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June 2009 > School News
PLI's BRAVO! Project Returns with Encore Performance
Carlos Aguirre with Leah Dubinsky, above; Lynda Tredway, below
Humphrey Kiuruwi dances to “All the Same,” above; Vern Cruz, front, with Paul Koh in “A Day in the Life (Lives)," below Erin Wheeler, Jeanne Dowd and Christina Velasco perform "Beat Box," above; Victor Cartenga in printmaking slideshow, in background below
The Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) piloted The BRAVO! Project with the help of leading Bay Area artists last year and returned in its second year with equal enthusiasm.
Credential candidates in PLI Cohort 9 spent four project days (30 hours) with artists during the Spring 2009 semester in artisitic mediums such as performance, spoken word, theater and printmaking.
"It's all about taking risks in order to prepare future administrators to integrate arts into local schools," says PLI Coordinator Lynda Tredway.
“They have started and will continue to experience the arts deeply and carry their importance into their work as school leaders,” she says. “To do that we examine the racial and school segregation history of California, use the arts as healing and community-building and learn how to work in diverse school communities.”
Their ongoing efforts culminated with special works-in-progress performances and exhibitions: Taking Risks as Artists and Leaders in Tolman and Morgan Halls on June 5. The innovative projects, attended by several PLI graduates and PLI 10 candidates, local school administrators, artists/mentors and artists, included:
“Keeping the Beat" with artists/mentors Carlos Aguirre and Tommy Shepherd
“A Day in the Life (Lives)" with artist/mentor Ellen Sebastian Chang
“All the Same” with artist/mentor Erika Chong Shuch
Printmaking Exhibition with artist/mentor Victor Cartagena
Antigone Trimis, SFUSD Arts Education Master Plan Implementation Manager, who helped coordinate the project, described the BRAVO! Project:
“Years ago, audiences shouted ‘Bravo!’ when a performer exceeded expectations and took a great risk on the stage; the word was and remains a powerful accolade, not voiced lightly.
“The BRAVO! Project was born in 2008 to create a safe space for PLI participants/future administrators to explore issues of race, identity and culture in a creative environment that honors truth, trust, risk-taking and courage. By deeply engaging in the artistic process under the guidance of their talented and fierce artist/mentors, these future leaders are making visible the value of meaningful, artistic experiences not only for them, but also for their students and the school communities they will be called upon to lead.
We are honored to be allowed into this 'safe space,' to witness and celebrate the individual and collective creativity of PLI Cohort 9."
The BRAVO! Project is funded by the Arts Education Initiative, which is funded in part by the Ford Foundation and the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation.
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