Scavenger Hunts, Screen Printing and Reflections 

We hope all of you had a wonderful thanks giving!  It was nice to share stories this week about the girls long weekend and how they celebrated thanksgiving.

This week at SOHO was especially action-packed! Our girl talk was the same class as last time but with a new group of girls (remember hula hoops and candy-reaching?).  This week's class was equally as entertaining, fun and meaningful. There were a lot of cute and especially moving moments when girls discussed what they were most proud of and when we again discussed teamwork at the end of the activity. Some of our favorite solutions to the candy-outside-of-the-hoop problem were when one group stuck a pencil into the mechanical pencil and then made a really long stick to reach more candy and another group who used one of the stickers to tape two of the pencils together in order to reach more. We were really impressed with the creativity and MacGyver-like skills involved!

Liana and her photography class  began to truly dive into learning the basics of taking great photographs with 35mm cameras. Each little sister and big sister received a camera from Liana. They even gave the cameras cute names and signed a contract vowing to "never neglect" the camera they were receiving. 

Liana then went through the basic concepts of photography and how the cameras worked. She talked about the shutter speed, aperture and focus.  Each girl practice focusing on different objects around the room, then each pair worked together to load film into the camera.

Then it was Scavenger Hunt time!  Little sisters and big sisters roamed the building to take photographs according to a list given to them by Liana (for ex. take a picture of you and your big sister's shoes...).  The girls got pretty creative! And they did a great job of remembering to adjust the focus for each picture and to pay attention to how much light was in the room so that their film speed and aperture settings would work correctly.  Next week they'll get to develop their film and see how their pictures came out!

After a quick snack with everyone, all of the girls headed into VisArts' True F. Luck Gallery to get a tour from Caroline Wright, whose job is to bring really awesome things to the gallery and to VisArts! The current show, called "Reflections", is a unique show that is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Visual Arts Center. All of the gallery walls are covered from floor to ceiling in hand screen-printed images.  These images create layers of photos of all of the of people and things that are connected to Visarts. The subsequent collage is a beautiful collage of colors and community! The exhibition is obviously very visually interesting, especially when you understand how many people and how much time was put into screening all of these images - something the girls would learn very soon!

Caroline explained that the collage was screen-printed for a few reasons. One is that  the gallery strives to alternate its shows to highlight what goes on in each of our studios. Printmaking is something that's important to VisArts and we wanted to highlight it. The second reason is because screen printing took the art world by storm in the 1960's -- when VisArts was founded!  Everything was considered when creating the exhibition: the color palette is inspired by the sixties, the bottom layers show the oldest images while the topmost layers show the newest, etc. 

The girls walked around and were told that they, too, were a part of the VisArts community and that they were on the wall! The girls were immediately surprised and started searching for their image on the wall.  Once we found it, we all just had to take a picture in front of our picture! Many thanks to Caroline for the awesome tour!

 

Tesni took the girls into the printmaking studio to show the girls how you expose, burn and rinse the screens before printing.  Then it was on to the familiar fiber studio to learn how to print! We learned the vocabulary involved with the process of printing, and went to it! Tesni, along with Rachel Cohn (another awesome VisArts instructor) and Jordan Roeder (SOHO's coordinator) all helped the little sisters and big sisters print t-shirts, a card, and a poster in the layered and colorful style of the "Reflections" show. 

 All of the images had something to do with SOHO: the photo of everyone together on the first night, our logo, a line drawing of a camera, the RVA symbol, and the VisArts logo.  Probably our favorite part of screen printing was when the girls and their big sisters first lifted their printed screens up to see if it turned out well.  Everyone was smiling and excited about the image transferring to their t-shirts! Who can blame them? It is kind of magical!

We were especially impressed with how respectful everyone was to all the folks in the building that night for holiday parties and events. Overall it was an exciting, messy, inspiring night!  

Proudest Moments, Hoola Hoops and Gratitude

Another great week at SOHO - happy early Thanksgiving! Girls and mentors switched groups this week and divided up for our second round of Girl Talk and Photography! So far, Girl Talk has been a great addition to SOHO. Girls and mentors have a place to talk about what's going on in their life and really dive into some of those more important life skills. Tesni has managed to make all of this fun through unique activities each week.

The goal for Girl Talk this week was to listen to each other, problem solve, work together, become more comfortable around each other and make some hoola hoops! This week Girl Talk started by talking about our proudest moments. Each sister shared their proudest moment and everyone in the circle was so excited to hear each one.  Then each big and little sister worked in pairs on a fun drawing activity.  Each pair was given a big sheet of paper that had a line drawn down the middle to divide it in half.  The big sister started drawing on one side and, as she drew it, the little sister had to exactly mimic what she was drawing on the other side. Then they switched places.  Though it was simple (and really fun!).  Afterwards the pairs talked about the experience and what they learned or felt. Girls talked about feeling shy about drawing in front of their big sister at first, but then became more comfortable just doodling with each other. They also talked about they had to work together; they might need to slow down or speed up depending on how their partner was doing on their drawing.

After their drawings, each girl decorated her own hoola hoop which was a prop for their next activity.  When each pair had finished decorating their hoola hoop, everyone placed theirs on the ground and they sat inside their hoop together.  Tesni then put out candy, pencils and stickers just within arms reach and then further and further out from each hoop.

There two main rules to the activity: body parts couldn't touch the floor outside of the hoop and you couldn't step outside of the hoola hoop. Every group came up with their own strategy. Big sisters and little sisters held onto each other to try to reach what was outside the hoop. Sometimes it was really clever (using pencils as tools). Sometimes it was really funny! Almost all the prizes were picked up by each pair thanks to their awesome teamwork.

Afterwards, the pairs talked about how it took a lot of trust to get their prizes. It also took a lot of strategy and teamwork to figure out who they were going to go about solving the problem. Tesni emphasized the aspect of teamwork in this activity; girls or big sisters could not have done this alone.  Tesni compared this to our lives as a whole and how we need to rely on some people to be successful in the things that are important to us.

While the girls waited to meet up with the other group who were with Liana for Photography, everybody hooped with their new hoops! We'll talk more about photography class next week, but the girls are learning exciting things!

After a tasty snack of salad the girls went off to finish up their hand-made journals. Constructing the books themselves requires a lot of concentration and teamwork: lining up all the pages, holding everything together while the other sister sews it together...but it was all worth it in the end. Each book has a different fabric binding so the girls can tell whose is whose. They all turned out beautifully! The girls all did a great job and there were no problems or snafoos at all.

Now that our books were done, the first mission for our journals was to think about what we are thankful for.  Thanksgiving was coming up and we all wanted to spend a few minutes to write down those things we feel the most gratitude for.  All the girls were quiet when writing, big and little sisters wrote separately. After they were done, Tesni explained that the SOHO girls were going on Instagram along their statements about what they were thankful for.  NPR was doing a #psthankfulfor post - those chosen would be on their website! Everyone was so excited at the possibility of being picked.

Everyone talked about what we were excited for or hoping for during closing circle this week.  All the girls and their big sisters did a wonderful job of being thoughtful and respectful again this week, with answers ranging for hope for a family member being well, to being excited for thanksgiving food, to seeing their families for the holidays!

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I am thankful for my mom because she always cares for me, and my big sister Bonnie because she is just like me because we both like to LAUGH a lot and I also so like Bonnie because she likes to write her name over and over again because it’s fun and we are both cra-zay girls and we also like to paint and draw and skate and I can’t forget about SING! -Naitaijah

I am thankful for my little sister Naitaijah’s awesome sense of humor because I love to laugh! (and she is legit funny!) -Bonnie

I am thankful for my best friends because they’re so funny. I get to see them every day and it’s incredible how they’re loyal and honest. I am also thankful for SOHO because it’s a time to be with friends and new people. I love SOHO because so far I’ve got to have so much fun with my SOHO big sister Grace. She’s so fun to be around and I love getting to see her every Thursday. -Amber

I am thankful to know my friends, family, and community because people and the relationships we have are the most wonderful experiences. -Grace

I am thankful for my Big Sister, Sarah, because she cares about me, my school because they provide me with education and love, and my community because they come together and care about each other. -Caliyah

I am thankful for a safe space to learn and grow, because it is so easy to get lost in the day to day and forget where I’m going and why. -Sarah

I am thankful for my family because they help a lot. I hope that everybody is safe. Happy Thanksgiving. -Geaneé

I am thankful to live in a community of thoughtful and creative people because I see how these innovative people are helping their community to thrive! -Grace

I am thankful for my family: my dad and grandma because my grandma does everything for me and my dad is the reason I’m me. I’m thankful for my blanket: because I just LOVE it! I am thankful for notebooks because I love writing. I’m thankful for my “Big Sister” Catherine because she’s awesome. -Marcella

I am thankful for  SOHO and the opportunity to volunteer my time, build a relationship with my little sister, Marcella, and learn a lot about myself along the way. I am thankful for my 8th grade teacher for encouraging me with creative writing and making me feel talented. I am thankful for healthy food and energy! -Catherine

I am thankful for my life because if I didn’t have a life, I wouldn’t have met my family and friends. I am thankful for Jesus and God because I wouldn’t be here. -Destiny

I am so thankful for my health, especially as I see those around me suffering from illness, injury, disease, and accident. I am so thankful for my husband who sees who I truly am and who loves and values what he sees, and who tells me this often. I am so thankful for SOHO, which gives me the opportunity to meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise known, and to learn from them and see the world and myself through new eyes. -Mary Ashburn

I am thankful for my friends and family because they help me get through things if it’s tough. I am thankful for my family because I wouldn’t be on this Earth if it wasn’t for them. I am thankful for my friends because when my family is not around they got my back no matter what. I am thankful for these people very much and I am thankful that they accept me for who I am. -Alexus

I am so grateful for the opportunity to grow within a community- a community of women gathered for the sole purpose of impacting this next generation. -Tara

I am thankful for my mom because she is the best mom ever, my sisters, God, my big sister (Carley), going to AJCES, and my grandma because she helps me on my homework. -Tiasia

I am thankful for my life experiences that have made me who I am today. -Carley

I am thankful for my family because every time I feel down they help me put my head back up, my life, my cheering team, and my big sister (Akeara). -Shemoanee

I am thankful for my health; I want to live a long life so I’m thankful that I’m on the right track. -Akeara

I am thankful for my family, friends, my house, my big sister Niki, food to eat, shoes and clothes on my back, SOHO, and my school. -Chrishanda

I am thankful for having a good job and my co workers listening to all my 1st world problems. -Niki

I am thankful for God putting me on Earth because I wouldn’t be so happy every day like I am and I wouldn’t know any of my good friends, and for teachers to depend on and teach me. I am thankful for SOHO because it is so fun, and my big sis at SOHO. She is very kind (Shelby). -Markayla

I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know a diverse group of girls at SOHO because they help me continue to grow and learn. -Shelby

I am thankful for my Mom and Dad because they are always there for me when I need them, my sister, my school, and my friends. -Sadé

I’m thankful for love, peace, and so much happiness because it’s good for your health! I’m thankful for God and his amazing blessings bestowed upon me daily. I’m thankful for my amazing family, boyfriend, and friends because of the consistent support, love, and consideration daily. I’m thankful for financial stability and my career! HDL is the best place to work! - Shardaé

Photograms, Inspiration Boards and Bookbinding

Girls and mentors had so much fun during their second week of SOHO!  Just like last week, girls and their big sisters went with their groups to do photography and Girl Talk.  This past week they switched spots!

The second group of girls headed off to the VisArts darkroom to learn about photography.
First, all the pairs sat together with Liana to talk about the studio and what they were going to create: photograms.

pho·to·gram

ˈfōtəˌgram/

noun

noun: photogram; plural noun: photograms

1.

a picture produced with photographic materials, such as light-sensitive paper, but without a camera.

Photograms are a way to make beautiful photographic images without a camera.  This was a great introduction into the photographic process for the girls and their big sisters.  Later on, they'll learn about how to use 35mm cameras, develop film and print their own photographs.

Liana explained that photographs use the same paper that photos are printed on. This paper is light sensitive; areas that are hit with light turn darker and areas that aren't exposed to light stay white.  Instead of using a camera to expose film which is then printed to paper, photograms print directly onto photopaper. Usually, you create photograms by placing objects on top of the paper and exposing this to light - then going through the normal processes of developing.  For this week - SOHO girls were going create giant portraits on big rolls of photo paper using themselves and objects that described them.

Each pair of girls wrote down give words that described them - funny, crafty, athletic, artsy...Then they went into the darkroom where Liana had tons of different objects laid out.  Girls and their big sisters worked together to find objects that represented their traits they talked about.

Then, still working in pairs, the girls laid out a big sheet of photo paper on the floor. Each girl laid on their paper in a fun pose and placed objects and letters around them.  Then - they exposed these to light! Each girl then went through the process of developing, fixing and rinsing their prints.

Check out some of the awesome portraits they made:

After photography and Girl Talk - the pairs took a break and sat with Rev Rock from AJCES to talk about repercussion of our actions. The discussion was all about being a great SOHO citizen and what that means.  The girls and their mentors came up with a list of expectations.  Really, the theme of the whole discussion was respect.

being a good role model

not interrupting

laughing at appropriate times

using materials appropriately

no verbal or physical abuse (even if playful to begin with)

and general kindness 

Based on these rules - girls came up with a system of repercussions if these rules are broken.  Having the girls involved is a nice way for them to understand their importance at SOHO and that they have a say in their experience here.

After break, everyone went into the studio and finished up on their inspiration boards for their rooms.  Then Tesni talked about bookbinding. Remember the awesome letterpress printed book covers we made last week? Well, these are going to become each girls' own journal to use during SOHO!

Tesni talked about the different tools used in bookbinding and all of the names and words associated with that. These lovely books will be finished next week!

The night ended with the girls and mentors working on some surveys together and then separately to tell us all about them.  These will be done again at the end of the program to see how much we've changed and learned during SOHO.

Finally everyone did closing circle which was "quiet, thoughtful, cute and awesome".

PS - We are SO THANKFUL to Plaza Art and U-Fab for their in-kind sponsorships this year. Each of these businesses are providing the supplies SOHO needed to create art projects made big big sisters and little sisters!

Trust, Inspiration and Letterpress!

Last Thursday, SOHO started its first official program night with art projects, photography and girl talk.

The evening started out with explaining how each Thursday will work. Girls and mentors are split into two groups for the first hour each week. One group heads off to the darkroom to work with Liana on photography projects and one group works with Tesni for Girl Talk. Then the next week they switch! Girl Talk is new this year and focuses on important life and leadership skills for the girls.

This week's girl talk was all about getting to know one another and about building trust. Girls and mentors sat in a circle together. In the center were a huge pile of postcards with cool photos and images on them.  Each big and little sister choice their favorite postcard - specifically one they thought best represented them as a person and talked to each other about why. Then each person introduced themselves to the group and told everyone about themselves and their big or little sister.

Then the group came up with "group norms" together on a big sheet of paper.  "Group norms" are all of the things that big and little sisters thought were important in order to create a comfortable atmosphere of trust and learning for the rest of their nights in Girl Talk. Each girl talked about how it was their responsibility to keep this a safe space.

Not judging

Kindness

Listening

Not interrupting

Laughing at appropriate times

Girl Talk also included some fun get-to-know-you games like: "untangle", where girls and mentors got in a group and grabbed hands and then untangled themselves; coming up with as many similarities with their big and little sister within just a few minutes (one group had 17!), answering questions as a group and talking about hopes and hesitations.  The big and little sisters also came up with secret handshakes while waiting to go to snack.

Meanwhile, Liana worked with another group of girls in the darkroom. They talked about some of the basics of photography, how the darkroom studio worked, and how to be safe in the space.  Then they worked on creating "life-size" photogram portraits! We'll talk more about these next week...

 After everyone got back together and had snack as a group, everyone headed into VisArts' letterpress studio.  Jordan and Aimee Joyaux (VisArts Director of Education), talked to the girls about letterpress: its history, how it works and what they would be printing today. Each girl got to print a book cover for her soon-to-be-created journal.  Girls will learn how to make their own hand-made journals that they will work in for the rest of the program.

While each girl and mentor printed, everyone was working in the next room on creating inspiration boards.  The group first read a story called "Sanctuary" that talked about safe spaces in life. Big and little sisters talked about their own safe spaces and what made them feel that way. Then they filled out a worksheet with their mentors about themselves, what they want their new room to look like and how they want to work towards that goal. The inspiration boards were filled with favorite colors, plans, inspirations cut from magazines and all kinds of beautiful things.

Finally it was time for closing circle. Each girl said something they were thankful for and everybody said good night!

"I'm thankful for my family and friends"

"I'm thankful for my big sister"

"I'm thankful for SOHO"

"I'm thankful for getting to do cool things like letterpress" 

Check out this awesome video of the girls watching the first impression get printed in letterpress:

 

Opening Ceremony!

 
Last Thursday our SOHO mentors and girls met for the first time at our Opening Ceremony.  Our mentors had spent time together and our girls all knew eachother from school but the was the first time the two groups got to be in the same room! All of them come in knowing they'll meet their "big sister" or "little sister" that night - but nobody knows who this person will be until the end of the night.

From the moment the girls entered the room we had a wonderful, positive energy for each activity.  We started off the night with a potluck -style snack brought in by our lovely mentors.  Girls and mentors ate together and started to get to know each other.

The group was introduced to our Lead Artist Instructor Tesni Stephen, Photography Instructor, Liana Elguero, and the program's coordinator Jordan Roeder.  Everyone was split up into small groups and given a tour of the entire VisArts building so they could learn about what happens here. This was also a time to talk about respect and the many forms that it can take: respecting others in the group by listening, respecting students in the building by being quiet in the halls, and respecting everyone by showing a positive attitude and a smile!

Then it was time for our scavenger hunt were girls and mentors worked together to solve clues that led them to the matching ceremony.  Teams came up with their own name and practiced respect by being quiet in the building as they searched. Eventually all the girls made it to our fiber studio which was specially set up for matching ceremony.


Within this new "magical room", Tesni talked about what it means to be grateful and what it means to say thanks.  Specifically, she talked about how you can show gratitude and thanks through much more then the words "thank you".  Girls talked about how they could show gratitude for their mentors, their families and friends by being sweet, kind and helpful.

Each chair in the room had a small gift bag with the girls name name on it which the holds a clue to who their sister is. Each bag held a word that described their big or little sister and started with the first letter of the first name.  Big sisters and little sisters scrambled to find each other - we saw lots of screams, hugs, jumping up and down, and even a few tears once they found one another!

The new pairs went upstairs for their final activity of the night.  Each girl (with the help of her new big sister) filled out a letter to themselves talking about their hopes, dreams and thoughts about this new program.  These letters are stashed away with Tesni until the closing ceremony where they are opened by each pair.

Finally, everyone gathered for closing circle and talked about what they were grateful for. Almost everyone present mentioned how they were thankful for SOHO: for their new big or little sister, for their new friends, for the "awesome food"...

"I am grateful for my new big sister."

"I am thankful for my new SOHO family."

We are looking forward to yet another amazing year of SOHO!

Thank you to Landon Slane and Schwarzchild's Jewelers!

The Visual Arts Center is very please to announce that we will be receiving a portion of sales from the upcoming Landon Slane trunk show at Schwarzchild's Jewelers!  

Landon Slane, who attended school in Richmond, has a history of supporting arts-education programs for at-risk youth in New York City through her work with DreamYard.  For this upcoming trunk show, she has chosen to support our program!

Her trunk show will be held at the Swartzchild's Jewelers store in Cary Court this Thursday. You can also meet Landon in person from 11am - 2pm!

You can learn more about Landon Slane on her website HERE.
You can also read more about her work with DreamYard HERE.
If you have any questions about the upcoming trunk show, feel free to call the Cary Court store at  804-355-2136.

Thank you Landon Slane!

Our Mentors Rock!

The 2013-14 SOHO program has officially started! The program kicks off every year with two Leadership Development training days for our mentors before they  meet their "little sisters".   During these two days, they have the opportunity to get to know eachother and themselves through activities and discussion led by our program partner, the Bounce Collective.

We have yet another amazing group of mentors this year from all over Richmond. Our group this year is made up of women from all walks of life. From entrepreneur to roller derby skater, from small business owner to urban planner, from molecular genetics lab technician to musician.

Their journey through SOHO has begun and we are so excited to see what happens next!

Our opening ceremony kicks off on October 24th! Stay tuned for updates.....