Click below to watch a great video by Chadwick International art teacher Vanessa Vanek about our project in Songdo.
http://vimeo.com/66491777
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
"Songdo: A City on the Rise" the completed mural
Annyeonghaseyo 안녕하세요,
It was a whirlwind trip, ten days total and only three and half painting due to rain. But thanks to the tireless spirit of our host Vanessa Vanek and the support of more than fifty volunteers we did it. Conceived via on-line dialogue, designed both in Lawrence and Songdo and painted by a diverse group ages eight to eighty, the mural is a modest first step in establishing community-based arts in this nascent city.
The mural, aptly titled "Songdo: A City on the Rise," will greet park goers and passersby as the city grows around them, and hopefully soon it will be just one of many murals and other community-based artworks dotting the urban landscape.
Last Monday, I was amazed to see the planning that had gone into the dedication ceremony for the mural. An elaborate drapery with golden tassels covered the mural held up by the student painters. Speakers from Chadwick, Songdo and IFEZ made heartfelt comments about the project's impact on their young people and the city - how it was a first step in new collaborative endeavors between the three.
The assumption is that mural's title refers to the herculean effort being put forth to build the infrastructure and buildings surrounding Central Park, but I added, during my comments at the dedication, that the title also refers to human potential and development embodied in the young people from Songdo and California that we were fortunate to work with. The City in my mind is the people - and Songdo will thrive as they cultivate and care for one another.
I am grateful for the invitation and humbled by the welcome from the Chadwick community. Their trust and support of the project never wavered. I only hope that the mural (and process of making it) gives back the joy and learning we received. It was too short my friends. I look forward to the next visit.
Kamsahamnida 감사합니다
It was a whirlwind trip, ten days total and only three and half painting due to rain. But thanks to the tireless spirit of our host Vanessa Vanek and the support of more than fifty volunteers we did it. Conceived via on-line dialogue, designed both in Lawrence and Songdo and painted by a diverse group ages eight to eighty, the mural is a modest first step in establishing community-based arts in this nascent city.
The mural, aptly titled "Songdo: A City on the Rise," will greet park goers and passersby as the city grows around them, and hopefully soon it will be just one of many murals and other community-based artworks dotting the urban landscape.
Last Monday, I was amazed to see the planning that had gone into the dedication ceremony for the mural. An elaborate drapery with golden tassels covered the mural held up by the student painters. Speakers from Chadwick, Songdo and IFEZ made heartfelt comments about the project's impact on their young people and the city - how it was a first step in new collaborative endeavors between the three.
The assumption is that mural's title refers to the herculean effort being put forth to build the infrastructure and buildings surrounding Central Park, but I added, during my comments at the dedication, that the title also refers to human potential and development embodied in the young people from Songdo and California that we were fortunate to work with. The City in my mind is the people - and Songdo will thrive as they cultivate and care for one another.
I am grateful for the invitation and humbled by the welcome from the Chadwick community. Their trust and support of the project never wavered. I only hope that the mural (and process of making it) gives back the joy and learning we received. It was too short my friends. I look forward to the next visit.
Kamsahamnida 감사합니다
Monday, April 29, 2013
Our neighborhood in Songdo
Our world here in Songdo is comprised of about a ten block area in the heart of downtown with Chadwick at one end and Central Park at the other. By now we've walked around and through (most blocks have inner courtyards / pocket parks) the area enough to begin to know it. The emphasis on design from architecture to sidewalk pavers, tree branch articulation to neon lighting is remarkable. Nowhere have I ever seen such a comprehensive design aesthetic put into practice. Here are some examples.
Store front signage.
Crosswalks.
Manhole covers.
Store front signage.
Crosswalks.
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| Diagonal crossing is encouraged. |
Manhole covers.
Architecture.
Public art.
And...young Audi drivers.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Songdo - painting begins
On Tuesday, two days after our arrival and still fighting against our bodies telling us it was the middle of the night and we should be sleeping, we primed the wall over at Central Park. Looking around at the gleaming skyscrappers and grandeur of the landscape design, I realized how lucky we were to be painting in such a place. I imagined painting a mural in New York's Central Park. Fat chance.
Our good fortune to be here now owes much to Vanessa Vanek's vision and persistence along with plain old good timing - we arrived right at the moment when the park and the city were ready to introduce themselves to the country and world, and a little human touch in the form of a community mural helped to warm that greeting.
Putting the first paint to the wall was a relief. No sirens went off. No security came running to stop us. It was just like priming any other wall. We had planned to transfer the design using a projector that evening, but the skies disagreed. A wave of clouds rolled in from the Yellow Sea, disappeared the upper halves of Songdo's skyline and then let out an all day rain.
Wednesday was cool and clear so we decided to skip the projector and transfer the old-school way - squaring up with a grid. We figured it would also be a good lesson in patience and practical math for our student group. We also got to hang out at the Boathouse Cafe for hot drinks. In the distance we could hear loud music being broadcast over a PA. It sounded like an antiquated patriotic song full of nationalistic zeal. All of us wondered, the North Koreans?
Thursday, more cold rain so we began by mixing colors for an audience of Chadwick second graders back at school. They had a blast trying to figure out how to make black from our pure colors. By lunch the rain had subsided and we headed over to the park, where a bright blue Chadwick canopy had been erected over our wall, just in case.
Some of Chadwick's administrators joined us along with another group of second graders. I dipped a brush in blue and handed it to the Headmaster Jeff Mercer. Painting began. Second graders followed, mentored by their upper school peers, along with a few of their moms. By the end of the day, nearly half the mural had some color.
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| Not an illusion |
Our good fortune to be here now owes much to Vanessa Vanek's vision and persistence along with plain old good timing - we arrived right at the moment when the park and the city were ready to introduce themselves to the country and world, and a little human touch in the form of a community mural helped to warm that greeting.
Putting the first paint to the wall was a relief. No sirens went off. No security came running to stop us. It was just like priming any other wall. We had planned to transfer the design using a projector that evening, but the skies disagreed. A wave of clouds rolled in from the Yellow Sea, disappeared the upper halves of Songdo's skyline and then let out an all day rain.
Wednesday was cool and clear so we decided to skip the projector and transfer the old-school way - squaring up with a grid. We figured it would also be a good lesson in patience and practical math for our student group. We also got to hang out at the Boathouse Cafe for hot drinks. In the distance we could hear loud music being broadcast over a PA. It sounded like an antiquated patriotic song full of nationalistic zeal. All of us wondered, the North Koreans?
Thursday, more cold rain so we began by mixing colors for an audience of Chadwick second graders back at school. They had a blast trying to figure out how to make black from our pure colors. By lunch the rain had subsided and we headed over to the park, where a bright blue Chadwick canopy had been erected over our wall, just in case.
Some of Chadwick's administrators joined us along with another group of second graders. I dipped a brush in blue and handed it to the Headmaster Jeff Mercer. Painting began. Second graders followed, mentored by their upper school peers, along with a few of their moms. By the end of the day, nearly half the mural had some color.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Songdo mural design
The Songdo project was initiated over a year ago when art teacher Vanessa Vanek (who once taught at Topeka High School) contacted me out of the blue. We'd met years ago at a spring break art camp at the Lawrence Arts Center and then later when her Topeka High students helped on the 2005 Aaron Douglas recreation in Tennessee Town. Now after a stint in Thailand she was teaching in South Korea at a new school, Chadwick International, that she felt could really benefit from an art project that took students out of the classroom and into the community.
We worked out the logistics and settled on a ten day project in April and on a prized location in Songdo's new Central Park (modeled believe it or not on New York's very own). In February we began meeting with Vanessa's students over Skype and doing our own research in Lawrence.
Two major themes emerged: Chadwick International's five core values (respect, compassion, fairness, responsibility and honesty) and Songdo's aspiration to be a leader in the development of a model sustainable environmentally conscious city.
Students in Songdo acted out the core values for photos and made drawings showcasing humans' interdependence with nature. Back in Lawrence, we had to complete a rough draft of the design to present to the school and IFEZ (Incheon Free Economic Zone) leadership for approval a week before we arrived. Of special concern was that we not include guns or other violent imagery.
The mural design, inspired by the artwork of Chadwick students, is divided into three sections. At the center is a great red crested crane (Korean symbol for longevity) aloft over the Central Park carrying the City (made up of Songdo's most prominent architecture) upon its wings. On the right and left are panels, based on the hand gestures made by Chadwick students, representing respect and compassion.
Both the school and IFEZ gave the design a unanimous thumbs up, which meant we were on our way to Korea... After spending a day exploring Central Park here in Songdo, the mural team decided to add to the design on the right and left side.
This meant going up the stairs on the right. To create balance, we mimicked the stair pattern (even thought there were no stairs) on the left. These spaces will include a traditional Korean lattice design, with the title "Songdo:A City on the Rise" and a pattern made up of cherry blossoms which our trip was perfectly planned to enjoy.
We worked out the logistics and settled on a ten day project in April and on a prized location in Songdo's new Central Park (modeled believe it or not on New York's very own). In February we began meeting with Vanessa's students over Skype and doing our own research in Lawrence.
Two major themes emerged: Chadwick International's five core values (respect, compassion, fairness, responsibility and honesty) and Songdo's aspiration to be a leader in the development of a model sustainable environmentally conscious city.
Students in Songdo acted out the core values for photos and made drawings showcasing humans' interdependence with nature. Back in Lawrence, we had to complete a rough draft of the design to present to the school and IFEZ (Incheon Free Economic Zone) leadership for approval a week before we arrived. Of special concern was that we not include guns or other violent imagery.
The mural design, inspired by the artwork of Chadwick students, is divided into three sections. At the center is a great red crested crane (Korean symbol for longevity) aloft over the Central Park carrying the City (made up of Songdo's most prominent architecture) upon its wings. On the right and left are panels, based on the hand gestures made by Chadwick students, representing respect and compassion.
Both the school and IFEZ gave the design a unanimous thumbs up, which meant we were on our way to Korea... After spending a day exploring Central Park here in Songdo, the mural team decided to add to the design on the right and left side.
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| A free book kiosk near the I-Tower |
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| Ashley squaring up the design |
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