Camp Imagine Recap

Hey out there!

Well, after a two-week hiatus in Gallery Shop goings-on, the place is back to normal. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all more about what happened during the two weeks of Camp Imagine and post more pictures from the performance last Friday.

Before I get to the specifics, I'm going to take a minute to give you an overview of what our goals are for Camp Imagine students and what the application process is like for the students who wish to come to Camp Imagine.

First, applicants who wish to be considered for the camp must submit a letter/essay explaining why they want to come to camp. We do this for a couple reasons. The most important reason is that Camp Imagine is a full-day arts camp with two groups of 12 students starting at 9:15 and ending at 4:15. Students who come to camp without a genuine interest in participating unfortunately do not last long in the camp. They end up distracted and usually ruin the experience for other kids at the camp. Second, sometimes parents sign their children up for camps during the summer without actually asking the child. We want to prevent this from happening by establishing the interest of the child in our program. When the students write a letter of interest, it shows that they both know about the camp and that they have an interest in the arts.

One thing I love about this camp is how Terry decides the amount to charge for each student. She has a sliding scale, based on income that determines how much each student's guardians must pay. By simply providing a couple pay stubs, parents can send their children to a camp that normally costs $200 per week for about $40 per week. I really admire how the Alliance keeps aiming to fulfill its mission of developing community through the arts. Where else could you get such a high-quality experience for your kids for so cheap?

I don't mean to brag, but Camp Imagine is pretty darn awesome. During the last two weeks, I saw kids create some awesome art, sing a lot of beautiful songs, learn to dance some fierce dances and even do improvisation. Each day, the kids had a couple hours of art with either Rowena or Terry, dancing with Tania, theater with Stefanie, and singing with Molly.

I'm not sure if this is going to work, but here's a video of the performance of "Fireflies" by Owl City. The kids learned the song, and Tania taught them the dance. I won't lie, it brought a tear to my eye!



So you might be wondering--what did I do during all of this madness? Well, to be honest, a bit of everything. I mostly spent my time telling kids not to make holes in the wall, distributing afternoon snacks, and reminding campers to keep the art on the paper instead of themselves but I also got the rare opportunity to teach them how to tie dye!! I haven't tie dyed since I was in Girl Scouts ages ago so it was pretty fun! Here's a shot of the awesome shirts that another intern, Cassie, and I taught the students how to make:


Pretty neat, right? We had a lot of fun, but the credit really goes to the teachers, Terry, and the students. It was definitely a group effort to make this camp a success but it was totally worth all the hard work! I am almost certain that the students enjoyed themselves.

Here and there I was afforded the opportunity to work on the Chichester duPont grant, but this place was pretty much overtaken by munchkins by day one, making it a little tough to get things done.

However, now that everything's back to its normal, quiet, self, I've managed to actually finish the Chichester duPont grant request for $10,000. It sits waiting Terry's approval. I'm pretty excited about this one because it's a significant amount of money and I really hope that I've done a good job.

Also, I discovered that Macy's gives out district grants which is helpful as well! Their process is much easier and it's all done online which makes my job much less complicated.

Well! That's all for now. I shall leave you with a few more pictures of the cuteness that I was surrounded by for the last two weeks:

Oh yeah, one more thing--ALWAYS wear gloves when tie-dying!!!! :)





This is a shot of some of the younger group of kids doing the Rockin' Robin! Aren't they adorable? They were so excited!











And this is from the older kids' group--they did an improv tableau where they had three seconds to freeze after the teacher, Miss Stefanie, called out a theme. This was "A Day at the Beach":


Congratulations to all the awesome kids who worked so hard!

Peter who?

I can't believe it's already August! Where did the summer go?

I'm really pleased with the narrative that I've been able to develop for the tour of Wilmington. Of great help are two books by University of Delaware history professor emeritus Carol E. Hoffecker: Wilmington, Delaware: Portrait of an Industrial City (1974) and Corporate Capital: Wilmington in the Twentieth Century (1983). If you want to learn more about this area, I would recommend adding these titles to your summer reading list.

Unfortunately, I keep coming across fascinating stories that don't fit with the tour's focus on the city's industrial and economic development. Luckily for me, I can blog about those things instead! So here's your weekly dose of Wilmington trivia.

Did you know that Peter Spencer founded this nation's first independent African American church in Wilmington? Born a slave in Kent County, Maryland, Spencer (1779-1843) was freed following the death of his master and came to Wilmington, where he joined the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1805, upset by the church’s treatment of blacks, he and about 40 others walked out and formed their own congregation. They continued to associate with the denomination until further interference by the white congregation led to the creation of the African Union Methodist Protestant Church (A.U.M.P.) in 1813.

During a major urban renewal project in 1967, the city decided to build new office buildings for federal and state employees. The Mother A.U.M.P. Church occupied the site that the city selected for this project. After a period of negotiation, the congregation relocated and the city demolished the church building. In its place the city created "Peter Spencer Plaza" on French Street between 8th and 9th Streets (left). At the heart of the plaza is a statue that commemorates Peter Spencer (below). "Father and Son" (1973) by Delaware sculptor Charles Cropper Parks depicts a black male figure cradling a sleeping child in his arms. Larger-than-life and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the man is not a direct representation of the religious leader but rather a symbol of the hope in the future that he inspired. The remains of Peter Spencer, his wife Annes, and ten of his followers are interred in a vault beneath the statue.

Today the plaza is a very quiet place. Every now and then a government worker will pass through, or rest for a few minutes in the shade, but few actually stop to look at the statue. In contrast, the memory of Peter Spencer is at the heart of the Big Quarterly, which will be held at the end of this month at locations throughout Wilmington. This festival, which has been held annually since 1814, brings African Americans together to celebrate religious freedom.

Planning & Scanning

Hey all,

It’s been a while, but don’t worry, I’ll have you all caught up with what I have been doing these past few weeks. My duties have been rather repetitive lately, not much new and exciting, but still important within the world of archives. I am finally done with pulling out documents that will go out for this round of scanning. There will still be other documents to scan, but they will go to scanning later. I had previously pulled out many ledgers, and now I have added minute books to the mix. Some of the minute books are rather old, but all are informative. Apparently, a lot of the board of directors meeting for NVF took place in South Beach. The fact that Victor Posner had business in Miami, and NVF held meetings there makes me feel like this internship was a perfect match, as I am originally from Miami. NVF had plants located in different states besides Delaware and even had international locations: two plants in Canada and one in France. Besides the ledgers and minutes books, I have been prepping numerous amounts of blueprints for scanning. Many of the blueprints are rolled up, so I unroll them and lay them down flat in an over-sized carrying case, layering blueprint on top of blueprint until the case is full. Because the materials will be undergoing outside scanning, it is imperative to know exactly what has been sent out. Therefore, I have cataloged all the blue prints; to date, I have 25 typed pages of blueprints. It’s a lot of work, but well worth it.

blueprints

So many possibilities...

Internship projects have a way of evolving. Since I last blogged, the focus of my tour has switched from one that highlights Wilmington's memorials and monuments to one that explains the city's economic and industrial development. We decided that this tour will dovetail nicely with the Forum's Delaware Industrial History Initiative. The DIHI is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities' We the People program, which exists to enhance the understanding of American history, culture, and democratic principles among all citizens. The goal of the DIHI is to digitally document Delawareans' experiences with industrialization. To explore a DIHI project that is already up and running online, visit Delaware's Industrial Brandywine, a database by Hagley Museum and Library that documents the businesses that operated along the Brandywine River in Delaware.

This week, in addition to reading more about the city's history and looking into podcasting and website building options, I have met with representatives of several Wilmington organizations to discuss opportunities for heritage tourism. The good news is that there are a lot of people doing great things in an effort to revitalize the downtown area. The challenge is to make sure that these efforts compliment, rather than duplicate or compete with, what others are doing. Communication is key.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, I would suggest taking a walk along the Christina River. Once the heart of Wilmington's shipbuilding industry, the riverfront is now home to restaurants and other attractions. Remnants of the area's past remain, however, in the form of repurposed warehouses and brightly painted cranes. As you stroll along, make sure you read the signs that describe the industries that once stood along the river.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Wilmington, here's a view of the city from my office window. From left to right you can see Market Street, Shipley Street, and Orange Street. I added a yellow arrow to help you find the Christina (which looks larger in person, of course).

Classes and Camp Imagine Ca-raziness!

Well, classes are in full swing here at the Newark Arts Alliance! This post is definitely going to be picture-heavy because these kids are soooo darn cute! I will compose another post to explain more about how we do classes and Camp Imagine but for now, enjoy the pictures!

Also, WHYY rolled in today with cameras to tape the kids during dance class so look for us on your local public television station!


Very intense painting session. Looks like she's concentrating pretty hard!


These gals are so proud of their fish!!


Eric Carl style
Here are some pictures that Terry snapped of the kids during our first couple days of Camp Imagine:


They made some awesome clay pots!

The kids are singing "Fireflies" and Katy Perry's "Firework"

They learn some traditional visual arts as well!


Stretching before dance class!!!


Noah proudly shows off his creations during After Care on Tuesday!

My next post will explain what's going on in more depth with Camp Imagine and classes. For now, we're all just trying to keep up with these enthusiastic kids!

All Good Things Must Come to an End...Or At Least be Put on Pause

I cannot believe that my internship is technically over! While I have accomplished more that I expected to with regard to completing my project of writing an audio tour for the New Castle Historical Society, there is still a lot to do before the tour is ready for the public.

In my last post I talked about the process of recording the test version of my tour. While I was rather hoarse by the end of the week, I managed to get all of the tracks recorded, edited, and exported in an MP3 format. My last few days at work consisted of getting the tour ready for testing over the next couple weeks and tying up loose ends.

Our test group of individuals is going to include a number of people familiar with both the history of the town and its layout, in addition to a group of people who are not familiar with any of these things. Having a varied audience is important because while those familiar with the layout and history will be able to both fact check the tour, they will have a harder time evaluating the directions because they are already familiar with the different stops and their names. Have a group of people who do not know their way around will give a better sense of how the average visitor will be able to maneuver their way through town. Directions have to be specific enough for them to find their way, but not too complicated that they are confusing.

Each visitor will be given an MP3 player with the tour pre-loaded onto the device. They will also be given a handout that consists of a map of the town on one side with the stops numbered, with directions for how to use the MP3 player and a list of the stops on the other side.

Right now the tour is 2.5 hours long, and consists of 49 Tracks or Stops, which encompass 60+ buildings. It is a lot of information and a long tour. So part of what we want the test group to pay attention to is where the tour is the most interesting and if anything is repetitive. While the tour is long, it is designed so that individuals can skip through tracks if they desire. In addition, the idea is that someone can check out the tour and have it for the day. So a person can take breaks, go on museum tours, grab a bite to eat, etc. As such, we will have to wait and see what the test group say.

While I am technically done with my internship, I will probably help with getting the final version ready once fall begins. The next steps include:

1. Testing the tour with the test group.
2. Processing their comments and critiques.
3. Editing the script for the final recording.
4. Final Recording.

This has been a great project, particularly with my interests in digital media and how to use technology to reach new audiences, and I look forward to seeing the final product.

Ex Libris Rosenbach

This summer I am serving as a Collections Intern at the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, PA!

The Rosenbach began as the private collection of a rare book dealer, Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach, and his brother Philip. Following their testamentary gift in the 1950's, the Rosenbach became a public institution focusing on literature, history, and art. A few highlights of the Rosenbach's collection include Maurice Sendak's original children's book illustrations (including drafts and final drawings for Where the Wild Things Are), the manuscript of Ulysees by James Joyce, and Bram Stoker's notes for Dracula. Visitors can take tours of the Rosenbach brothers' historic home, wander through the museum exhibits, conduct research in the library, or attend special events such as Bloomsday.

My main duties include:

• cataloguing a collection of manuscript pages by entering information about them into the museum's PastPerfect database.
• conducting historical research on Daniel Defoe's political pamphlets for an upcoming exhibition.
• digitizing the first lines of verses found in 17th-century commonplace books. (I wrote about this project for the Rosenblog!)
• selecting two items to go on exhibit and writing interpretive labels for them. (Right now I'm leaning toward an American dime novel called The Female Trapper as well as an 1846 letter by Charlotte Brontë regarding a toothache she had.)

I have also:

• helped de-install an exhibit of letters and newspapers.
• staffed Bloomsday, the Rosenbach's largest event of the year, as an attendance-counter and question-answerer.
• assisted with tent set-up for the Civil War Road Show.
• played Boggle with staff members during lunch. (They are extremely good at word games!)
• learned to handle rare books (and got practice when I re-shelved books from the personal library of the poet Marianne Moore).
• tested out a cryptogram activity for museum visitors.
• visited the Mutter Museum on an intern field trip. (The curator gave us a tour and took us behind the scenes!)
• eaten many a lunch outside in the Rosenbach's garden.

All said, I love my internship! The staff is fantastic, and every day I'm learning something new.