(Seguin) — Teatro is excited to announce it has received a Humanities Texas grant for its Ancestral Historical Recovery: Reframing the Self Through Auto-Retratos (Self-Portrait) project.
From September 14, 2023 to June 2, 2024, this project will engage youth in the community every Thursday at Teatro’s Cultural Arts Center at 921 W. New Braunfels St. Seguin, TX and via Zoom from 5:30PM-7:00PM. Zoom days have already been designated along with detailed topics which can be viewed on the proposed syllabus document that will be handed out to applicants.
The goal/objectives of this project are (1) to diminish the disconnect Latinx youth feel about their environment and cultural history–which was catalyzed by colonization, forced migration and assimilation; to place participants within their own stories by dialoguing and cataloging oral histories from their elders; and (2) to teach participants how to appreciate the everyday art around them that they will eventually curate, edit and archive in Chapbooks for future generations. By creating portraits of their elders’ past, they will mold an in-depth auto-retratos: a self-portrait to solidify their self-esteem and to carry with them throughout the course of their life. This project embraces the exchange of knowledge of multiple generations orally and visually (artifacts presented to participants from elders to be used in their chapbooks). Participants will learn research methods such as conducting ethnographic interviews, learn how to transcribe looking for parallels, symbols, and themes. They will also learn how to use audio & other technology devices to capture the interviews, as well as learn how to tell a story that can be written for future generations to read.
These chapbooks will be housed in the genealogy and circulation section of the Seguin Public Library as well as at Teatro De Artes’ Cultural Arts Center located in Seguin, TX at 921 W. New Braunfels St. Applications will open on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 via our website www.teatrodeartes.org and will be advertised on all our social media channels.
Participants will be accepted on a first come first basis and must be 14-18 years of age, 8th grade – 12 grade students, who reside in Guadalupe County. All supplies will be provided. Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin was founded on July 9, 1982 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The mission of Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin is to promote a better understanding of the Mexican American culture by the teaching, study, practice, and performance of the arts. This project is partially sponsored by Humanities Texas, Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin, and the City of Seguin.