The PCS Project: Art representing our diverse community
Courtesy story by Courtney Pollock with Naval Station Rota.
The life of a military child is a mix of colors, cultures, sounds, countries, and feelings. Rota Elementary School’s English as a Second Language (ESOL) teacher, Tim Redden, wanted to build on that by creating an art exhibit reflecting the diverse experiences of their students.
“The kids at our school come from a lot of different backgrounds, and sometimes you never get to see yourself in the school,” said Redden. “That’s what I wanted to do, let them see themselves.”
Using that idea as a starting point, he began to create an intentional vision for the art exhibit. For example, there are three Ghanaian families at the school so he wanted to make sure he found artwork from, or of, Ghana. In total, Redden collected 39 pieces of art representing over 15 locations around the world.
Redden feels that the students viewing the art is the first step, and that it will open up a greater dialogue within classrooms and amongst students.
“The experiences of and expertise of multilingual learners (MLs) is a huge jumping off point for what goes in the gallery,” said Redden. “My hope is classes who visit the exhibitions will use these students as experts to take the class beyond our walls.”
The PCS Project is the third art exhibit that Redden has created at the school. His first focused on his personal art collection from Türkiye that he collected during his 10 years living there. The second exhibit melded science and art focusing on scientists who were also artists and pieces of science that double as artwork.
Through the different artists and themes, Redden hopes students will discover art that impacts them in some way. While some are bright and complex, some are included because of the subject.
“The Francisco Oller painting is not my favorite,” explained Redden. “However, the subject is one of my favorites. The point of it is Rafael and Celestina Cordero were important, trailblazing Puerto Ricans. They should be a point of pride and inspiration for Puerto Ricans and all students.”
By giving students representation of their cultures and background, it helps students feel seen and proud of their heritages and experiences.
“Our community is unique, so we have monolingual students who share about their experiences in Korea and multilingual students who share about their experiences in San Diego,” he said. “The next thing you know the student who speaks Korean feels a new connection with a classmate who has visited Seoul, and a classmate who is anxious about a PCS to San Diego gets comfort from a ML who went to LegoLand in California.”
These potential touch points created by engaging art will hopefully generate greater understanding and an inclusive environment within Rota Elementary School’s walls.
The PCS Project was the first art exhibit open to families during the Social-Emotional Wellness (SEW) Family Night, April, 17, 2024.
