Summer Residency Culminating Event-Clarendon Park

Our Kuumba Lynx Performance Ensemble and the Street Art Summer program had their final day of work and their final event for the summer at Clarendon Park yesterday [August 13]. We were joined by the families and friends of the artists and instructors and also many community members showed up to enjoy the show. There was much success this summer with both of these programs. They represented Kuumba Lynx and what it stands for in many ways of artistic expression such as spoken word, dance, graffiti art and etc. Below are some interviews by Kuumba Lynx summer program directors: Shannon Mateski and James Spurgeon NERD.

[Morgan] How did you get involved with Kuumba Lynx and how long have you been working with the organization? [Shannon] This is my first summer working directly with KL. I met Jacinda and Jaquanda last summer at the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam in Washington D.C while I was working with Youth Speaks. F.M. Supreme also invited me to do a workshop with Kuumba and from there I got this position as a program coordinator.

[Morgan] What did you do here at your program this summer and how does it relate to the Kuumba Lynx mission of youth empowerment through Hip-Hop expression? [Shannon] We focused on Hip-Hop theatre and spoken word. We also have dedicated many of our time and performances to the green initiate this summer. The youth needed a good amount of writing development so we worked on that a lot along with building personal confidence and stage presence through editing & vocab workshops and performance exercises. They were a bit resistant at first. I struggled with some lack of structure and dedication from the youth at the beginning of the program but I have definitely seen growth. I pushed them a lot which caused some difficulties but I also think it was appreciated in the end.

[Morgan] What performances or events has you and your group attended this summer and how did they go? [Shannon] They ran a stage at the Life is Living Festival at Clarendon Park in July that went really well. They also performed at Millennium Park's debut of Hip Hop performance art with over 5000 people attending and it really meant a lot to them. Lastly we just had our final event today that included an array of the different pieces that we've been working on this summer.

Morgan] What was your favorite aspect about the Kuumba Lynx summer program? [Shannon] Working with this age group was a lot of fun. They want to enjoy themselves and the art. I tend to be a more serious instructor so I was able to be influenced by them so that we learned from each other. I also really like teaching them yoga and watching them develop physically as well as mentally and creatively.

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NERD also had a similar interview about his Graffiti Street Art program and what it means to him as a artist and long time KL supporter...

[Morgan] How did you get involved with Kuumba Lynx and how long have you been working with the organization? [NERD] I've been involved with KL since Day 1, not only through the arts but also community activism and just working to give back.

[Morgan] What do you do here at your program this summer and how does it relate to the Kuumba Lynx mission of youth empowerment through Hip-Hop?expression? [NERD] Our program was graffiti based. I got them to come together as young artists. I taught them that graff isn't about solo performance so almost every canvas that we did was a joint piece with 2-3 painters. I also gave them some lessons in the history of Hip-Hop and graffiti art that was focused more on the positive aspect like youth expression rather than the illegal part. Overall they learned to come and work together. Graffiti is not a regular art form where one person gets the shine. Its a team effort; it's about the whole crew.

[Morgan] What performances or events has you and your group attended this summer and how did they go? [NERD] They did 93 foot murals at the Life is Living Festival in July. At that event the younger artists were in the shorties battle which included eight 5x5ft canvases and performance art with going green. We hung cans from trees and used an old record as the sun in a symbolic piece about the environment. They also attended the Millennium Park Hip Hop event.

Below are some pictures of the great show put on by Shannon and the Kuumba Lynx Performance Ensemble and also some of the Graffiti pieces on display done by the Street Art program: