‘Art has the power to transform kids’

Norwalk art partnership has power to transform lives of middle schoolers

“Art has the power to transform kids, to give them the confidence to figure out who they are,” said Duvian Montoya, artistic and educational director of the Norwalk Art Space.

And Daisy Velez, manager of Aspire and Youth Development

at Family and Children’s Agency, was looking to empower underserved middle school students to meet their personal goals.

And so, a partnership was born. For nine weeks, 13 middle school students have been taking lessons from a resident artist at the Norwalk Art Space. They’ve learned about different art styles, critiqued paintings, studied color theory and shading, and, when I visited the program on Nov. 8, they were putting the last touches onto their paintings before their exhibit on Nov. 30.

Brie Miyoko, resident artist at Norwalk Art Space, was teaching students to connect their favorite memories and translate them into art. Some students were standing at easels with small palates of paint in their hands, dabbing away. Some were sitting at a long table either sketching or painting. All were working from photos on their phones.

West Rocks Middle School sixth grader Stephany Perez had already completed the green grass and was working on the two people in her painting. “My painting is special to me,” she said. “It was Easter and it’s a really good memory of me and my sister picking up eggs. She was kind of sick at the moment, but she was also really happy. But then she somehow got better, so this picture reminds me of that.”

Miyoko showed the students how artists use their own memories to create art in different styles, and how art can trigger memories in the viewer. She showed some of her favorite paintings and showed them what she was working on.

“I want them to say, ‘OMG! I can do this too because you can do it,’” Miyoko said.

She showed them a variety of paintings and asked them to be observers and critics. “What parts did you like and not like?” she’d ask. “I do a lot of critique in this class. I don’t

H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media Emiliana Ramirez, of Norwalk, age 11, works on her painting project at the Art Space during an after-school program, sponsored by Family & Children’s Agency, and a collaboration between the Art Space and Aspire.