Art Skates! @Marion Oaks

Art Skates! @Marion Oaks, Florida

Florida summers are hot. It’s the kind of sticky pressure filled hot that makes you sweat just due to the humidity already present in the air around you. You can feel the heavy subtropical atmosphere, even in the bright sun. Heading across the parking lot, lush green pine trees, live oaks, and scrubby foliage line the concrete perimeter. When you open the doors and step inside the Marion Oaks Community Center, the cold crisp air takes your breath away.

It was here for two weeks in this little rural and multicultural community, 22 middle school aged children and nine high school youth mentors created designs for functional skateboard decks. The “Art Skates!” project involved parents, families, and community center employees. Materials were procured from local hardware stores and a handful of retail agencies within the surf and skate industry. The youth designed graphics for functional skateboard decks, studied skateboarding culture, had fun, socialized and added much needed vitality to their local community.

Starting with an Idea

About three years ago I discovered a way to get skateboard decks and teaching curriculum for my art class. Excitedly I pitched the idea to my administration only to be met with a resounding and bureaucratic “no.” The liability was too much of a concern and the budget would not be available. What has transpired as a result is a grass roots approach to teaching applied arts at a local community center in Marion Oaks, Florida.

Becoming a Reality

For weeks, a buzz about the skateboard design project had taken root before school ended in June. Students at my local school were given flyers introducing the program and informed of two upcoming events, a community auction and garage sale. I hoped to see those interested take the next step and get involved in raising their own funds to participate and support purchasing materials for the class. I saw an overwhelming degree of enthusiasm from kids on campus, however, little to no inquiry from parents. This would be true throughout most of the preliminary stages.

A Ripe Season

To gain approval, I had to meet with the community center board and employees. Due to the receptivity from my school administration, the emotions I had going into the meeting at the community center were guarded and tens. I expected the same attitude as my own from the center leadership, however, that was not the case. The board and activity director were very receptive, giving approval and subsequently being intrinsically involved throughout the process of class preparation and implementation.

Employees often commented how the community center lacked one distinctive feature in daily life there, namely, children. Equipped with a newly built annex, the gym would have its usual five or six members working out, sometimes adults would bring one or two children along, however, the youth activity room, equipped with video game stations, foosball and pool tables, rarely had more than one to three youthful occupants.

Time to Commit

Once deciding I would dedicate my time and energy to getting this project started, my weeks were filled with balancing family, work and my own student life in preparation for our time there. I knew our community center lacked activity in general and suspected that the center needed an infusion of life.

A Little Help from Community Friends

In previously dealing with my local administration I would have never assumed the community center to be as open as they were about this idea. The community center director was quick to offer facilities, a classroom, locked closet, computer lab and the opportunity to raise money at a monthly auction and sponosred garage sale. Kari Coates, Activities Director at the center even researched funding and cheaper skateboard deck prices for the project. Her input was greatly valuable and the program would have never operated so smoothly, nor would it have had such a positive ambiance without her help and insight.

The community auction was first in line to raise money for the program. It was a minimal showing by residents who are already living in a strapped economic neighborhood. There were about three youth who showed up to pitch in and one thoughtful colleague at work who donated some retail decorative art for our efforts. I supplied a few items from my home that were earmarked for my own future garage sale. Rather than be discouraged I knew that school being in session and the short time frame to organize any concerted effort for this specific event would be scarce with little return.

Welcome to the World!

As the students I spoke with appeared excited about the upcoming program there was still little involvement from any parents. In addition to the flyers being distributed at school, the community center provided some for visitors in hopes to attract interest from the general community and families. Sign up day was disparaging and somewhat disheartening. I gathered my own family and most of the youth leaders at the community center meeting room with prepared documents to capture contact information from students and their families, and to view an informational video about the program.

The meeting was called on a Friday. There was no school as this was an unused hurricane weather make up day, it also happened to be the start of Memorial Day weekend. There were five youth who showed up and only two parents present. The combination of having no school on a long holiday weekend was not the best choice for scheduling an important meeting. Furthermore, the short time frame for organizing was increasingly an issue of concern.

However, even though turn out for the initial events appeared less than favorable; I felt some assurance, as the upcoming community garage sale was still two weeks away. The school year was at its end, and I figured organizing and communicating with others about the program would get a bit easier.

I had personally hoped for a smaller class. I did not want to turn away kids from the program because the class reached maximum capacity or try and teach an overcrowded room full of students. Something I am used to in traditional school settings. I was content knowing the community based environment would give me options concerning class size numbers.

However, I felt that I needed to do something to reach potential students and families. I wanted information to be centralized, accessible, visible and convenient for participants and myself. These factors and the initial low turnout led me to focus on social media.

With the core group of youth also being friends of my daughter and son, their presence around our house was frequent. I asked a few to set up our Art Skates! Facebook page in an effort to anchor the information we could then distribute to potential participants and community members. It served to be a valuable asset throughout the program.

Student Leadership

It was clear that the leadership of a few youth mentors really helped things along. Additionally, an Art Skates! Google Gmail and Drive account enabled a few trusted participants and myself to communicate and store media on the cloud, now accessible by myself and others when needed from anywhere online computer or mobile access was available.

Some of the trusted youth leaders controlled content on our Facebook page, admitting member requests and later approving shared photos. One photography buff added an Instagram account with the program name artskates_marionoaks.

These valuable experiences can now be used by the administrators for their resume's when seeking employment, and applying for college. In the future these youth mentors can use their experience to facilitate their own self interested endeavors, especially when utilizing social media to organize and activate people and ideas. These leaders were civically engaged within physical and virtual communities.

Entering Community

Prior to the community center garage sale, one parent donated her services as a baker. She runs a small business from her home. The scones and cookies were a substantial money maker for our program at the event.

In all, we had a total of twelve participants appear at the community center garage sale. One participant brought items from her mother’s thrift store to donate for sale while another was willing to part with his older video game collection. Everyone excitedly helped to set up items, made pitches for sales while others played music on guitars and hand drums brought from my home.

At one point the musicians wrote and performed an impromptu song about snow cones for another group raising money for the local pee wee football team. The onlookers cheered and video recorded the performance; the songwriters were given free snow cones as a result.

The general atmosphere was very positive and some of the participants' parents stopped by to ask questions, show support and shop. Another vendor informed me that her son was a student at the local school I teach at. He had expressed interest and she would now be enrolling him in the skateboard design program. (It is of note that he was one of the more dedicated kids, attending for the full two weeks and even walked to the center some days to be a part of the class).

Overall, I felt we were integrating within our local community. The kids as participants were growing in numbers, getting more excited, and both children and their families were becoming more actively involved.

It Never Hurts to Ask

Originally my hopes were to do some crowdsourcing to raise funds for the event. My son is a expert when it comes to running game servers and using media. However, as time would permit, this was not something we could do. It should be common knowledge that community art programs can get costly fast. It is my hope that in the future I can take more time and experience to ensure better funding is available through crowdsourcing and grant writing. Ensuring this program was affordable was a primary concern. To do this I was challenged to find cheaper ways to prodivde the skateboards and materials needed for the class.

Freeride Surf Shop is a long-standing local entity in nearby Gainesville, Florida. Being a local shop was complementary for all when requesting price breaks for the decks we needed. To cut costs on shipping, I asked ahead of time for two of the adult leaders to drive to Freeride and pick up the decks upon arrival. The CreateASkate program provides curriculum materials and skateboard decks and was utilized as a supplement to the total order.

Although both agencies put in effort to keep costs low, using mail systems for materials like these can put a hefty strain on programs operating with limited budgets, therefore, buying local can be an advantage. Element Skateboards, Muir Skate Shop, and a good friend and long time skateboarder, R. Sayers, were generous in giving our participants free skate stickers. Many surf and skate companies, shops and enthusiasts appreciate using a “grass roots” or "garage level" approach, much in the same way as this CBAE practice. Having an understanding of surf and skate culture can be a positive asset when seeking help and resources. Currently FunBox distribution has stepped up and offered deep discounts for components like trucks and wheels, helping kids outfit their boards to ride.

From my experience in sales, advertising and magazine publications it has always been an advantage to ask for partnerships, sponsors and cooperation. I have taken that experience to heart and have learned that when organizing within a community, especially for a good cause, it never hurts to ask. In calling companies to secure cheaper board prices I also made a point to call about freebies, or incentives to add excitement to the program for the kids and leaders.

Again as time would have it, there could be much more opportunity from corporate and local sponsors if contact was made and the program was described with ample time to find willing partners.

As the day quickly approached I found myself ordering supplies online and visiting local hardware shops to buy spray paint and other materials. I was not concerned so much about spending money as I knew that some of this project would be my responsibility given the nature of my studies and time frame at the University of Florida. My hope was to supply the needed materials and analyze the process of money collecting, recouping expenses and how to better refine this part of the process in the future. As we entered into the first day of class it became clear that community was enthusiastic about this program and most of the participants paid their fees.

Time, Place, Life and Change

Throughout the entire program, the community center was more than welcoming to the kids. The comments from staff were consistent in positivity. I was told that they are good kids, displayed good behavior and handled themselves well in the facility. There were minor happenstances of taking drinks into the youth activity room and computer room where food was not allowed. There was a complaint from a resident about traffic through the kitchen as he was serving food to elder community members, something the center provides daily to those who cannot afford lunch. However, these minor infractions were corrected without escalation.

The county supervisor for the center stopped me on one occasion to tell me how grateful he was for my efforts. He commented, "I have seen more kids in the community center in the last two days, than I have seen in the last two years!" (D. Pierce, personal communication, June 18, 2015). Another long-standing employee cited having not seen this many kids since 2011 and yet another resident echoed similar sentiments.

A community board member and her friend made a point to stop by and observe the kids while they worked. They doted around wide-eyed, gently exclaiming how wonderful the art looked and how creative the kids were. On a few occasions other older residents would inquisitively peek in or linger as they walked by. One aging man and sponsor of a local high school chess club, challenged anyone willing to a game of chess.

Another resident confided she and her son owned a skate shop in the northern U.S. during the 70's and 80's. She told me one of their team riders made it on the cover of a popular skateboarding magazine. However, she continued that although she loves the sport and her previous experience with it, skateboarders can cause hazardous problems when skating in public spaces.

I took this as an opportunity to teach the youth about being respectful when skating and the impact our actions can have on others around us. I encouraged the kids to consider that what we are doing helps put a positive light on skateboarding, us as community members and may provide opportunities to see facilities built according to our interests in the future.

I further encouraged the resident to connect with Kari Coates, the activity director for the center as we explore future possibilities for county sponsored skate and bike areas in Marion Oaks. Finding a supportive resident and potential advocate with experience in the skateboarding industry could be beneficial when promoting safe public skate spaces in our area.

Vitality

On the first day of class, with parents and youth milling about, it was apparent the small room provided for us would not do. The community center staff shuttled us into a dining space for the day and even took a television off the wall to provide media access for our videos on skateboarding. Many parents made it evident they did not have time to stay for informational sessions about the class. I explained the paperwork involved, collected fees in most cases, captured signatures on paperwork, and allowed them to have copies if they chose.

The pre-class sign up meeting was initially called for to address these issues, however, due to the low preliminary turn out, the first day of the Art Skates! class became the only time to facilitate these efforts. These indicators of child enthusiasm vs. parental activation may point to some parents being less involved in the lives of their children, those working long hours, multiple jobs or other reasons for absence. Future investigation and research might uncover more questions, reasons, and possible solutions for creating events that encourage family involvement and strengthen familial relationships.

Complex

The system of making skateboards is as complex as you make it. Much thought should be given to the level of difficulty for processes used. This could impact effectiveness and budget. With as much research as can be done, nothing is the same as actually doing something you have been researching. Given that, this project was as much fun as it was a learning experience for all involved. Teaching to learn is a unique approach to refining ones practice and growing as an individual. This project supplied much experience in both areas and for that I am grateful.

Mentor

However, it was evident that as the days wore on, the youth became increasingly engaged, focused and accustom to the systems of creation. Many began taking more time with their art, problem solving or collaborating with leaders to find workarounds concerning difficulties with media and materials

Leaders partitioned themselves into areas of their comfort, motivation or expertise. Some stayed outside, helping to facilitate the spray painting, while others stayed indoors and helped with developing designs, getting supplies and clean up. Overall if something was needed the youth leadership was mostly responsive and timely. This greatly affected the efficiency of retrieving water keys for hoses, ensuring decks received even coats of spray paint and preventing or in some cases correcting mistakes in applying processes.

Problems

As the youth began excitedly designing their boards, it became apparent that some concepts, especially concerning stenciling would require dedicated concentration, attention to detail and complex processes of layering, masking and painting. At first the program seemed disjointed, the spray paint would not always perform perfectly in the outdoor heat with novice attempts and shifting winds. However, the students demonstrated a willingness to learn and adapt and at times a longing for perfection, much like many artists and adults I know. If the spray paint was marred or uneven, many youth were unsatisfied. They would want to sand down and start over. This was costly in time and resources. Many youth looked for alternatives to fixing the imperfections and yet others asked for assistance in creating their decks as to minimize mistakes.

Discussions

There was some disorganization at times as some students did not want to wait for youth leaders to aide them. This resulted in botched spray paint or applications of stencil work. However, for me, the process of learning was just as important as any outcome.

Having that said, small discussion sessions with program leaders took place after class about how the day went and what could have been done better. These reflective moments revealed some of the disorganization, the lack of patience of students and general consensus that many youth expect instant and perfect results without doing the work it takes to achieve those means.

Collaborative Learning

The youth mentors were instrumental in strategizing solutions to problems, airing out differences and analyzing the processes used. Having their assistance throughout gave me a unique perspective of what it was like to facilitate and operate a summer art program. As well, the experience they have gained may be beneficial in their own growth and development throughout high school and into adult life. Their insight was appreciated and in some cases suggestions to correct problems were implemented. This added to the youth's investment, civic engagement and leadership development aspects I sought to include within the program.

From reflection questions given to community center employees, it was discovered some tables and chairs were stained with paint. Kari Coates indicated that in light of the pilot program’s “learning curve,” I should not worry about any damages incurred. Investing in tables and chairs for future endeavors may be the best solution when using community spaces not accustomed to art making activities.

Symbiosis

The community center staff encouraged the kids to access their youth activity room. Complete with pool tables, foosball, air hockey and video console games, the space proved to be a great asset while paint was drying or there was downtime. Access to the room increased youth awareness about the facilities available to them in their neighborhood and added to the playful and social atmosphere of the class (See Figure 4).

At one point, Kari conducted a group discussion on what other programs the youth would like to see at the community center. In using this opportunity to discuss ideas she was also searching for answers as to why the center generally sees little activity from local youth. The class members were candid about being mostly unaware of the facilities at the center and hearing stories about “tough” people who utilize the basketball courts. The youth indicated they would like to see dances, concerts, food activities and games added in the future. Kari plans on taking the students' responses and developing programs to coincide with their interests. She furthered encouraged the youth to become active and even think of ways they could help facilitate some of their own ideas.

Processes
Indicators for Future Learning?

Business- and for-profit-oriented motivations may cut against the grain of traditional educational pedagogies. However, one only has to conduct a basic Google search to find increasing examples of the potential, ingenuity, and success young people posses as innovators and entrepreneurs. One example is Thomas Suarez who was self motivated, learned program code and with some minor financial help from his parents, sold an iPhone app on iTunes by recreating a popular arcade game while making a parody of pop music icon Justin Bieber. Thomas was 12 years old at the time. The entertainment app also helped Suarez become a subsequent TED Talks speaker and tech company owner (TEDx, 2011).

Personal Process

Furthermore, I have observed this phenomenon personally. While in 7th grade, my son started operating a computer server called, Club Obsidian, based on the popular game of Minecraft. Daniel made a nominal amount of money, however, became frustrated with certain aspects of the overall process. Taking a two-year hiatus to learn more about these dynamics on his own, Daniel came back, starting his own full time gaming platform. My 17-year-old son now works full time running a successful business with plans to expand into creating and operating other forms of digital media. I propose these examples may demonstrate a paradigm shift for adolescents regarding their motivations and modes of learning. These findings may indicate a need for fundamental changes in art education and general educational practice.

Future learning should include financially, culturally relevant, and tangibly oriented foci when possible and appropriate. This is especially true when lessons and projects can be centered on youth interests, giving youth a voice and empowerment opportunities benefiting their lives and communities. The research suggests these approaches may be better suited for motivated, intrinsic learning, and the equipping students for their future, rather than for getting passing grades on standardized tests that carry little personal or significant meaning.

For some youth, other than passing a class, grade level or getting to college, most grades are equivalent to acquiring nominal financial allowances or permission to go out during the weekend. Many youth I have talked to do not see grades as tangible, motivating, relevant, or even necessary. Education reform pioneer John Dewey emphasized learning on school campuses be relevant, preparatory for a student’s future and reflective of democratic processes and societal living. In this light, it is critical to conduct further research and develop refined pedagogies to engage students who can acquire important Dewyesque skills for their roles in modern society.

The first three days of class were spent going over some of the history and culture of skateboarding while creating sketchbooks for recording ideas and writing reflections. Initially some of the youth showed little motivation in making a sketchbook or using one. They were mostly uninterested in journaling throughout or practicing drawing techniques. As some did work in their sketchbooks, others rarely used them and in some cases not at all.

PBAE can free students from feeling inadequate artistically. Art education that emphasizes processes over innate talents may enable students to enjoy making art, while being social, learning through trial and error, and projects can include manipulating everything from hands on materials to digital media.

Furthermore, many students I see throughout the school year lack the self-discipline to practice art creation for refinement when they have an instant gratification system to socialize and at times create with via phone and computer technology. From this, I feel two important questions emerge.

Could it be that future generations will turn increasingly away from traditional art creation methods?

What will be the implications for future art education pedagogies where students are less inclined to create with pencils, paper, paint and brushes?

The applied arts learning included in Art Skates! centered on creation that was heavily process driven. I would like to introduce an idea that process based art education (PBAE) can be beneficial in giving some students the chance to create without the pressure to improve more traditional fine art abilities over time that require disciplined practice.

Similar to the students I see in my traditional art classroom, I attributed the disinterest in sketchbook making, drawing and journaling to participants not feeling confident in their ability to draw and not wanting to practice when they feel they can’t draw. Furthermore, students who feel that way may look at drawing and sketching as work, similar to writing exercises in language arts or memorizing multiplication tables. This program took place in the summer, a time when kids look for fun activities that distance themselves from the stresses and pressure of school days that are filled with rules, regulations and disciplined study.

Process Based Art Education

Additionally, many children are exposed daily to polished packaging and elaborate images associated with video games, television, movies, advertising, and on the Internet. Therefore, some students are reluctant to create images that may get made fun of by their peers or be criticized when their work does not show the craftsmanship of the skillfully and cleverly designed products around them. I have heard students' self criticism when producing artwork that they feel doesn't measure up.

With global systemizations in business, government, social, and scholastic environments, could it be that Process Based Art Education (PBAE) is a logical step in the field of contemporary art education? To me, PBAE is defined as the learning of artistic features and concepts through an emphasis on the processes of creation using technology, automated or more mechanical means. Aside from just using or excluding more traditional tools, PBAE involves, techniques found in printmaking, silk screening, digital art creation, applied arts, up-cycling, assemblage, sculpture, mixed media, photographic, and video techniques. This includes any automated process like glitch art, code art, chance, robotic or conceptual. In these settings, less focus is on the artist's innate abilities to produce aesthetically pleasing imagery or objects.

PBAE is material and technology driven and in some cases the mechanical, digital or machine-like nature is emphasized for the modes of learning that takes place. The inclusion of a conducive social atmosphere is important and encouraged as this is where social learning, development and collaboration takes place. The environment should bring a sense of freedom for participants and collaboration is encouraged.

I think it is important to outline a hypothetical example of an automatic process in PBAE. For intense, if a student can create glitch art using hacks on image code within a Jpeg file, that student can explore the patterns, colors and resulting effects. The student could further search for deeper meaning by using imagery that communicates a self interested idea about say abuse, recycling, multicultural issues and global themes as it relates to the appearance achieved when altering image code using a computer. The student therefore, explores art, learns discipline based concepts like art elements, design, color theory and important attributes for reading artistic information with an application of knowledge that could be further useful in other subjects. Through PBAE, students can intrinsically deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them. In practicality, they do not have to rely on innate and refined drawing or painting methods to create art.

Children may have more freedom from scrutiny with these types of approaches to explore ideas and deeper meaning concepts that inspire the creation of their art. PBAE may follow a function over form notion when motivating kids to create using various tools and media rather than relying on innate abilities or refined skills in raw creation, especially with an emphasis on social learning and interaction. Using process driven art may also give the student gratification in creating something that looks more professional than if attempted by hand.

Could PBAE become a useful pedagogy for children to learn important art techniques and concepts while promoting social and intrinsic learning?

This finding has inspired me and I will be developing the definition and ideas of what PBAE is and can be as a usable format for teachers in art classrooms and their communities.

Some Reflections

Participatory Action Research - Learning Alongside Others

Interpretations and Conclusions

As for the youth leaders, after class time was spent in small discussion sessions reflecting on how the day went and what could have been done better. These moments revealed some of the issues of disorganization. The leaders agreed some participants lacked patience expecting instant and perfect results without doing more refined, careful and patient work. However, the group also pointed to some positive outcomes as students were building friendships and, in some cases, becoming more open personally and learning new things when sharing ideas. They also observed students were working better as the week went on, especially motivated once some of the first boards were completed.

Discussions with youth leaders in the program helped me to refine my own immediate practice and will be useful in the future. As a result of our talks, I determined that curriculum for a class like Art Skates! should be analyzed according to the following interrelated factors:

1.     Planning process, budget and timeframe

2.     Age and maturity of the participants

3.     Complexity of processes involved

4.     Ease of use and expense of materials

5.     Number of participants per class

6.     Experience, ability and training of leadership

One youth leader and recent high school graduate suggested that being selective over class populations might be beneficial in some cases. She noted that an A.P. student in high school would be much more serious and focused regarding working with complex systems, stencils and the more tedious processes. Another discussion centered on simplifying future programs by only using acrylic paint and paint markers, eliminating the option of spray paint and cutting stencils. Generally, most agreed that shorter class sessions could reduce downtime. By making the program essentially a step-by-step, day-by-day experience, each session would only need to be a couple of hours long. The focus group strategized ways to improve the class based on what they had experienced regarding the participants’ younger ages and skill levels.

Function over Form

The first three days of class were spent going over some of the history and culture of skateboarding while creating sketchbooks for recording ideas and writing reflections. Initially some of the youth showed little motivation in making a sketchbook or using one. They were mostly uninterested in journaling throughout or practicing drawing techniques. As some did work in their sketchbooks, others rarely used them and in some cases not at all.

Overall I found the use of technology allowed the students to pre-visualize results from creative processes. Students were motivated by the hands on nature of activities, they enjoyed the cool factor associated with skateboard culture and associated artifacts. Students demonstrated ressilliancy when facing obstacles, including the youth leadership.

Perspectives from staff members and other adults milling about the center made positive comments towards and about the youth, one of the goals of PYD or Positive Youth Development programming. PYD challenges adults to change the lens with which we look at youth, shifting from seeing them as at risk, victims, and delinquents to contributors to their community, invested and filled with potential. Furthermore is to see youth as problem solvers helping to be active in addressing community problems and needs.

Many students took ownership of their work, wanting to keep their boards. In some cases students paid to design two boards. The ability to make something tangible and personal gave the students a sense of further investment in the learning process and in their created skateboard deck.

During the class I introduced some students to the online Etsy retail space. As a result, one student expressed interest in using Etsy to sell skateboard decks on his own in the future. Another college bound student is looking into Etsy to sell her paintings, raising money for her upcoming school needs. I enlisted the help of youth leaders to set up an Art Skates! Etsy shop to sell student created products (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtSkates?ref=hdr_shop_menu). This opportunity offered youth leadership experience in utilizing digital retail spaces. As well, once again Facebook has been useful in keeping in contact with participants, getting their boards ready for sale.

Overall, the students were comfortable with using social media and virtual spaces to communicate and share. Their ability to use social media, understand technology for communication and sharing was certainly an advantage to promoting program details, the function of the class and important in follow up. It has caught the attention of many other community members, adults and children alike.

Additionally, one of the youth leaders has shown interest in becoming an art teacher and used this experience to further investigate his possible career choice. There is another adult already studying arts in college who was excited to be a part of the program and gained inspiration and experience for her own artistic practice. The CBAE format allowed for interested parties to come in, not only helping with the project itself, but gaining valuable insight and experience for their own lives and pursuits.

Retrospectively, I remembered during sign-up day and after the disparaging turnout, the custodian laughingly noted that the class I was teaching was a true irony. The community center doesn't allow skateboards or skateboarding on campus, yet I would be teaching a class on how to design skateboard decks. In fact that was the only way initially the committee and center leadership could agree to allow the class. The decks would not be outfitted with wheels or trucks onsite, essential to actually being able to ride them. This was basically the same pitch I had used with my school administration.

The community center was willing to work with this project as they earnestly wanted youth engagement on their premises and are now looking for more solutions to give local kids something positive to do. The Art Skates! program needed a space to create while promoting youth interests, art education and activity through the center. The symbiotic relationship was timely, lively and beneficial to both parties, including local children and community members.

The goal of my research was to facilitate a CBAE practice that would add vitality to my local community. By combining the elements of civic engagement, popular cultural themes, applied art education, and youth entrepreneurial studies, I was able to investigate these dynamics as they function within a CBAE program. The project brought collaboration from community members, agencies and the skateboarding industry. The following will discuss my interpretations and recommendations for those in research and education.

Interpretations and Recommendations

Incorporating popular trends and giving lessons a cool factor enhanced motivation for student engagement. In this community, economic struggles are real. Students having a tangible board, something they could take ownership of, deepened their investment throughout the process. Additionally, students used physical materials in a hands-on way, encountering problems and opportunities for thoughtful solutions individually and collaboratively. As an educator in this environment, I was able to work one on one with some students while mentors were able to give others more focused attention.

Thoughtful, strategic, and timely planning will benefit gathering resources, recruiting participants and leaders. It is important to consider the age of participants, materials used and the complexity of the creative processes implemented.

I worked alongside mentors who gave valuable feedback on classroom dynamics, as well as gaining valuable life experience themselves. I saw a community center filled with children where a youthful presence was previously scarce. I witnessed the investment of a community center that used the CBAE program as an opportunity for insight in developing future programs for local youth. Furthermore, this program gave the youth a platform to voice concerns and interests. Many adults viewed the youth through more positive lenses and youth gained insight on how to play an active role in their neighborhoods, becoming more aware of resources available to them at the center. Participants were motivated to use social technology to enhance the program experience and engagement.

As an educator I found that working with CBAE offered many more freedoms than a traditional school setting. There were no concerns regarding students using their phones during class, a social atmosphere was encouraged, there were no uniforms and as a result kids were relaxed and able to express themselves fashionably. There were no referral processes and the students responded well to correction. There was engagement, excitement and activity. Applied arts was evidenced from the finished skateboard decks and seen throughout the variety of processes students used to design and apply their graphics. Friendships were formed, differences tolerated and community was built and strengthened. Overall, this project will serve as a reminder that there are surely more art adventures on the horizon. For the participants, this project will serve as a reminder of the fun we had one summer in Marion Oaks at the Community Center. I hope the memory grows for each one of us, positively shaping our lives for a brighter future.