Thank you, Heather Andrews, for the thoughtful reflection below.
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We were excited to take advantage of a last-minute date night last Thursday to stop by the Mar Vista art walk. Driving down Venice, heading to the school and seeing the extensive sidewalk art displays, live concerts, and dance performances was such a treat. We were so curious to see what the school was going to be doing to be a part of such a fun evening.
We got to NSW and immediately started to explore the printed documentation and photo displays on gender stereotyping and identity, similar to what had been posted on the blog. We also got to talk to teachers and then to Jess about the hashtag #beingdifferentisnormal that was appearing on the NSW Instagram that evening and the importance of bringing those concepts into the West Wing. There were interactive art projects that kept us busy too. One of our favorites was taking a variety of materials like beads, feathers, ribbon and dried flowers and placing them on paper to create masks and faces. It is so nice to see the teachers and staff get to share the school with the extended neighborhood community.
Our time at NSW was capped off with the Art Walk Carnival parade, starting at Beethoven, that stopped for at least 10 minutes at the front of the school with a Capoeira performance accompanied with drums and singing. We saw several group members including small children encouraged to take a turn in the center showing off their skills. So much fun, such a great atmosphere and a fantastic opportunity for us to enjoy our community and get yet another glimpse the focused insight that that is normalized at the New School – West. We are already looking forward to the next Art Walk.