Disciplines: Storytelling; Literary Arts - fiction, playwriting; Theater Arts; Music
Engagement Levels: access, alignment, integration
Grade Levels Served: pre-K - 12
School Programs:
Syracuse City Schools - Deleware Elementary, Blodgett Elementary, H.W.Smith Elementary, McKinley-Brighton Magnet, Levy Middle School
Chittenango High School
Cicero-North Syracuse High School
Chittenango Middle School
West Genesee Middle School
Fabius Pompeii Elementary
Tecumseh Elementary School
Other Programs:
Y– Arts Studio Coordinator at East Area YMCA in Fayetteville
Kids in Art at SUNY Upstate Medical Center
Handweaving Museum and Art Center in Clayton
Everson Museum
Program Examples:
"Griot" at McKinley-Brighton - art$TART partnership
"Struggles" at Cicero-North Syracuse HS - art$TART partnership
Bio:
Vanessa Johnson is a full-time professional artist, a griot (storyteller), a historian, a writer, a playwright, a singer, a fiber artist, a mixed-media collage artist. She uses storytelling to train teachers to deal with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Many of her stories are historically based in the women's rights movement, the Underground Railroad movement, and the civil rights movement, and also deal with present day issues and issues of character education. She has written, produced and directed several children's plays that are historically based or deal with contemporary social justice issues, and directed the Onondaga Historical Drama troupe for four years.
As a visual artist she conducts batik, dyeing, mudcloth and quilt workshops for youth and adults. She makes mixed-media story quilts that use all of these techniques and include text. Her quilts, collages and "fetishes" have been a part of several group shows. Her Harambee Youth Tent has been at the New York State Fair for the past 9 years, and provides youth and families from all over NY State the opportunity to make African Diaspora arts and crafts.
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