Connellsville clubs promote cultural awareness
CONNELLSVILLE – Connellsville Area High School Art and Multicultural Club students worked together Saturday to promote cultural awareness at the fifth annual African Social International, held in the senior high school cafeteria. And several members of the crowd said they were “blown away” by the talent of the high school students and the beautiful artwork they designed and hung on the walls, posed on easels and carefully laid on cafeteria tables.
Senior high school art teachers Antonette Dues and Sandra Fee said more than 100 pieces of artwork were turned in by the students. They additionally said that the Art and Multicultural Club’s goal is to promote cultural awareness to the students and the people around them.
“This is such a wonderful program because the students do a lot of research into backgrounds that they are not normally exposed to,” said Fee. “The research is important in making the masks and the mask drawings in order to assure the authenticity of the piece.”
Fee said there are different levels of art classes offered at the high school, including Art I, II and III. She additionally said that an advanced sophomore art class is available, but the students in that class have to be selected by an art teacher or show a portfolio for entrance.
The school district also offers an advanced art class for juniors and seniors and specialty classes for portraits and pastel pieces. Fee said she is extremely proud of her students and mentioned that she has six seniors who will become art majors in college next year.
Dues said the goal of the African Social International is to help students to learn to cooperate and respect each other as individuals
“Teaching others to appreciate the education and better understanding of individuality obtained through art, cultural events and exposure of ethnicities is the primary intent of the club,” said Dues. “We emphasize the appreciation of one’s heritage through art and cultural experiences.”
Dues said Chinese, Mexican, Kenyan, Indian and Southern-style foods were served at the dinner. She also said that one-half of the proceeds collected from the dinner (about $400) would be sent to Kenya to help the children, while the other half would be used for school district children to go on educational field trips and for educational programs.
George Muroki of Nairobi Kenya, East Africa, who now lives about nine months of the year in Pittsburgh, said that the students’ artwork was amazing.
“This isn’t the first time we have been here,” said Muroki, who traveled from Pittsburgh with his wife and children to sell handcrafted African items at Saturday’s cultural event to help support a Kenyan school.
“My wife and I are the founders of Hope Ministries International and we have been here a couple of times, and we enjoy the student’s work very, very much.”
Muroki said what he misses most about Kenya is the fellowship with his friends. He also said what he likes the best about America is the freedom and how Americans share.
“The students here don’t know how lucky they are,” continued Muroki. “In Kenya, the students cannot help themselves because their parents cannot afford to take them to school. We have a program where a kid can go to school for $20 a month, so we do our best to give them three meals a day and also give them transportation to and from school and buy books and pencils for them to use.”
Muroki said all of the items he sold were handmade by Kenyan tribes people.
“The Akamba Tribe cut the woodwork, the Kikuyu Tribe (the largest in Kenya) made the baskets, and the soap stones that come from the western part of Kenya are cut by the Kissi Tribe,” he said.
Muroki and his wife, who were speakers for the dinner, showed a video of Kenya.
Monika Martin, a senior art student who made a mask and worked on several of the posters, said she likes the art program because it allows her to explore different cultures and to expand her horizons.
Kayla Barko, a junior art student who made several posters, including an Asian mask and a wall-hanging mask, said she enjoyed learning what it is like in other countries.
Junior High West seventh-grade students Tra Coles, Cody Fullem and Cody McGuinness said they thought the artwork was amazing. All three said they are art students of Dues and said they can’t wait to get to the senior high school to participate in the Art and Multicultural Club.
The three said they liked the masks, the best with the history of the masks included. Their favorite was the Guro mask that is an antelope-guy mask.
A Penn State student, who did not wish to be identified, said Saturday’s program was incredible.
“There is such a need for multicultural awareness in Fayette County,” she said.
“If we are ever going to be the melting pot in this culture and this society, then we need to educate our youth and we need to be more aware of other cultures that are outside our small community. We need to open our eyes to that. Programs like this allow us to do that.”
Senior high school students also provided musical entertainment, poetry and exploration of different cultures.