ENCOMPASS Staff Blog

Friday, August 3rd was the last day of the 2007 BRIDGE Program in Pasadena. But as many program directors know (and I am quickly learning), just when you’re done, fully exhausted, and begin remembering your life before the program took over, there’s really only one thing to do: plan a culmination event with the community!

And culminate, we did. With the end of BRIDGE came a big reason to honor the participants, celebrate their successes, and share the magic we made with our friends, family, and community members. We did a little of each at the BRIDGE Artists Exhibit & Program Ceremony at the Coral Center on Sunday, August 5. It was a really special event—thanks to all who made it!

Attendees came expecting to see art. And don’t get me wrong, they did. Youth participants displayed and discussed both the individual and collaborative mosaic masterpieces they created over the course of the four-week program. They finished the event by unveiling their community mosaic piece, which is now prominently and permanently displayed on the front wall of the Coral Center. If you’re in or around the Pasadena area, you pretty much gotta check it out (2750 New York Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107).

So yes, art was presented—very good art, in fact. Art that ENCOMPASS is really proud to have its name connected to. But along with the artistic presentations came something the audience may not have expected. The participants stepped further into vulnerability, presenting themselves and the unique community they created at BRIDGE. What participants couldn’t say in words, they showed through art, and what they couldn’t show through art, they shared in words.

“I come from a loving home.”
“I come from Russia.”
“I come from fire.”
“I come from Altadena.”
“I come from Mars.”
“I come from a large family.”
“I come from violence.”
“I come from educators.”
“I come from Monrovia.”
“I come from my parents.”
“I come from my experiences.”
“I come from Pasadena.”

One-by-one, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, youth participants and interns spoke of where they come from—literal and metaphorical, positive and negative, recent and ancestral. These statements were the inspiration behind the paper mosaic they created, the stories that will continue live in the art they left behind that day. The teens went on to discuss what they learned from BRIDGE, how the program impacted them, and the memories they will take with them as they return to their home and school communities. The 2007 BRIDGE participants’ and youth interns’ names are listed below.

The artistic presentations would have been enough. These young people however had far more to say, to share, and to give. Their delicate presentation touching anecdotes, striking art, and broad smiles demonstrated the beauty that comes when communities explore their differences, rather than striving to escape them. So basically, the moral of the story is: in addition to the beautiful mosaic tile art, a new kind of community was created this summer - one that challenged human relations barriers, worked through artistic roadblocks, and questioned the school - and neighborhood-based cliques many Pasadena teens hold tight to. ENCOMPASS is really proud to call this community of diverse teens and caring adults BRIDGE. And personally, I really enjoyed being a part of it.

Below is some information from the event invitation:

ENCOMPASS cordially invites you to…

BRIDGE 2007 Artist Exhibition & Program Ceremony
CORAL Center, 2750 E. New York Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107
Sunday, August 5, 2007 / 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
(Refreshments Provided)

Beginning July 9th, a diverse group of students from Pasadena public and private high schools accepted a challenge—to reflect upon their lives, discuss their diverse experiences, and participate in a new kind of community for Pasadena teenagers. Along the way, these teens learned, practiced, and mastered a daring and expressive visual art form, mosaic tile. Join them as they present their artwork and their experiences to family, friends, and community members at ENCOMPASS’ 2nd annual BRIDGE Artist Exhibit & Program Ceremony.

PARTICIPANTS
Mallory Browne, Alejandra Garcia, Christine Hackett, Kyoko Harris, Phillip Harris, Adam Hecker, Veronica Hernandez, Ryan Jackson, Jake Jones, Marina Lopez, Sarah Mofford, Noel Mollindeo, La Trice Nash, Kimberly Rillorta, Katrina Sherbina, Christian Tringali, Miranda Wakimoto.

PROGRAM STAFF
Lui Amador, Susan B. Goldberg, Jason David, Jenna Delgado, Skyler Jackson, Rose Portillo, Lloyd Wilkey

YOUTH INTERNS
Orlando Alonzo, Summer Burrows, Julia Fouser, Jared McCoy, Yvonne Salazar, Oscar Vasquez

ENCOMPASS STAFF
Skyler Jackson, Lori Nelson, Juliana Serrano, Ben Wright

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Loura L. Alaverdi, Barbara E. Dunn, Vanessa Frank Garcia, Al Hassas, Steven Jones, PhD, Scott Lee, Ellyn McCoy, James Oliva, Tom Saenz, Angela Weimer, Hon. D. Zeke Zeidler

SPECIAL THANKS to the CORAL YOUTH INSTITUTE for hosting BRIDGE 2007!