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Gonzales Tribune
Murals-changing more than Landscapes
By KASSANDRA PERRY
July 17, 2002 - While
Monterey County is world renowned for its scenic beauty and natural
resources, many Monterey County youth are in trouble with the law, not
in school, feeling disconnected from their community, and without the
motivation to ask themselves "Who am I?" or the mentorship
to see "who they can be."
The Monterey County Office for Employment
Training/Workforce Investment Board has provided employment and training
services to 22,000 youth since 1980. In 1998 an innovative project was
initiated for disadvantaged youth to engage in theatrical or visual
arts projects as part of the employment and training services.
Envisioned to provide jobs, practice teamwork,
develop critical thinking skills, and inspire community involvement
among economically disadvantaged youth through art training and leadership
mentoring, the One Voice Arts & Leadership Program is in its eighth
year and is on the threshold of creating the largest and most successful
public arts program in the history of Monterey County. Thirty-five visual,
performing and sculptural artists have been retained to train 140 h
throughout the county. Nineteen murals and 10 sculptures are being completed,
and photography, martial arts, dance, theatrical presentation, and an
educational component supporting the arts have been folded into the
program. An additional 500 young adults will be employed in non-arts
jobs, making this the largest employment program on the Central Coast.
More than 100 young people will be employed in Gonzalez, Greenfield,
Soledad and King City.
Before the One Voice Arts & Leadership
Program came to South County, there was virtually no public art in any
of the cities. We now have three murals in Gonzalez, eight in Soledad
and five in Greenfield. "Murals can be painted on public buildings
and on private buildings in redevelopment areas as an effort to abate
graffiti and to beautify the community," says Joseph Werner, the
executive director of the Monterey County Office for Employment Training.
When you take a look around Gonzalez,
Soledad and Greenfield, you can't miss these youth at work as they proudly
don their painters' garb. They have paint-smudged pants, a white T-shirt
with the "One Voice" logo front and back, a paintbrush in
hand, and an air of determination about them that speaks volumes about
their dedication to create art and give to their community.
You also can't help but wonder who they
are and why they have chosen to use their creative energies in this
manner.
I spoke with three youth who were busily
working away on a mural in Soledad. For Andrea Arena, Xochitl Moran,
and Maria Silva, working on the mural was an opportunity to get paid
to do something they liked to do, to create art, and to work on something
that would give back to the community In short, this was an opportunity
they couldn't pass up.
"I couldn't find a job, and then
I heard from a friend and a counselor about this program -so I signed
up. I chose to do the mural because I know how to do art and thought
it would be good to use this skill. We all appreciate hearing that we're
doing a good job," said Silva.
For Moran, the opportunity to learn was
key for her. "We have to research the leaders [depicted in the
mural], so I'm learning about different ideas and different people I
get to share what I learn with my family."
And speaking to the benefits of working
in an arts program and how she thinks the community will react to a
mural depicting great world leaders, Silva says, "I think this
will help me. I mean, we are putting all of our effort into this and
our time has to be worth something I believe that we are giving back
to the community. I hope that the community thinks that these murals
are a good thing to have. It's important to remember all these people
who have helped us."
And giving advice to other youth who might
be interested in creating art and doing this type of work, Silva adds,
"I would tell other kids who have not done this type of work to
not be scared, to just do it. They should know that it's not just hard
work; they'll learn and have fun at the same time."
"The mural is something that we can
all see and know that we helped [create]. It's something that will be
around for a long time," says Arena.
And when I asked about why the program
is called "One Voice," Werner replies, "'One Voice' symbolizes
the need and desire to bring all elements of our community into consensus
around the arts and community service, and underscores the belief that
all life is interconnected. Any damage to one species, whether it is
plant or animal, diminishes us all. The vision is that through the creation
of art and with leadership mentoring, the youth will gain a stronger
sense of community and belonging, and more importantly, better sense
of self."
"These mural programs are more about
changing lives than changing the landscape," says Werner, in reference
to the Mural Program that is part of the One Voice Arts & Leadership
Program. "It's not about the art, but about the changes that art
makes in youth. And changes that in turn yield returns to the community
that go beyond the beautification of its walls."
The future of the One Voice Arts &
Leadership Program is bright. Despite federal and state budget cuts
in employment programs for youth, the Monterey County Workforce Investment
Board has received $900,000 to develop a pre-apprenticeship arts and
leadership center. At this center, residents from throughout the county
will have an opportunity to learn leadership skills, sculpture, dance,
theater, visual arts and film production in a campus-like environment.
Further, pre-apprenticeship skills will be taught in the areas of carpentry,
plumbing, cement masonry, sheet metal, and electrical and other trades.
In this way, youth can not only develop their creative skills, but also
secure employment in a profession that will pay them meaningful wages
and instill the pride that comes with building a nation.
For more information on the One Voice Arts &
Leadership Program, visit their Web site at wwwonevoicears.org,orvisityour
local One Stop Career Center: King City, 200 Broadway, Suite 62,386-680
I. Salinas, 730 La Guardia Street, 755-5429.
For the pictures
that goes with this article click here.
Take
a LOOK at the murals this article is referring to.
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