Retirement, going out in style

I can't tell you how many times during my working years that I mused about retirement life and what I would do if I was suddenly free to pursue whatever I wanted to do. It was a lot. Not because I was dissatisfied with my job. Every day I would observe the unhappy, distressed faces of my fellow commuters on the road to work and be thankful that "the system" had worked for me. I am refering to the educational system that is so often maligned and so little praised. That system told me as a young man that I could count on a substantial reward if I invested in education. I did and it worked. I would not have guessed in my youth that I would have a career as a teacher and love it as much as I do.

Teaching forced me to grow in ways I would not have immagined. The very act of showing up and putting myself in a position of responsibility daily has allowed me to see myself as a integral piece of a community. I realized at some point that I was needed. Valued. I was not an easy person to convince. Through many of the early years, I suffered with issues of low self esteem, inadiquacy. This job, though has a way of allowing one to work through those issues. Students will forgive inadiquacies, (especially if they know that you are aware of them and that you are working on them) and hold your feet to the fire (accountability) all at once. I could not have had better teachers than my students.

Now, I am experiencing a transition period. My retirement has removed me from the mainstream of the teaching duties and left me to figgure out for myself what and where is the source of my self-esteem. I am not cut off from the teaching community, I am once removed from it... (I have an open invitation to help in my old artroom anytime...and I often do). But I am removed from knowing daily that I am needed.

I now see for myself the task of rewiring of my thinking and identifying a new sourch of fullfillment.

Glazing tiles in the backyard studio

I am in a position to do for myself the kinds of art that I had cooked up for my students for so many years. Projects that embrace ideas and feelings and skillsets that may be just beyond my comfort zone. Art that challenges my skills and allow me to play at the same time.

Over the past year, since giving over my classroom teaching job, I have indulged in creating a body of artwork in my studio that I will be sharring with the public in the month of March. My ceramic pieces and Lawrence Yombwe's paintings will be on display at the Aurora Gallery 1004 Main St. through the month. It would be meaningful to me if you could find time to stop by and take a look. The opening reception will be First Friday of the month March 4th from 5-9. I would especially love to share this experience with my "tribe", my educational community. All proceeds from this exhibition will go to finance the Africa teaching adventure.

Working my way to Africa...a set at a time.

There are many who have stepped forward to support this trip. Some with generous donations, some with heartfelt encouragement....and some by providing me with a job that needs doing. My good friend, Charlie Jackam is putting on "The Music Man" at Heritage High School and wanted to know if I would work on painting the set. What a wonderful way to work my way to Africa!

A bit about Agness..."She is not an artist".

To be honest, my first thoughts when I was presented with the idea of going to teach art in Africa was to imagine myself teaching in a small viliage to children that would not understand a word I was saying and would think that a pencil was a magical tool. The studio that I will be staying in and working as artist-in-residence is not like that. And the couple that run it are both accomplished artists that know a thing or two about media, equipment and art education. I would like to share with you a bit about Agness Yombwe, who runs the WayiWyi studios with her husband Lawrence in Livingston. Our relationship has developed over the past year on line and I have gotten to know her as a caring, loving and dedicated artist and educator. The following link was writen by an art critic in Zambia and will give you more of her story and what drives her to create.  http://andrewmulenga.blogspot.com

The Road to Zambia

If you had a chance to view the link to the backstory through the hundredgivers blog (reference the first blog) you know that my connection to the WayiWayi studios in Livingston has developed over the last year or so. It started when I heard they had a plan to build an artist-in-residence facility with little more than an idea that they might be able to pull it off. This is not an area of Africa that has a lot of money laying around for start up ideas such as this. So when I saw pictures of the building under construction, I thought I could be able to lend a hand with the construction (I have put in my 10,000hr requirement to be a master builder) but in the time that I have begun to put together this trip, the walls have gone up, and the roof has been put on. Lawrence and Agness Yambwe (who run the school) have both recently had successful showings of their artwork and they have poured some of this good fortune into this building to get this project going. This development has allowed me to think more about what I could teach when I arrive in May, rather than what I can do to further the building. I am currently gathering art supplies, and equipment that would be useful for the school.