2021 Theme: Memory and Meaning
Week #1
Personal Memory
During week #1 students explored the idea of personal memory. What do we remember and why? What kinds of experiences, sounds, smells, people do we carry with us in our lives? Students started off by creating a name art project that included ideas, events, and moments that are important to them. Next they used small tiles to create memory tile art of a joyful event. In addition, students worked with special guest sound design artist Joshua-Michelè Ross to create sound memories from their lives and and matching sound symbol. The students then, together as an ensemble, created three original sound memory orchestrations. You can see all of that work in the Institute Gallery at the bottom of the page.
Week #2
Public Remembrance
During week #2 students explored the meaning of public remembrance. What stories are remembered by the public? Why do we all have shared memories of certain things? These questions and more were explored with our advocacy expert Maevonia Caldwell, a founder of the Lost Souls Memorial project. Ms. “Mae” guided students through the importance of doing “remembrance work,” both as individuals but also as a community. We practiced this work through an exploration the life of Paul Robeson, asking: “why is it important to remembering persons like Paul Robeson?” The students creatively answered this question through abstract sculpture art projects that reflect the ideas, values, and events from Paul Robeson’s life. You can see all of that work in the Institute Gallery at the bottom of the page.
Check out this video and listen to students share about their abstract sculpture work that reflects elements of Paul Robeson’s legacy that students connect to in their own lives.
Week #3
Community Commemoration
Teaching Artists and Guests
My name is John Keller and I am the Director of Education for coLAB Arts.
My creative passions are theater of all kinds. I love sitting in a theater and having a communal experience with artists and audiences.
What inspires me most about summer institute students is how much we all surprise ourselves and each other. I learn so much as an artist from the work that our students create.
My name is Carolina Moratti
My creative passions are teaching others how to cook and creating beautiful spaces for communities to come together.
What I love about summer institute students is seeing them open their eyes to a different way to seeing and experiencing the world. I love how they appreciated culture and art and the beauty of our community.
My name is Jasmine Carmichael
My creative passions are fashion - particularly Styling/Accessorizing, Architectural Design, Acting & Storytelling
What I love about summer institute students is how they challenge and inspire me to be more creative, kind and caring. They are so talented and continue to surprise me with their insight and art.
My name is Dustin Ballard, but you can call me Dusty.
My creative passions are live storytelling, theatre, and being audience to artwork from paintings to ballet to opera to live music.
What I love about summer institute students is that they always take the chance to put all of themselves into their artwork. CoLab Summer Institute provides so many opportunities for learning artistic skills and expressing something you think or feel into artwork and the students of Summer Institute are bold with their creativity and their imaginations. And it creates a culture of brave artistry.
My name is Stephanie Van Huss
My Creative Passions Are directing theater, dancing, playing video games, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and singing. For me, all of these things are better when shared with friends and family that I love.
What I love about summer institute students is they are CURIOUS, critical thinkers who challenge and teach each other. They aren't afraid to question authorities and systems in order to improve them in creative ways.
My name is Jose Dominguez Magdaleno
My creative passions are drag, creating mini solo pieces, being a teaching artist, attending street festivals, and dancing.
What I love about summer institute students the excitement and energy the students bring every day, their creative minds they bring to all of their work.
Group Projects
Summer Institute students worked alongside mural artist Leon Rainbow to install the newest public art commission in the Esperanza Neighborhood. The institute students painted all of the white birds in this community memorial honoring the communities struggle with COVID-19. Students then used the same bird patterns to make their own artwork which reflects their individual identities.
institute photos
student Artist Gallery


Check out this video and hear students share about the work they did both creating their joyful memory tiles as well as their memory sound symbols. Check out the gallery below to see the artwork for each student in more detail.