Summer institute with esperanza 2026
“En Root: Monuments to Migration and Labor”
Art
This year, the students created art projects that allowed them to explore themes of migration and labor. They were also encouraged to reflect upon their identities and articulate where they’ve been, where they want to go, and how they’d work to get there. Resident Artist Cecilia Morales led multiple workshops where students created monarch butterfly puppets based on local artist Chat Travieso's monument, En Root. Students took a trip to the monument site in War Memorial Park where Chat taught them about the significance of monarch butterflies as a symbol for migrant workers. The students also worked on different art projects inspired by this year’s theme in their individual studios, including creating original plays, making a new board game, designing paper mache sculptures, and learning about projection design. All of these art projects were featured during the Final Sharing.
Advocacy
Throughout the summer, our teaching artists led the students in conversations and activities which explored their relationship to migration and labor. This theme builds off of the work coLAB Arts has done with New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor (NJMML) over the past year. Including, Chat Travieso’s En Root monument in War Memorial Park and the Make your Monument workshop series hosted last fall. During the institute, students made their own sculptures representing their identities and what they hoped to achieve for themselves and their community. The students also did a clay making workshop with Dr. John Meyer from Thinkery and Verse. He taught the students about New Jersey’s rich history of clay making and led the students through the process of making their own clay sculptures. Dr. Meyer also talked about the Lost Souls Memorial Project, a local advocacy group whose mission is to educate people about the 161 African American men, women and children living in New Brunswick who were illegally sold into slavery by a corrupt judge in the 1800s.
Community
Over the three weeks of Summer Institute, the students discussed and considered what was important to them and how they could work to achieve their goals. Ryan De France, a coLAB community partner, led age appropriate financial literacy workshops with the high school, middle school and elementary studios and gave them practical tools for earning and saving money in their community. This year, Summer Institute had a no phones policy, which encouraged everyone to find new ways to have fun. The students played board games, tag, musical chairs, made art and just spent time talking with each other. They also enjoyed time spent outside, playing soccer and relaxing in Liberty Square Park.
Funding Provided by:
Rutgers Community Health Foundation
New Brunswick Tomorrow, Esperanza Neighborhood Project
Final Sharing | Comparto final
Friday August 21 1:45pm
viernes 21 de agosto 1:45pm
In person at coLAB Arts, 9 Bayard St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901 OR on Youtube
En persona en la coLAB Arts, 9 Bayard St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901 OR el enlace de youtube
Teaching Artists and Guests
A Look inside the Studio
The final sharing featured gallery walls with the students work featured around the room.
