A.R.C. (Art. Representation. Culture.)
ARC is a Dream Maker Project of The Ink People Center for the Arts focused on representation of culture and community through murals in public schools of Humboldt County. Students in clubs such as the Asian and Pacific Islander Club, the Black Student Union, the Native American Club and the LatinX Club, with the help of BIPOC guest speakers and local artists, sketch and create murals that represent who they are. Through these intergenerational and cross-cultural spaces of sharing, healing, and learning, the hope is that students feel a sense of pride in their identities as well as a sense of belonging. The process of making these murals is just as important as the final mural itself. Local experts, tribal members, artists, leaders, and elders connect directly with students by talking about their own experiences, inspirations and knowledge, sparking ideas for the creation of the club murals. BIPOC artists help bring their ideas to life through sketching and leading the painting process of these murals. The students take on great responsibilities during this process by actively embodying and reimagining how they are viewed by the world. These multigenerational relations can strengthen community life by establishing a balance of respect and reciprocity.
Historically, in our rural community, cultural diversity has rarely been acknowledged, celebrated, or seen as a collective strength. ARC empowers students and educates our community about the beauty and healing that is possible when we uplift and unite across our cultural differences. These mural projects provide all of our community members an opportunity to help co-create a new narrative that is welcoming and celebrates our cultural diversity, while honoring the past and what it has taught us. ARC is in the service of these underrepresented students and their communities who have been, and will always be, a part of our home community here in Humboldt County. Art can be a way to share, spark conversations, and inspire; but most importantly, art is a way to be seen.
For more information contact arc@inkpeople.org
Instagram: @art.representation.culture
Co-coordinators: Naomi Doherty and Aundrea Stuckey
News Articles: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/dec/9/after-eureka-city-schools-board-votes-end-murals-c/
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/dec/10/eureka-city-schools-board-will-reconsider-recent-b/
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2022/jan/18/eureka-city-schools-board-overturns-mural-ban-maki/
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2022/jun/14/photos-eureka-high-murals/
Contact: arc@inkpeople.org