Examining Mindfulness of Self, Exploring Mindfulness of Others and the Environment, Identifying Possibilities for Change, Making Partnerships, Using Creativity, Acquiring Tools and Skills, Crafting a Plan of Action, Sharing Stories.
During workshops children created books to document their process.
Students came from schools throughout the city to participate in Aware and Awake workshops.
On eight separate weekends CMA hosted Aware and Awake workshops and projects for children of all ages. Here children make workbooks and respond to prompts related to each section of the mandala, the first one is to tell your story, and say something about your essence.
Section two is an exploration of others and the environment. Here children interview each other and then draw a portrait of the same person as a way to focus and learn more about them. Behind the children are photographs of several successful social engagement projects involving children.
In section three children explore what they care about and make a mind map of their communities.
Section four was a collaborative mandala making project that took place throughout the weekend. Each project has a written explanation of the project in addition to definitions of relevant words. Here we explore the terms collaboration, partnership, mandala.
In section six we investigate tools and skills and children learn what a system is. They create a system out of a mandala as a way to tell a story about their lives.
This class visited for a talk on social engaement and then made a book with the eight sections of the visual curriculum to take home with them and continue working on at school.
A separate Aware and Awake installation was exhibited in the front window display at CMA. Each word is a prompt that leads into a conversation or exercise related to the visual curriculum.
Part of the exhibit included four series of photographs of several successful social engagement projects involving children.
Gala in front of one side of The Plastic Bag Mandala outside of the Pepperman Family Fine Arts Studio at CMA .
