Posted Thursday March 08 2018 at 5:03 pm
Hello! I'm Ali Blake, artist, educator, wonderer, maker, and COOL teaching artist in the OSDC program at Dorchester's Community Academy of Science and Health this academic year!
The largest question that drives my artistic (and research) practice these days is "what is the significance of creating and wearing our own clothes?"
This experience, I propose, allows us to learn about ourselves and each other through the active work of making and wearing our own clothes (together). Making our own clothing, on our own terms, sharing that (and thus ourselves) with the world, and engaging with the significance from and future possibilities within this act is a powerful experience.
This persistent thread of questioning and creating and teaching through wearable making has grown through explorations in my own clothing-making and clothing-wearing experiences throughout my life. I began to explore this most explicitly as an undergraduate at Rhode Island School of Design, where I studied Textiles along with Gender, Sexuality, + Race and Environmental Studies.
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Posted Wednesday February 28 2018 at 3:34 pm
Hello friends! My name is Mark Fuller and I am a Board Certified Music Therapist. As a music therapist, I use music as my tool to support the abilities of others to further grow and develop both artistically and developmentally. With evidence based interventions, my goal is to discover the innate abilities that we have through the use of rhythm and harmony. I believe that our music begins from the first beat of our heart and is carried with us throughout our lives to nurture and align ourselves with the world around us.
I am a graduate of Berklee College of Music where I furthered my passion for singing jazz and contemporary styles of music while studying Music Therapy. I enjoy learning and discovering new instruments and listening to music from all over the world. I am often caught dancing to the music I listen to in my ear buds and using various music platforms to discover new artists.
In my training at Berklee, I was able to practice music therapy with a variety of different populations including medical systems, nursing facilities, early interventions, psychiatric facilities, and rehabilitation hospitals. With my clinical internship at Boston Children’s Hospital I found my passion for continuing my career working with adolescents because of the novelty of experiencing music with them. I find it inspiring to discover new skills and experiences with children and supporting them as they try something for the first time.
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Posted Tuesday January 30 2018 at 9:21 pm
One on one demonstration during mask making lesson.
I am a teaching artist. As a teaching artist, I employ a design process in the classroom. The students and I research, plan, execute, revise, celebrate and envision each lesson together. The purpose of this process is to help my students foster a deeper connection to their own creativity and imagination, thus encouraging further exploration and expansion of their own artistic appreciation, interests, and pursuits.
Ms. Feeney modeling wearable art by a nine year old student.
I am currently in a yearlong visual arts internship at the Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School, Lower Campus in Boston. My students range from 3 to 6 years of age. Henderson provides an enhanced arts experience and the school delivers support and enrichment based on an individual student's needs. It's truly a magical environment, where a student's positive interactions and school/community service are celebrated.
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