[Guest post by Jane Wingfield in Seattle] On a sunny Sunday afternoon in mid-September, I stopped by Neighborhood House, a community center in south Seattle, to sketch. During the summer I had participated in the Horn of Africa Services (HOAS) street mural project, a five-week summer program that introduced local youth to the process of participating in a public art project by designing and painting a street mural in their own neighborhood. Because of my summer schedule, I was only able to participate in the first three weeks. I knew the project had run into some delays and didnt know what to expect when I pulled up. So I was delighted to find the brightly painted street dazzling in the late afternoon sun.
HOAS is a non-profit started back in the 90s by East African refugees. Its aim is to serve refugees and immigrants from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and neighboring countries as they settle in the Seattle area. HOAS operates out of Neighborhood House Rainier Vista, one of seven such centers scattered throughout the city. The summer workshop invited youth ages 10-16 from the local neighborhood to participate. The first week of the project we introduced ourselves and told the group what kind of art we like to do. I was surprised to hear at least half of the youth say they liked to sketch best.
The leaders showed slides of different public art murals and discussed the various purposes, themes, and styles. We traipsed through the surrounding neighborhood finding examples of murals and getting to know each other a bit more. There was Muna, Chau, Mares, Mustaquima, Hamda...
The next two weeks the group worked on the design elements, discussing themes, styles and messaging. Some negotiation was required before the final design was approved, but now, there it was freshly painted and brilliant.
Seeing the finished street mural gave me a sense of pride for the program, the leaders and the youth that participated. It’s the kind of project Ive always wanted to participate in and it was more than satisfying. As I sat sketching the finished mural in the September sun I felt connected to the neighborhood and the people who live there. A mother and child came up to ask me about the mural. "Some kids from the neighborhood painted it," I blurted. I couldnt help adding, "And I helped!"
Jane Wingfield lives in Olympia, Washington, USA. She is a long-time member of Urban Sketchers Seattle, helps organize sketch-outings and co-administers the USk Seattle blog. You can see more of Janes sketches here.
