Dibujando Nuestro Pueblo (Drawing Our Village) at Frank Porter Graham Bilingue

Dibujando Nuestro Pueblo (Drawing Our Village) is a collaborative, school-based art project that took place at Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe (FPGB) throughout the 2016-2017 school year. The project focuses on ideas related to culture, home, identity, and unity. It culminated in a permanent, student/family-generated mural in FPGB’s courtyard. The project was completed through a partnership between the school’s assistant principal, José Nambo, the school counselor, Barbie Garayúa-Tudryn , and two local artists, Mary Carter Taub and Amy Keenan Amago, who are also parents of students at FPBG. The project was funded with generous support from the FPGB PTA, the Orange County Arts Commission, and the Grassroots Program of the NC Arts Council.

There were two phases of the Dibujando Nuestro Pueblo project. The Fall portion consisted of a series of four interactive sessions in which FPGB families (half Spanish-speaking, half English-speaking) participated by sharing their origin stories, discussing what their cultures and identities meant to them, and then making art related to those ideas. The artwork created during the Fall sessions was displayed in the school’s lobby, and it also informed sketches and ideas for the mural design. Throughout the Spring, Ms. Carter Taub and Ms. Keenan Amago collaborated with students, families, and faculty members to create the Dibujando Nuestro Pueblo mural. The mural illustrates the ideas, experiences, and symbols of the school community’s interwoven and varied cultural histories as well as FPGB’s focus on unity and cross-cultural understanding.

“The new mural is a wonderful addition to our campus,” said Principal Emily Bivins. “The collaborative planning on the front end served to capture the unique blend of cultures that makes our school a great place to learn.”

The permanent, large-scale mural is the first of its kind in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. A dedication ceremony celebrating the mural’s completion was held on Thursday, June 1 in FPGB’s courtyard.