Abstract

Three students in the Building Bridges Program discuss their involvement as artists in a job training program on the west side. These students elaborate on their involvement in an artistic mural for the Ingenuity Festival and how art has affected their lives and education. They elaborate on being educated artistically in Cleveland and their feelings toward art education in general.

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Interviewee

Harris, Chris (interviewee); Harris, Jerome (interviewee); Drake, Antonio (interviewee)

Interviewer

Hons, Justin (interviewer); Yanoshik-Wing, Emma (interviewer)

Project

Ingenuity Fest

Date

7-16-2006

Document Type

Oral History

Duration

16 minutes

Transcript

Justin Hons [00:00:00] So let’s start here on the left. Introduce yourself.

Jerome Harris [00:00:02] I’m Jerome.

Chris Harris [00:00:04] Hi, my name is Chris.

Antonio Drake [00:00:06] I’m Antonio.

Justin Hons [00:00:08] Now, you three guys are working on a mural project affiliated with the near west side of Cleveland. Could you tell us a little bit about that project?

Chris Harris [00:00:21] It’s a project like we putting out murals to make the community look better. And we’re working with West. It’s a job training program for young teenagers, and that’s about it.

Justin Hons [00:00:37] What’s the name of the project?

Chris Harris [00:00:39] Building Bridges.

Justin Hons [00:00:40] Building Bridges. Jerome, how long have you been working.

Jerome Harris [00:00:45] On the project for this project? About a month and a half.

Justin Hons [00:00:54] Okay.

Antonio Drake [00:00:55] How long have you been working on credit? About the same time.

Justin Hons [00:01:01] Can you pick that up over there? It’s okay. Okay. How did you- If each of you could tell me how you first originally got involved in the project, be interested to hear.

Jerome Harris [00:01:14] Well, I started two years ago when we do, when we did another mural at St. Paul’s Community Church.

Antonio Drake [00:01:23] I also worked on that mural. That’s how I got involved.

Chris Harris [00:01:27] I started this year because they told me about it and they said it was a good thing to do.

Justin Hons [00:01:34] The mural at St. Paul’s what’s on that mural? What are some of the things that you put in that mural?

Jerome Harris [00:01:43] A lot of stories from the Bible, like Jesus and the disciples, and it’s basically talking about leadership.

Justin Hons [00:01:54] And could you. Would any of you be able to describe the overall mural? Like, what it looks like somewhere to say, you know, what does that mural look like?

Chris Harris [00:02:03] The one that we’re doing now?

Justin Hons [00:02:04] No, the one at St. Paul’s is there any. Is there anything happening in the mural? Is there a bunch of stuff that’s happening in the mural?

Chris Harris [00:02:17] Yes. Like what?

Jerome Harris [00:02:21] Like one of the scenes is Jesus on the boat where he caught the fish for him, and when one of the disciples was going to betray him and he prayed over him. And what else, Tony?

Justin Hons [00:02:43] How did St. Paul’s ask you to do that mural for them?

Antonio Drake [00:02:49] They asked us to help with it.

Justin Hons [00:02:51] How did you like working on that mural?

Chris Harris [00:02:54] It was fun.

Justin Hons [00:02:55] How did it come about? Like, how does the process work in order to get that mural done? They came to you and they asked you to do the mural and then what?

Antonio Drake [00:03:07] We took pictures of stuff, drew it on the board, then we started painting it.

Justin Hons [00:03:15] And how many. How many people work on it?

Jerome Harris [00:03:19] The one on St. Paul’s.

Antonio Drake [00:03:24] Like around 10 or something.

Chris Harris [00:03:25] Okay.

Justin Hons [00:03:26] Are they all Cleveland students that live on the near west side or.

Chris Harris [00:03:31] Yes.

Justin Hons [00:03:32] Yes. What other murals have you worked on?

Jerome Harris [00:03:39] That’s it. And this one that we’re working on now.

Justin Hons [00:03:42] Tell me about the one that you’re working on now.

Chris Harris [00:03:45] Like what describes. Yeah, the one that we’re working on now describes, like, if you see it, like, people coming together and getting along with each other.

Justin Hons [00:03:56] Okay, what are some of the. What are some of the things that are going to be in that mural.

Chris Harris [00:04:00] That show people coming together, like people communicating, getting along and holding hands and like praying with each other?

Justin Hons [00:04:09] Where is this going to be?

Chris Harris [00:04:11] It’s going to be on Detroit and West 25th. Detroit, Superior Bridge.

Justin Hons [00:04:20] When did you start working on this mural?

Chris Harris [00:04:23] Like, a month before the school ended.

Jerome Harris [00:04:26] So, like.

Chris Harris [00:04:29] We start working like in May.

Jerome Harris [00:04:31] Yeah.

Chris Harris [00:04:31] And it’s gonna be done like. Like in mid August, and then that’s when we’re gonna put up in the bridge.

Justin Hons [00:04:40] So before you put it onto the bridge, what all do you have to do in order to get it ready to put it up? Actually on the concrete wall.

Jerome Harris [00:04:52] They gotta, like, go over it with like, some type of stuff to protect it from the rain and stuff, and then they take it there.

Justin Hons [00:05:05] What about. How does. Who comes up with what’s actually gonna be in the mural, though?

Chris Harris [00:05:13] Catherine.

Jerome Harris [00:05:16] She’s an artist and. She an artist.

Justin Hons [00:05:23] Where does she live?

Jerome Harris [00:05:24] Coventry.

Justin Hons [00:05:27] How’s she affiliated with the project?

Antonio Drake [00:05:32] She pretty much just tells us what to, what to do and what to paint and stuff. 

Justin Hons [00:05:4-] Okay. Who- Is there a group of people that decide, though, what is gonna be painted into the mural and what types of things? Like, for example, you said that it shows people coming together. Who decides what shows people coming together?

Jerome Harris [00:05:55] We do.

Justin Hons [00:05:55] Okay, how do you do that?

Jerome Harris [00:05:59] We have guest speakers every Tuesday and Thursday. Come in at the job, and they come in and talk to us and we ask them about stories of their life. And we like, take that and put it on the board and we look through books and find pictures and stuff and put it on the board.

Justin Hons [00:06:16] Can you give me an example of a couple of people that you spoke with that their stories then translated into being in the mirror? Anybody remember?

Chris Harris [00:06:31] An architect. She- I forgot her name. And it was a social worker. He told us about his job and things that happened. And it was an old mailman, he retired, and he told us a lot of things. How Cleveland used to look and how it changed how people used to live in different neighborhoods and stuff.

Justin Hons [00:06:55] Did he surprise you about what he sounded.

Jerome Harris [00:06:57] Yes.

Chris Harris [00:06:59] Like what?

Jerome Harris [00:07:00] Like, somewhere over here is, like, streets called College and Professor and stuff. It’s supposed to be a college put there, but they never finished building and they put a park, Lincoln Park.

Justin Hons [00:07:14] So where do each of you live in Cleveland?

Jerome Harris [00:07:16] I live on the west side. Bailey by 14th.

Chris Harris [00:07:23] I live on the east side on Shale off 110th.

Antonio Drake [00:07:28] I live on Coventry off of Mayfield.

Justin Hons [00:07:33] So how do you guys feel about working on this mural project? We all live in, you know, different areas of Cleveland. How do you feel about- What do you hope that this mural project will do for the city of Cleveland?

Antonio Drake [00:07:47] Brighten up that neighborhood.

Jerome Harris [00:07:54] Same.

Chris Harris [00:07:56] Can’t think of nothing right now.

Antonio Drake [00:07:58] Okay.

Justin Hons [00:08:00] They said that you’re working on this as part of a job program. What’s that program?

Jerome Harris [00:08:07] Wesson.

Justin Hons [00:08:09] And what is your involvement with- How did you get involved with that?

Jerome Harris [00:08:12] With the Wesson program? Like, we get donations and stuff and they like. They like. She worked with them, so they like, we gotta go there and we gotta learn how to work on computers and we get tutored.

Justin Hons [00:08:33] Anything else?

Chris Harris [00:08:35] And sometimes they give us tests about how much we know in terms of-

Jerome Harris [00:08:42] For school.

Chris Harris [00:08:43] Mm. I’m gonna say, like, if you get- You get an average grade, that’s okay. But if you get, like, if you [get] everything correct on the test, that mean you can’t work in the program because you’re like, above average.

Justin Hons [00:08:59] So you can’t work in the program if you’re above average?

Chris Harris [00:09:01] It’s something like that. I can’t remember what she said.

Justin Hons [00:09:05] Speaking of school, how do you guys feel about the state of Cleveland municipal schools right now?

Antonio Drake [00:09:13] I’m not there in Cleveland municipal.

Justin Hons [00:09:14] Okay. Where do you go?

Antonio Drake [00:09:16] I go to a charter school. 

Justin Hons [00:09:18] Right. Talk a little bit about that. How do you feel about your school?

Antonio Drake [00:09:20] I like it. We basically do all our work on the computer, and it’s better for me, so I don’t. So, like, if the teacher was boring me, the computer can’t really do that. So I get to do my work at my own pace.

Justin Hons [00:09:39] And what’s the name of your school?

Chris Harris [00:09:41] Castle.

Jerome Harris [00:09:42] Where is it located?

Antonio Drake [00:09:43] On 18th and Superior.

Chris Harris [00:09:48] I think our school is all right, but it’s like a regular high school because. Or better because they teach us like a higher grade. Say if we in a ninth, they teach you 10th grade work. And I think it’s more challenging.

Justin Hons [00:10:04] How you feeling?

Jerome Harris [00:10:05] It’s all right. I like- I like the school that I go to. It’s fun.

Justin Hons [00:10:14] What about with, you know, the schools are always in the newspapers and in the news and the situation with the schools. What would you suggest if you each could make a suggestion that improved education in Cleveland, what would it be?

Jerome Harris [00:10:32] I had, like, the teachers go one on one with the student, it’s like they should get taught by themselves.

Chris Harris [00:10:43] Like, the same thing. Because some students don’t learn as fast as other students, and they might still be behind certain things. Yeah, I think that was a good idea.

Justin Hons [00:10:55] Do you feel that working on this mural project has helped your involvement education wise, or has helped your own personal education?

Chris Harris [00:11:08] Mm. Because it teaches new things.

Justin Hons [00:11:11] Like what?

Chris Harris [00:11:12] Like when the spriggers come in, they tell us things that we didn’t know, things that help us in the future.

Antonio Drake [00:11:19] Learning how to paint.

Justin Hons [00:11:21] Okay, how has that been? Tell me a little bit about what it’s been like for you learning how to paint through this mural project.

Antonio Drake [00:11:29] Before, I didn’t really know how to draw or paint. Now I’m a lot better now. Know how to, like, treat paint brushes because they, like, break up easily and stuff.

Jerome Harris [00:11:45] Like, I learned how to, like, mix the paint to make a certain color, and we have to do that a lot to put it on the board.

Justin Hons [00:11:57] So you guys are here tabling with this project at the Ingenuity Fest, right?

Chris Harris [00:12:03] Yes.

Justin Hons [00:12:03] How’s that been?

Chris Harris [00:12:04] It’s been fun so far. Yeah. What’s been fun about the people asking, stopping by, like, what’s this program? They’ve been interested because to me, it’s fun. I like to tell other people about it.

Justin Hons [00:12:17] So when someone comes up to the table and they say, hey, what’s this all about? What do you tell them?

Chris Harris [00:12:22] Tell them. Tell them my name. And we’re interns for Building Bridges mural program and things that we’re doing on the mural and future things that we. A mural that we did before and tell them and just give them, like, a brochure about the program, see if they’re interested.

Justin Hons [00:12:45] What’s been the response from people so far?

Jerome Harris [00:12:48] Like, we trying to get more people to help us on it because there’s only five of us right now working on it. And like, certain. Like, some students walk by and they artists and whatever or they interested, they sign up and give us their names, and they said they’d stop by and help us out to see how it is.

Justin Hons [00:13:06] So if another student artist wanted to get involved, how do they get involved in this project?

Jerome Harris [00:13:12] Just come up there, come to your table where we work at.

Justin Hons [00:13:17] Okay. Where do you work at?

Antonio Drake [00:13:19] 32Nd in the right.

Chris Harris [00:13:21] 32Nd.

Justin Hons [00:13:25] Are there any other future projects that you’re going to be doing with this, or is the main focus this mural that you’re working on?

Jerome Harris [00:13:32] We’re doing one in the fall.

Justin Hons [00:13:37] Where’s that one that we have?

Chris Harris [00:13:39] We don’t know yet.

Jerome Harris [00:13:41] What kind did she say?

Chris Harris [00:13:43] Oh, yeah.

Antonio Drake [00:13:44] Case Western.

Jerome Harris [00:13:47] Yeah.

Justin Hons [00:13:49] Do you guys have art classes in school?

Chris Harris [00:13:52] Yes.

Jerome Harris [00:13:52] Yes.

Justin Hons [00:13:55] Well, I’m going to ask all three of you about this. How do you feel about your art classes in school compared to the art that you’re doing here with this project?

Antonio Drake [00:14:06] I like that one better out there.

Chris Harris [00:14:09] Okay.

Justin Hons [00:14:10] Why?

Antonio Drake [00:14:11] Because it’s more fun and I think it teaches me more. Teaches you more about paint. Paint brushes and everything.

Jerome Harris [00:14:24] I like my school artist teachers better. It’s like they tell you about, like, artists and stuff, and we watch movies about them and they basically do the same thing that we do out there. We paint, draw, and learn about the colors.

Justin Hons [00:14:41] Who are some of the artists that you learn about in your art class in school?

Jerome Harris [00:14:46] Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Michelangelo.

Chris Harris [00:14:52] Chuck.

Justin Hons [00:14:53] Close.

Jerome Harris [00:14:55] And that’s it.

Justin Hons [00:14:56] Do you have a favorite?

Jerome Harris [00:14:57] Vincent van Gogh?

Justin Hons [00:14:59] Why?

Jerome Harris [00:15:00] I don’t know. I just like his art. He like the most. The only one that like paint that looks like it’s up to date.

Chris Harris [00:15:13] I like school art better because it teach you different kinds of arts and ways you can like it teach you ways you can. Certain ways to draw it or like structure, like how to draw a building or like a still art, still life or like a curtain. And we drew self portraits of ourselves.

Justin Hons [00:15:36] How did that come out?

Jerome Harris [00:15:37] Good.

Justin Hons [00:15:40] Walking around here. Do you guys have any. Have you seen any art that you’ve really liked at this festival?

Chris Harris [00:15:46] Not yet. Not yet.

Antonio Drake [00:15:49] Haven’t really got a chance to look.

Justin Hons [00:15:51] Okay.

Chris Harris [00:15:52] All right.

Justin Hons [00:15:53] Do you guys have any last comments that you want to make?

Antonio Drake [00:15:57] Oh, all right.

Justin Hons [00:15:59] Well, we thank you very much for participating in the project. Hope that you guys know ends up well. I live over that way, so I’ll be excited to see it when you guys put it on.

Chris Harris [00:16:09] Okay.

Antonio Drake [00:16:09] Okay. Thank you.

Jerome Harris [00:16:11] Yep.

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