BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Charter School of Inquiry has been filled with Africana infusion art by students as a way to embrace their identity.
12-year-old Malik Staton shares with 7 News that working on different art projects throughout the school year helped him embrace his identity more.
“The colors on here represent my spirituality and my spirit animal,” Malik says. “I had made this one the pins in the pinata and the pins in the pinata stand for the seven deadly sins and our pinata was based on the las posadas, the Mexican holiday.”
Most of the artwork is based on Africanana infusion and other cultural backgrounds.
Their art teacher Ms. Andrea Pawarski is behind it all coming up with several concepts to encourage her students.
“The concept of Ubuntu. Which means I am because we are and it’s an African concept where our students really developed community with each other,” she says. “And think about how to support each other and take care of each other not just themselves, but we’re all connected.”
Other students say art is needed in their generation.
“Our generation doesn’t know how to explain ourselves like tell what we’re going through and stuff,” says 12-year-old Isiah Jones. “And that’s where art comes through because you can use art to express your feelings and stuff.”
Students also had the chance to create their own masks.
“Each person made the masks by themselves mostly with Ms. Pawarski’s help. But along with way, we all help each other,” says 10-year-old Soraya Sanchez. “And me and Aking all think together that it was good for everyone to try and help each other.”
11-year-old Aking Smith says creating art all year round in his class helped him express himself more.
“The mask it feels like I was expressing myself in a different way,” he says. “But I’m still myself it’s just that I’m expressing my feelings and the colors of how I felt.”
Ms. Pawarski tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person her mission with her students is to help them feel empowered through art.
“I really want my students to walk away from this classroom feeling empowered and feeling excited about creating art,” she says. “And see themselves achieving their goals in the community and to take ownership over their identity and be a powerful Black artist.”
