Michael B. Schwartz
"Making Public Places Sacred Spaces"
"Making Public Places Sacred Spaces"
Community Arts Education
Community Engagement, Arts and Education
Mr. Schwartz has been leading arts and civic dialogue projects since 1983. He connects ecological, community and education needs with dynamic group visual arts projects. His multi- disciplinary dialogue based approach to visual arts projects promotes responsibility, stewardship, leadership, team building and self-esteem. In addition to transmitting technical knowledge in the visual arts his pedagogy includes collective decision-making and group aesthetics.
Read about some past projects:
Mapping Philadelphia
Threading Our Cultures: A Cross-cultural Story Cloth
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Mr. Schwartz is on the
Arizona Commission on the Arts and Tucson Pima Arts Council Rosters
"The Teaching Artist Roster identifies and promotes high quality artists who maintain active careers as teaching and professional artists,
and have particular expertise in collaborating with communities and schools to engage individuals in learning experiences in, through,
and about the arts. The Roster is a juried, panel-approved compendium of Arizona artists representing all artistic disciplines.
Click on the icons below to find out more.
"When teaching I encourage critical, creative and poetic thinking. The arts develop aesthetic sensibilities, sharpen perception, promote investigation and reward experimentation. The arts remind us that all things are inter connected. I believe that the arts must play an active role in our communities and neighborhoods. The art room is a cultural resource center, museum and hotbed of civic dialogue. "
Group design involves conversation, trust building and consensus.
" I encourage students to think about their classrooms and schools as an integral component of the community. From this point of view we can examine our many cultures, physical and social structures from a unique and exciting vantage point. I utilize a mix of popular education methodologies, enriched with a commitment to the multiple intelligence, organically allowing the magic of the arts to enhance every area of the curriculum with out diminishing the intrinsic or traditional values a disciplined approach to fine arts teaching offers."
Artist in Residence
2011 Dietz Elementary School, Tucson, AZ
2010 - 11 29th Coalition Neighborhoods, Tucson Az
2010 - 11 Barrio Centro Neighborhood, Tucson, AZ
2010 Wakefield Middle School, Tucson, AZ
Threading Our Cultures: A Cross-cultural Story Cloth
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Mr. Schwartz is on the
Arizona Commission on the Arts and Tucson Pima Arts Council Rosters
"The Teaching Artist Roster identifies and promotes high quality artists who maintain active careers as teaching and professional artists,
and have particular expertise in collaborating with communities and schools to engage individuals in learning experiences in, through,
and about the arts. The Roster is a juried, panel-approved compendium of Arizona artists representing all artistic disciplines.
Click on the icons below to find out more.
________________________________________________________________________________________
"When teaching I encourage critical, creative and poetic thinking. The arts develop aesthetic sensibilities, sharpen perception, promote investigation and reward experimentation. The arts remind us that all things are inter connected. I believe that the arts must play an active role in our communities and neighborhoods. The art room is a cultural resource center, museum and hotbed of civic dialogue. "
Group design involves conversation, trust building and consensus.
" I encourage students to think about their classrooms and schools as an integral component of the community. From this point of view we can examine our many cultures, physical and social structures from a unique and exciting vantage point. I utilize a mix of popular education methodologies, enriched with a commitment to the multiple intelligence, organically allowing the magic of the arts to enhance every area of the curriculum with out diminishing the intrinsic or traditional values a disciplined approach to fine arts teaching offers."
Visual Research * Working as a classroom community * Talking about and sharing our work
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Artist in Residence
2011 Dietz Elementary School, Tucson, AZ
2010 - 11 29th Coalition Neighborhoods, Tucson Az
2010 - 11 Barrio Centro Neighborhood, Tucson, AZ
2010 Wakefield Middle School, Tucson, AZ
2009-10 Miracle Manor Neighborhood, Tucson, AZ
2007-8 40th Street Artist In Residence Program, Philadelphia, PA
2004-8 Kirkbride Elementary School, Philadelphia, PA
2003,4,7,8 Drexel Elementary School, Tucson, AZ
2007 Philadelphia Freedom School, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Featherstone Center for the Arts, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
2005 Bok High School, Philadelphia, PA
2005 DCCA, Contemporary Connections Program, Wilmington, DE
2004 Meredeth ES, Philadelphia, PA
2002-4 Butterfield ES, Tucson, AZ
2002 Tucson Southside MS, Tucson, AZ
2000 Urban League HS, Tucson, AZ
1998 Old Pasqua Neighborhood Center, Tucson, AZ
1996-9 Pueblo Gardens ES, Tucson, AZ
1995-6 Richey ES, Tucson, AZ
1998 Miles ES, Tucson, AZ
1993 Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater, Minneapolis, MN
1992 Tucson Arts District Partnership, Tucson, AZ
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Teens Transferring Their Design to a Wall
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Collaborating Organizations Include:
Our Yaqui Culture
16' x 26'
1998
Location: Old Pasqua Church Plaza
Designed and painted by children in the KIDCO program. This project was a collaboration between the Old Pascua Neighborhood Center, KIDCO, The American Indian Association,
The Tucson Indian Center and the Tucson Arts Brigade.
© 1998 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
The Old and New Tucson
12"x 12"
2002
Location: Tucson Jewish Community Center
This mural was designed and painted by students from the Tucson Arts Brigade summer mural camp.
© 2002 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
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Eagles Youth Partnership Murals
2007-8 40th Street Artist In Residence Program, Philadelphia, PA
2004-8 Kirkbride Elementary School, Philadelphia, PA
2003,4,7,8 Drexel Elementary School, Tucson, AZ
2007 Philadelphia Freedom School, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Featherstone Center for the Arts, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
2005 Bok High School, Philadelphia, PA
2005 DCCA, Contemporary Connections Program, Wilmington, DE
2004 Meredeth ES, Philadelphia, PA
2002-4 Butterfield ES, Tucson, AZ
2002 Tucson Southside MS, Tucson, AZ
2000 Urban League HS, Tucson, AZ
1998 Old Pasqua Neighborhood Center, Tucson, AZ
1996-9 Pueblo Gardens ES, Tucson, AZ
1995-6 Richey ES, Tucson, AZ
1998 Miles ES, Tucson, AZ
1993 Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater, Minneapolis, MN
1992 Tucson Arts District Partnership, Tucson, AZ
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Teens Transferring Their Design to a Wall
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Collaborating Organizations Include:
Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Tucson Jewish Community Center, Arizona International College, Third Street Kids, Tucson Museum of Art School, Roskruge Bilingual Magnet, Mariposa Co-Op, LAVA Space, Chew Recreation Center, Spring Garden ES, Eagles Youth Partnership, William Right ES, Tucson Jubilee 2000 Committee, Attention Transit Advertising , Native Seed Search, Fourth Avenue Merchants Association, City of Mt. Holly, NJ, West Philadelphia High School, Lighthouse Youth Center, Oro Valley Arts Council, Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona, Americorp, Arizona State Museum, Tucson Electric Power Co., Hillel, Season for Nonviolence, Southern Poverty Law Center, YWCA, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Pima Arts Council, City of Tucson, Suntran, Old Pasqua Neighborhood Center, KIDCO, The American Indian Association, The Tucson Indian Center, Tucson Children's' Museum, Arts Genesis, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas Coalition, the Dunbar Spring Neighborhood Association, Women’s International League for Peace and Justice, University of Arizona, Kennedy Center’s Imagination Celebration, Prescott College, Arizona Green Party, Cultural Democracy Magazine, Broadside Magazine, Delaware Alternative Press, International Council on Adult Education, North American Alliance for Popular and Adult Education, Newark Arts Alliance, Alliance for Cultural Democracy, Tucson Arts District Partnership, Central Arts Collective, Student Environmental Action Coalition, KXCI Radio 91.3 FM, Center for Biological Diversity
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Strange World
2006
This mural was designed by 28 third graders at Kirkbride Elementary School in Philadelphia, and was part of the Fleisher Art Memorial Community Connections program.
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Building Community Mural
1998
3-5th Graders students at Miles E.S. researched local architecture, designed the mural in the classroom and painted the mural in downtown Tucson. This fantastic example of a consensus based design process was unfortunately destroyed several years ago.
3-5th Graders students at Miles E.S. researched local architecture, designed the mural in the classroom and painted the mural in downtown Tucson. This fantastic example of a consensus based design process was unfortunately destroyed several years ago.
© 1998 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
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Our Yaqui Culture
16' x 26'
1998
Location: Old Pasqua Church Plaza
Designed and painted by children in the KIDCO program. This project was a collaboration between the Old Pascua Neighborhood Center, KIDCO, The American Indian Association,
The Tucson Indian Center and the Tucson Arts Brigade.
© 1998 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
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The Old and New Tucson
12"x 12"
2002
Location: Tucson Jewish Community Center
This mural was designed and painted by students from the Tucson Arts Brigade summer mural camp.
© 2002 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
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The Busbench Project
Locations: Throughout Tucson
The Busbench Project
Locations: Throughout Tucson
2001
This project matched local businesses with students and teachers
from the Tucson Arts Brigade to design and paint a series of benches.
This one is called "Community Works"
© 2001 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
This project matched local businesses with students and teachers
from the Tucson Arts Brigade to design and paint a series of benches.
This one is called "Community Works"
© 2001 Michael B. Schwartz/ Tucson Arts Brigade
Eagles Youth Partnership Murals
2005
Location: Richard Wright Elementary School
©2005 Eagles Youth Partnership / Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Michael Schwartz
These images show details of the interior mural at Richard Wright Elementary School in the spring of 2005. This mural is large, the entire first floor, hallway, gym and half the second floor of the school. The first floor features the an illustrated A-Z designed with input from students. The second floor is devoted to mathematics. It took a crew of three people working for five weeks to make this exciting project a success.
The Eagles football team came and helped to paint during a huge community arts day
facilitated by the amazing people at the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
The first floor has the entire Alphabet from A-Z illustrated.
On the second floor are mathematical themes.
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The first floor has the entire Alphabet from A-Z illustrated.
On the second floor are mathematical themes.
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