Art From Tragedy

Middle-schoolers' Depiction Of Traumatic Events Is Lesson For All

The Capital Times :: SAVVY :: C1

Thursday, April 26, 2007
Jacob Stockinger The Capital Times

The titles of the artworks in the second-floor art gallery at the Overture Center for the Arts read like a litany of unfortunately familiar and deeply traumatic events: 9/11, Columbine, Oklahoma City, the Holocaust, Wounded Knee, slavery, Bosnia.

And what about Virginia Tech? "That could easily be the next one in the series," says Clare Vogel, the coordinator of the Community Galleries at Overture, commenting on the unintended timeliness of the free art show that runs through June 13.

Indeed, the several dozen colorful but rough-hewn linoleum block prints that depict extreme events, extreme emotions and extreme reactions remind one of the German Expressionists who used woodblock prints, an almost identical medium, to capture with emotional immediacy and intensity the conflicts and horrors of early Nazi Germany.

It's impressive art, made all the more impressive when you see that these prints were created by 14-year-olds who are all eighth-grade students at Cherokee Middle School on Madison's west side. They worked with two University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student printmakers, Joseph Velasquez and Greg Nanney, who helped the students make their images and print them on a portable press in the back of the truck that houses their Drive-By Press.

"We've had an unbelievable amount of comments left in the visitor books," says Overture's Vogel. "People say they can't believe the works are by middle school students. We've had very positive reactions to the show and to how trauma is taught in the Madison public schools."

Each work depicts a traumatic event and incorporates a short statement by the artist about the need to remember the event.

First, the students looked at block prints by the famed German artist Kathe Kollwitz; by the early 20th century Mexican artist Jose Posada, who drew on Indian motifs; and by the African-American artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., who was trained at UW-Madison. Then they did historical research to write the short essays. And finally, drawing their images backward, they created an artistic rendering of the event.

The students show pride in their work, and such pride seems well justified. At a recent public opening reception, they sold some 15 of the three dozen works on show, each framed with a grant from the Dane County Cultural Arts Commission, for from $25 to $65.

"They all did really well," says Cherokee cultural arts teacher Amy Mietzel about the four dozen children who participated in the ongoing project she oversees. "It was hard to choose the ones for the show."

The primary purpose of the project, which is done every quarter, is to educate students about tolerating difference.

"We like to think we're a really tolerant people, but history has shown over and over again that we really aren't tolerant," says Mietzel, who allows students to choose whatever event speaks to them most movingly. "Most of them choose more recent things to be remembered."

Alec Treharne chose to depict 9/11 in a striking two-color print of the World Trade Center tower on fire.

"It was a horrible, sad and important event in our history that needs to be remembered," says Alec. "I didn't know a thing about it, but I learned how many people died."

Stephanie Brown chose the Oklahoma City bombing.

"I hope people will see the horror that happened and make sure it will never happen again," she says.

Kevin Clark chose the school shooting at Columbine.

"It must have been bad for the family to hear that their son or daughter was killed," he says. "You hope that maybe if someone who wants to do something like that sees your art, they will see how bad it was and will change their mind."

Haris Riza, himself a refugee from Kosovo, also chose Columbine.

"I just want people to see how bad an incident it was and how easy it can happen," he says. "You make fun of some kid and they might do something like that. If people could just respect each other, then maybe nothing would go wrong."

Of course, the primary purpose of the works is to learn about the events, not to create works of art.

"You learn history in a fun way," Haris says.

"History teachers like to lecture a lot," Kevin adds.

And what about Virginia Tech?

"It should be on the list for students to choose from," says Alec.

His teacher nods in sad agreement, then adds that in fact a new group of her students are working on Virginia Tech right now.

Kevin Clark - Columbine

Stephanie Brown - Oklahoma City bombing

Alec Treharne - 9-11