To Thinkfinity and Beyond!!

The Irving Street Crew Has Loads to Say about Mask Making!

tf4centronia — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:56:42 +0000

In this CentroNia Thinkfinity moment we find the poetic styles of Alex, Anthony and Angelo! We also find out a little behind the scenes information about their Masks.

Gabriel holds up the finished project

Untitled

Hello

It’s yellow

And it’s better than jello

Your mask has cheddar

My mask is better

Poem by Angelo A. based on Gabriel’s Pikachu Mask

Remarks:

My mask is colorful and one of the colors that I put in my mask is yellow. The reason why I put yellow is because I wanted to make my mask bright. What yellow means to me is peace. And I also put more beautiful colors such as blue and red. I also put black. The reason why I put black is because I thought that I should at least have one dark color. What black means to me is angry or mad. I put color that makes me mad is because I am not always happy I am sometimes mad. That is the colors I put in my mask and what it means to me. What mask means to me is to express yourself with colors. ~ Angelo A.

Untitled

It looks like a bunny

Hopping in the fields

It looks like a robin

Chirping in the trees

It looks like an animal

Hunting in the jungle

Poem by Alex R.

Remarks:

I learned that masks can show animals, culture, colors, and creativity. I think my favorite part was learning how masks were made and making a mask. What I liked about today was the gallery walk and looking at the masks. The bad part of the day was the relay race because I did not know what to do. ~Alex R.

Anthony T. painting

Untitled

Oh mask, mask, mask

You represent so much

You can represent colors in your imagination

Red is for rage

Black is for hot

Yellow is for light

Oh oh mask no one can replace you

Poem by Anthony T.

Remarks:

A mask is a representation of many things. For example it may represent culture. It also can represent celebrations and parties. It might represent what you think or feel. For all these reasons I think that masks represent many things.

The colors of my mask represent many things. For example it represents the country that I live in, the United States. It also represents how I feel. Blue makes me feel regular. Red makes me feel hot. Finally white makes me feel plain (the good kind). My point is that those reasons represent what I said above that’s what I truly think. ~Anthony T.

Where there’s a start, there is a finish!

tf4centronia — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:33:21 +0000

The students of the Irving Street site learned about masks through making the masks. The assignment was to create two different masks to have an idea of what making a mask was like. In our attempt to make our second mask, we read the book, Vejigante Masquerader by Lulu Delacre. This book full of images and also written in English and Spanish was a delight for the students. At the end of the novel, making a vejigante masks.

We followed some of the directions but also used our own little flavor to make the masks our own. We first started off with paper plates that we cut and later taped completely with masking tape to make our design for the masks. After the design we used plaster bandages to morph the paper into a harder substance.

Masking Tape Design

Marsha V. preparations

Jennifer A. prep time

Anthony T. prep

Work Completed

Anthony T.

Marsha V.

Jennifer A.

As our day wrapped up with this messy yet fun activity, we had to let our product dry. This process would be overnight so we had to wait for another session of Thinkfinity to finish our masks.

Ain’t nothing like a Painting Party

tf4centronia — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:26:30 +0000

Finally, the day has arrived for us to paint our masks. Though it was only two days in between the time we created the masks until we painted them, it felt like a long time coming. Each student sat at their respective corners and started to work. Our usually loud and active space became one filled with creative expressions as the students painted. If you don’t believe me… Take a look!

Color Palete

Luis Q. painting

Marsha V. and Jennifer A.

Anthony T. painting

Gabriel A. painting

Finished Products

Marsha V. mask

Anthony T. mask

Gabriel A. mask

Jennifer A. mask

CentroNia Teens Learn about Dominican Republic and Mask Making

tf4centronia — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:04:58 +0000

Meet the Mask makers Ana G., Glenda G., Lucy R., Pablo M., Amielia W., Ericka K., Natalia B. all got together to create

Introducing the Players

tf4centronia — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:18:54 +0000

It is CentroNia’s distinct pleasure to introduce you all to the Thinkfinity Mask Makers of 2009!

Marsha V.

Christian P.

Kennea C.

Justin M.

Anthony T.

Gabriel A.

Luis Q.

Elmer S.

Jennifer A.

Check them out!

We Make the Masks

tf4centronia — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:54:18 +0000

September kicked off with a bang! CentroNia has new digs with a new building, new teachers and a new workshop called Thinkfinity. The Thinkfinity workshop has started off with the Mask Project. After studying the Vejigante masks of Puerto Rico and the Diablo Cojuelos masks of the Dominican Republic students have created their own masks.

Both Chimire and Manny, Thinkfinity instructors, for the Mask module have helped students with research techniques and supplied a new vocabulary bank for our youth to learn and share their thoughts on masks. Students were even able to read Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem We Wear the Mask:

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

We Wear the Mask

WE wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

This blog will show off all of the youth’s hardwork!