Student team to offer series of creativity workshops in Brooklyn 2/27/12
Alfred University's Art Force Five will travel to Brooklyn, from March 6-8, to present a series of creativity workshops to elementary school children. The workshops, hosted by Brooklyn's Red Hook Initiative Center, UFT Charter School, and Public School 33 in Queens Village, will address conflict-solving techniques and offer creative, non-violent methods for solving problems and addressing conflict. The main focus will be using community-based art to improve society. Founded by AU Director of Student Activities Dan Napolitano in 2006, the Art Force Five aims to use
community-based art as a way to improve society. "Community-based art provides a productive and creative outlet for community members to express emotion and a diversity of viewpoints," says Napolitano. "Such projects can be used as a means to heal in the wake of tragedy, celebrate in response to triumph, or just acknowledge those issues that shape our lives."According to Napolitano, the Art Force Five presents an alternative method of being a "superhero,"
resolving conflicts through creative non-violence instead of traditional "fight-or-flight" methods. Members of the group take on superhero alter-egos representing their preferred art forms, including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and fashion.The program plans to return to Brooklyn for public performances in the near future. Questions or inquiries can be sent to Napolitano at [email protected] or by calling 607-871-2925.
