A last word

So, as I was writing my concluding paragraph to my Reflection, I realized how much I've gained from this class.  It went by REALLY fast, and at times, I know I felt like I wasn't really learning anything new at all. But in looking back at all of it, and really thoughtfully reflecting on the experiences, I saw that I learned much more than I do from an average AVCE class, just by actually DOING, and being active in the learning process. Since this act of reflection was also a learning experience for me, I wanted to include it in my documentation as my final post.

This process as a whole has shown me many things. I have learned something from every aspect of this class. The most exciting thing for me, is that I learned how gratifying and enjoyable community arts involvement can be. I've been involved in the communities of the demographics Jenna and I chose

to focus on before, but never from within an art-making or art program perspective. I enjoyed it a lot, and look forward to continuing work with BICAS. Because of our involvement with the Armory Park Center, Casey has invited Jenna and I to assist in an oral histories project that BICAS is working on with the Center's seniors, and children of the community. From the scholastic perspective, I have learned a lot about my role as a student and future educator. As students, we can get very caught up in OUR projects, and how WE envision and experience them. In this, we often forget that there are many ways to learn from an experience, and that we will learn the most if we get multiple perspectives on the effectiveness of our ideas. Education is always a two-way street, with two ends to see from. In order to grow as students and as educators , we need to be able to put our feet in both pairs of shoes. 

-sp  

BICAS Auction and Final Reflection

After working for so long on the Pre-Auction on Saturday, December 3, 2011, I arrived on Sunday the 4^th to see the auction in full swing! It was amazing to see so many people, all passionate about BICAS and the Tucson community. I revisited my curated print show to see it rearranged! This was somewhat upsetting, seeing how Kasey and I put so much effort into arranging the print show so that the works would create a nice transition into one another, while being complemented against the colored backgrounds.

It was okay though, everything was still nice, and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the print show regardless. I stayed at the auction long enough to make (and lose) a few bids and worked the show by helping people with questions. I ended up leaving early because I was not feeling well (it was seriously the coldest weekend in Tucson!). I heard however, that it ended nicely, and cooperatively.

In all, I had a blast working with BICAS and with my colleagues in ARE 520. It was such a great experience that really opened up my eyes to the possibilities of community based art education.

THE AUCTION

The auction this past weekend was wonderful. I don't really have any other word for it. Seeing how much certain items went for (ahem, tiny chihuahua sculpture) was so exciting.  Seeing that artists from all over Tucson were donating their work, which also translates to donating time, money, and effort, was super inspiring.  

Everything about the event was wonderful- the space was amazing, everyone knew what they were doing, the acts were great and on time, nothing got damaged (to my knowledge). 

image courtesy of BICAS

I'm not sure what I expected of the Art Auction,  but I know that I did not expect it to go as smoothly as it did.  I think I assumed that it would be this crazy chaotic experience, so when the auction began, and most of us were still just standing around enjoying ourselves, not running around like chickens with our heads cut off, I was surprised.  I don't know what it was exactly that made the night go so well, but whatever it was, I was grateful. I feel really grateful to have been able to be a part of the experience. 

the Auction!

The big event ended up being much bigger than I had imagined it. Sure, it had been talked up to us all through the semester, but actually being there and seeing it all come together was really amazing. The entertainment was fun, the artwork was creative, and the food was spectacular. It was really great to see the community to come together to create such a fun and inspiring pair of evenings.

It felt like the event went very smoothly. It was very cold that weekend but nobody seemed to mind, there was still a huge turnout and everyone was smiling and socializing thoughout the evening. I worked with the caterers in preparing and replenishing food items on their display of creativley cooked local and organic foods, all of which were donated from Tucson Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and other local companies and eateries such as Maynard’s Market on Toole Ave and B-Line on Fourth Ave.

I had a great time walking around and examining the exhibition of locally created art. My favorite pieces were the sculptures, and it turned out that they were many other peoples favorite too. The Chihuahua made of bicycle parts ended up going for $1,400! It was exciting to see that kind of money being raised for BICAS, and it was great to see the community support that is a large part in making the program so successful.

Auction

The week of the auction has come and gone. I really loved the space (minus the frigid aspect of it) and was thrilled to see it full of people. I came by both Saturday and Sunday to help out in the morning. On Saturday I made some magnets for the merchandise table and on Sunday I helped with the bid sheets. On both nights I floated around and tried to help out where I could. I popped into the catering area a bit, but they seemed to have it pretty under control. I bid on a few items and won two! The last thing I did was help close down the bidding with my official red pen.

Great Work Everyone!

I had such an amazing experience in ARE 420 this semester! I learned about the infinite possibilities in art-making using recycled materials. I learned about the value in developing relationships with all types of people in our Tucson community. The most important lesson I take away from the experience is that I really can make a difference in my community, and as a group, BICAS is making a huge difference in many aspects of our community. BICAS helps provide access to transportation for people who need it, they give a voice and a chance to strengthen a sense of community in the gay, lesbian, and transgender population here in Tucson, and they educate all ages on bike construction and safety. My hopes for BICAS this semester are; that the auction party and auction helped to earn funding that can carry the organization through this coming year and beyond, that our class helped to spread the word about BICAS on campus, and students in class will continue to support BICAS in various ways. I hope to see you at my tie dye lesson on January 3rd at BICAS at 4pm! Great work everyone! I am now in love with community-based art and I hope you all feel the same way!

BICAS AUCTION

The auction was so much work, and I loved every minute of it. I love the people who work at BICAS. They are down to earth, generous, dedicated, friendly, respectful, and treat everyone as equals. I wrote several times in my field notes, “Wow, these are the type of people I want to be around.” It was neat how they treated volunteers as though they were part of the BICAS family. I volunteered to decorate the outside of the space with Christmas lights with Alicia. They showed us where the lights were and let us go to work. I loved how they trusted us to figure things out and let us do it how we wanted. Not being micromanaged made me feel like I was actually helping and part of the team. Members from BICAS that I had not met introduced themselves and sincerely thanked me for helping.

The auction itself was so busy, and it was a great opportunity to meet people from the community and work with the people in BICAS. I want to volunteer to work the auction every year. What a wonderful experience!