Last Day of Class, Frank Lloyd Wright and wow

So as always, the last day classes really ends up feeling a bit like a race. We go and prep for the celebration day by making certificates, buying soda and ginger snaps and getting all this so we do not need to run around on the last day worrying about it. Well, the Franco stand in, was late. Franco had meetings that came up at his day job were they called him back from vacation which meant they took our Franco away. He is great.

We went to Nakumatt, Margaret went off to pick up some things she had made, I got our certificates done, she gathered our celebration supplies,we got to visit with Ken Okoth for coffee at none other than Nairobi Java, and then all of a sudden it was 3:20.... The race was worth it to arrive 7 minutes before classes started because of Ken. This person is one phenomenal human. From Kibera, college educated in the states, grad school at Georgetown, former teacher at Potomac School in DC, started the Children of Kibera foundation, started the Red Rose Primary School that we usually get to teach at but time has prevented us this year, and is now a director at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Wow....He is so joyous and so affirming that we are doing the right things in Nairobi in our art program. We raced to school and once there, it felt like the sky cleared and the reason we are there is so in front of us and the work we are doing is so worth while..... The Smart, Beautiful and Important Students of St. Al's.

Today was the day to deliver the presentation of Frank Lloyd Wright as architect/artist. We had been waiting for the projector and computer with External Modem etc all week. We set it up, took nearly half an hour to no avail. For some reason the presentation would not stream over the principals laptop and now the students were chomping at the bit because they really wanted to see it. Luckily I had my 6 year old Powerbook 12 inch computer and they all wanted to see it, so we all gathered around this little screen, listened carefully with rapt attention and I saw amazement. It was overwhelming to watch these students watch the world unfold through Frank Lloyd Wright. Having been a fan and admirer and now an absolute follower of FLW, watching the form 4 class get overtaken by his creations, made me sit back and catch my breath. The concept of all his beautiful work and then watching them realize the house, as someone in the class said "lives on a waterfall" was unreal. Then they making ow and ahh connects on the interior, etc. Then when I gave them all post cards, they were overwhelmed. They said to me, "this is for me, I can keep this", you realize how so little goes so far. Since I had recently done a residency Insight Onsite program in May at Fallingwater, I also shared my pictures and they loved them. They said, "why are you in the photo" how did you get there, like it was unattainable and that's when I again had the realization how much is not attainable for not just my art students but so many in the world. It made me become reflective. They loved it, they loved it....Thank you Lynda Waggoner, Vice President and Director of Falling Water and Justin Gunther, Curator of Fallingwater for sharing this privileged presentation and providing the post cards. These are new friends of mine from my visit to Fallingwater. So little makes such a huge impact. This presentation was presented in Brno, Czech Republic in April on a website. The volcano prevented Lynda from attending in person so they made the presentation available remotely as we did the same today in Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you, they loved it and there is something very funny to me. As I was leaving the school, I was looking at all the railing around the school and if I did not know better, the new school looks like Frank Lloyd Wright had been there. I will share photos later. After this, the form 4 class got to work doing everything from water color to charcoal in their newly freed style. Some even did FLW inspired work. I am so very proud. Today, they were singing to my Glee sound tracks, yes, don't laugh and working away, they nearly needed to be throws out 15 minutes late today.

With my form 2 class that usually starts at 5:15 wanted to start at 4:15. They are fiercely independent, came in, took their supplies, asked for the key to their room, set up and asked when I might be by to provide instruction. Kelvin informed me that I need not rush because they had lots of work to do on their art. Off they went and did their work. When I went to work with my form 2 class, they were diligently doing more work, focused on their painting or drawing, clearly took in and heard every thing I had to say when I read about more artists bios today. This group has been with me since they were form 1 and are developing as they should, steadily. There is not one that is sticking out like in other classes, but there is lots of talent.

Margaret's classes are just producing in a way she or I did not expect. Her form 3 class which she has been with from the start still need more focus and maturity but they are diligent and some of their work is really overwhelming. The shapes, the figures, the colors, Saisi Wycliffe continues to amaze. He totally gets color and does not get it at all and that combination results in some really beautiful art. He reminds me of Gauguin.

The work that her form 1 class does demonstrates more potential then any of our other classes did their first year. They are focused, quiet, and productive and damn good. They went from drawing to filling in their work with color today without direction. They listen to Margaret like she might be delivering the state of the union or that she is the second coming of Christ and She (The irony, oh the irony) is delivering the message they need to hear. She is mother incarnate to them and they really respond. It is so warm and charming to see and they really are producing.

The end of our day always culminates in Margaret and I walking through our classes together commenting on the artist's work. She walks in and we go through all the art and comment and we have such pride in the work that they are doing. We walked down the steps of the school today and looked at each other and said, wow, that was the last day of teaching for the third year. Margaret said something that I have thought about since she said it, "at the end it always feels like they are just getting started" and she is right. It feels like that every year. The thing I think we both find great comfort in is that this is just the beginning and then they get to work from the inspiration of these two weeks until we return next year.

Something came to me today....My form 4 class came to me when they were form 2's. This means that they will not get a full 4 years of the curriculum like all the students since they started as form 2 in the Art Immersion program. There is also a year between the end of secondary school and the start of higher education. I have committed to them that we will start the Graduate institute for Art Immersion that will bridge them between high school and college. In 2011, the Graduate institute will get the same curriculum that Art 4 will be delivered to Form 4, but subsequent years will get something that is outside of the 1 through 4 curriculum. This is so exciting and great. They want it and we can bring it. I am sure that we can do it at St. Al's, but if not, Kouna Trust would love it if we did this type of work with them. We have options.

Tomorrow is a big day. Not only is it celebration day, certificates get handed out, soda drank, ginger snaps eaten and art looked at but Thom who heads up school programs at Kouna Trust is coming to visit and he is bring Isaac Miriri who is an art correspondent for the news to accompany him. This is exciting. They might get press yet.

The reason that I have not attached more pictures is because it is difficult and time consuming using the stick modem. I will make sure to load the blog up and send it out one last time when I return to DC.

I hope that you have or will experience the absolute fulfillment that Margaret and I get out of this aspect of our lives. It is powerful, tangible and makes a difference. I never knew that we would be helping out Kenyans by providing them a venue to express themselves through art and art immersion. We feel so lucky.

One last Blog entry tomorrow.

On behalf of Margaret and I, thank you for being on this journey with us. It means so much.

Be well.

Charles and Margaret