b'respect thus repurposing art to become bothnecessary materials beforehand based on the numberthat formed repeated patterns. After completing theongoing engagement with community members contextual and situational (Schlemmer, 2017). Shiftingof individuals who confirmed their intent to participatepaintings, we attached mats to them, which I hadrequires effort and purposeful planning according towards community engagement also requires artand ensured that I had extra supplies available. precut in advance from black construction paper,to their needs and interests, collaborative artmaking room spaces to be adaptable and welcoming forThe goal of the first collaborative artmaking activity,before they were taken home from the art room. Someyields vast potential for cultivating authentic community members to access. Art room spaces havewhich occurred on a Friday afternoon near the end ofindividuals offered to give their artwork to the school,community engagement through meaningful the potential to nurture collaborative projects throughthe fall semester, was for members of the communityand so Ms. Solis and I graciously displayed them ininteractions in art room spaces.shared resources in which individuals learn fromto engage in creating handmade cards. Card makingthe schools Family Engagement Center office. We also each other while pursuing common goals (Blatt-Gross,was selected based on feedback from individualsfollowed up with the individuals who attended to getReferences2017). Since collectively generated art is responsiveplanning to attend and on the timing of the upcomingfeedback about their experience and to aid in planningBaker, T., Wise, J., Kelley, G., & Skiba, R. (2016). Identifying to the stories and lives of individuals by drawing onholidays. I initiated the activity by modeling how tofor future activities. Barriers: Creating Solutions to Improve Family interdisciplinary approaches to art (Schlemmer, 2017),create different holiday themed designs includingEngagement. School Community Journal, 26(2), 161-the art rooms function becomes transformable into aChristmas trees, lights, and reindeer using temperaReflections and Conclusions 184.communal artmaking space.paint. Everyone worked alongside each other sharingEngaging community members in collaborativeBlatt-Gross, C. (2017). Creating Community from the materials to create designs based on their preferencesartmaking activities in the art room was a reciprocalinside out: A concentric perspective on collective Transformative Spaces in Contextusing tempera paints and different colored papers.experience in which everyone involved learned andartmaking. Arts Education Policy Review, 118(1), My high school serves a diverse population ofNext, everyone added embellishments, such as goldbenefited from the process. Individuals from the51-59.approximately 4,000 secondary students in gradesstars on the treetops and lettering into the negativecommunity left with personalized handmade artworkFenton, P., Ocasio-Stoutenburg, L., & Harry, B. (2017). nine through twelve, of whom 83% are classified asareas of space to give the cards distinctive accents.tailored to their interests, newly formed social bonds,The Power of Parent Engagement: Sociocultural economically disadvantaged. Despite being a largeThis collaborative artmaking activity enabled everyoneand a desire to return to the art room space andConsiderations in the Quest for Equity, Theory Into campus located in a busy urban area, there have beento create a variety of handmade holiday themedcampus knowing that their presence mattered. InPractice 56, 214-225.few instances of authentic and interactive communitycards. After finishing with the materials, we spread theaddition to creating meaningful art based on theirFishman, T. (1991, October). Building Partnerships in engagement at my school in the past. I knew thatcards out across the tables in the art room to admireinterests, individuals from the community were able tothe Arts. Art as Necessity: The Cultural Community extending my art room to engage with communitythem and voted on the most creative designs. Someexplore the art room, view students artwork, and askand Urban School. [Paper presentation]. Center for members would be a great proactive step towardsindividuals even chose to exchange their cards withquestions about what students were currently workingArts in Education, Chicago, IL, United States. rectifying this imbalance. I decided to partner witheach other to expand upon their collection. Everyoneon. Community members were excited to see theHinnant-Crawford, B. N. (2020). Improvement science my schools Family Engagement Center Liaison, Ms.left that afternoon with several handmade cards thattypes and styles of art created by students and evenin education: A primer. Myers Education Press.Solis, whose role is to help individuals residing inthey could give to their loved ones and friends duringreminisced together about their own past experiencesHornby, G., & Blackwell, I. (2018). Barriers to parental the school district obtain support and enrichmentthe holidays.with art in school. Since none of the individuals whoinvolvement in education: an update. Educational services such as learning English or earning a highThe goal of the second collaborative artmakingengaged in the activities were parents of my own artReview 70(1), 109-119. school equivalency diploma. Together we agreed thatactivity, which took place on a Thursday morning duringstudents, I was able to interact with a variety of peopleLeo, A., Wilcox, K., & Lawson, H. A. (2019). Culturally promoting interactions through artmaking would bethe spring semester, was for individuals from thefrom the local community without those interactionsResponsive and Asset-Based Strategies for Family a novel approach to engaging individuals from thecommunity to engage in exploring watercolor painting.being tied to discussions about students grades orEngagement in Odds-Beating Secondary Schools. local community on campus in a non-threatening yetWatercolor was chosen as the primary material tobehavior. By having a Spanish speaking colleague in theSchool Community Journal, 29(2), 255-280.meaningful way. We decided to initiate this process byappeal to individuals planning to attend who expressedroom that could translate, conversations flowed freely facilitating collaborative artmaking activitiesinterest in learning how to paint. I launched thewithout language barriers inhibiting communication. each semester. activity by modeling how to draw a variety of designsI was able to build genuine relationships and hear Prior to facilitating the activities Ms. Solis surveyedusing geometric and organic shapes. Then, everyonefirsthand about the things that were important to individuals in the local community who had at leastcreated designs using their choice of shapes andindividuals residing in the surrounding community. one child enrolled at the school to gather input ontook turns sharing and discussing their designsArt room spaces have the capacity to empower their availability and interests. Based on the surveybefore transferring them using tracing paper into aindividuals by extending community awareness results, she selected the dates and times that workedrepeated pattern. Next, I modeled how to mix colorsand voice through collaborative artmaking. When best for the respondents, while I used the feedback tousing watercolors and how to change values based onartmaking is examined as a social action in the art plan collaborative artmaking activities based on theiradjusting the amount of water mixed with the paint.room, art functions as a means for individuals to interests. Knowing that the activities would take placeEveryone freely explored mixing colors to paint theirengage in shared activities that cut across disciplinary during the school day for approximately two hoursdesigns, and although they had individual watercolorboundaries and resonate with their own experiences each, I preplanned how to best arrange the furniturepalettes, many proudly shared their color mixtures with(Schlemmer, 2017). Collective artmaking helps to in my art room to create an atmosphere conducive toeach other due to the distinctive colors they created. generate connections and commonalties (Blatt-Gross, collaborative artmaking that could also accommodateThis second collaborative artmaking activity resulted2017), while at the same time builds trust among my students who would be working on their ownin the creation of colorful watercolor paintings thatindividuals and promulgates purpose and identity art at the same time. I gathered and prepared thewere unique and eye-catching containing shapes(Fishman, 1991). Although establishing and sustaining TRENDS // PAGE 42PAGE 43 // TRENDS'