ART=EMPOWERMENT! I was Quoted in the SF Chronicle!

Summer Learning Gives Kids Lessons in Fun!

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Third-grader Elaine Ma sat at a shady table in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza dipping a paintbrush in pink, gold and green paint.

All around her some 800 children spent the first official day of summer hula hooping, playing board games, experimenting with bubbles and baking soda, hanging out in a bookmobile, drawing pictures, making bedazzled princess crowns and riding ponies.

"I'm painting a house," she said as she brushed a gold swoosh on the paper. "This is magical grass."

This, said organizers of the city's Summer Learning Day at the plaza, is what summer is supposed to be about: playing, thinking, creating, and ultimately learning outside the classroom in active, fun ways.

Researchers call it the summer brain drain. It affects all children, but especially those who don't actively fight it.

That's not the experience for too many children, particularly low-income kids, who spend their 10 or so weeks of summer vacation doing nothing, said Sheryl Davis, director of Mo' Magic, which helped organize Tuesday's event.

Without structured activities that stretch their minds, they "tend to gain weight and fall behind," she said. "They lose the summer. They come back to school two months behind."

Overall, most students forget two months worth of math over the summer. But low-income students also lose two to three months worth of reading skills. As a result, the achievement gap between white, Asian and wealthy students and their Hispanic, black and low-income peers, each summer increasingly widens.

On Tuesday, most of the students at Civic Center Plaza were participants in nonprofit and city-sponsored summer camps and programs although some families stumbled upon the event and joined the fun, too.

There didn't appear to be a single child at the event who, given a choice, would have picked a couch over the petting zoo, art project or bouncy houses.

Students who take part in summer enrichment activities, ranging from science camp, sports, family trips to museums or other programs, can boost their achievement levels, according to the National Summer Learning Association, which supported Tuesday's Summer Learning Day activities across the nation.

And the students tend to avoid packing on the pounds as well, more likely avoiding the obesity epidemic plaguing the country's youth.

In San Francisco, hundreds of primarily low-income children participate in nonprofit and city-sponsored summer programs, many featuring academic components. Those types of community programs can be critical to preventing summer learning loss, according to a study released this month by the nonprofit Rand Corp.

"They are often less expensive than school district staff, and they offer enrichment opportunities that are often similar to those experienced by middle-income youth during the summer - such as kayaking or chess, for example - that encourage students to enroll and attend, both of which are critical to program effectiveness," said Catherine Augustine, a senior policy researcher at Rand, in a statement.

At Civic Center Plaza, with her paper filled with a pink and gold house with magical grass, Elaine appeared to plugging that drain in her brain. Her paintbrush and imagination were running wild. A green stick-figure man appeared on the paper. He had just arrived home, she explained.

Lisa Rasmussen, who had set up her Art Cart for the event, listened to Elaine's story line and smiled.

"When children have art, they just swim in it," Rasmussen said. "They just thrive."

E-mail Jill Tucker at jtucker@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/22/BAUI1K0RD1.DTL

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Photographer: Me from an amazing day at the Civic Center Plaza!

ART-EMPOWERMENT!

Art Review by JJ Levine

WiThin Places
JJ Levine

Sitting unassumingly at a crossroads like a seeker awaiting their next life path, the
artist watches the art exhibit unfold. Patrons arrive, some familiar with the territory being
presented, some just to immerse themselves in the creative atmosphere they love so

much. The space held together by the works of MFA graduate student, Lisa Rasmussen.
Her paintings, photographs and installations on display this evening straddle the realms
of inspiration, inner sight, and cross cultural phenomenon.

With healing light as the chosen medium, the artist openly invites anyone brave or
willing enough to trek mountain ranges of the psyche, whether that is perceived as
personal or collective. Voyagers around the room are spotted preparing to depart on
guided expeditions with individually assigned sherpas of the light, inter-dimensional,
spirit guides, wielding paint while walking between the worlds. Operating in the neo-
shamanistic world of creativity as ritual, Ms Rasmussen assigns art materials to their
appropriate posts. Lines, stains and fields come alive with pigmented intention, making

. l .

the p~rceiver's reality feel like the rug just got pulled out from underneath them.

\

Lisa's ~acred intentions are painted multi-dimensionally, making marks on canvases with
ancient symbols, and then layering over with an image that the viewer finally sees. The
'presence of the Earth Mother herself is felt sweeping to and fro on a ground of pre-
meditated archaic ecstasy'; an intersection between Spirituality, Divinity and the space-
time continuum. Her artworks, whenfeeling into them like portals, open up like
windows into alternate possibilities. While standing in front of one of Lisa's paintings, I
fell into it, falling into a wormhole showing another time and space. I saw a tunnel with a
bear's sleeping space similar to one I had seen while recently visiting Aillwee Cave in
Ireland. Upon returning to present reality, I could feel that my vision and the painting
were connected somehow, through the energetics of place and time. Some would say that
that space holds a frequency that is both emotionally and spiritually familiar.

However, be weary, young travelers, for there is a dark side to the Thin Places that we' are
shown, that may not be otherwise realized. Another side privy to the naive, the
courageous, the initiated, or even the uninitiated is that of the darkness of man's ascent
away from nature. Viewers intending to spend "Sunday afternoon in the park'", are
instead confronted with reflections of the black waters of their earthly existence..

•

Lisa Rasmussen has that angle covered as well; with artist's integrity, and angel's
guidance, she skillfully breathes life into the void. Taking the mirrors handed to
unsuspecting purveyors, the artist smashes them with subconscious, yet idyllic, imagery.
The artist personally guides the viewer into her private life of meditative memories,
artistic discipline and spiritual discovery.

1 Mircea Eliade, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. 1964; reprint, Princeton,
N1:Princeton University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-691-1.1942-2

2 http://en.wikipedia.orglwiki/Sunday_in_the_Park _with_George

Back in the Studio! Happy 2011!

My sword for all my dragons is my creativity!!

"Taking the mirrors handed to unsuspecting purveyors, the artist smashes them with subconsciousness, yet idyllic, imagery. The artist personally guides the viewer into her private life of meditative memories, artistic discipline, and spiritual discovery." JJ Levine-Art review

Back in the studio!!Re working a piece from the last Lunar Eclipse. It is drying as I am told there is partial lunar eclipse tonight :)

Gratitude

Eco art I created at Santa Monica Beach today!

Gratitude is an Attitude!

Santa Monica! Art is Life!

It is crazy I have been here over a month and things are really brewing. I really miss the Bay Area, but Santa Monica is sooo beautiful. Mama Ocean really is keeping me happy, as well as the mountains~ Apu's thet call them in Peru. The LA art scene is vast, but elusive.
Next Thursday I will be exhibiting at the LA downtown ART WALK. I will be debuting Kitty Bliss to SoCal. I will let you know how that goes. And exhibiting my abstract work. My goal is to make at least $700 and it will happen.

Thinking about Kitty Bliss he is my inner child and my higher self! and that feels amazing and important to create from him. Healing will transpire!!
And on the 16th I will be joining a free art advocacy work shop in downtown LA. I am sure I will make some amazing connections there for the ARTcart and my own personal transformative art teaching.

My goal is to post every day. The interesting thing is the first image is of last Sunday when Don and I were going to AGAPE. He had to evade cause the office called.

"1000 Hearts and Hands" Project

I began this project to create a homage to creativity and to reveal how art has the ability to transcend all boundaries.When I arrived at Lincoln in 2006 the art room was totally vacant and through my vision I pioneered a very successful transformative art program at Lincoln Child Center in Oakland. We have had exhibitions around the Bay Area were our students sell their Art work which is extremely therapeutic.

In 2009 the Hearts and Hands project manifested as an awareness community art reach tool for the high risk children that I teach.Many folks do not realize these marginilized children exist.Also, this project was a fundraiser for art supplies, which we desperately always need.

This art project was very simple, each 6"x9" card would either have an image of a heart or a hand or both. Using any type of medium. I first started with the children and the front line staff at LCC. Then the word got out and creativity spread around campus and everyone was making hearts and hands. The administrators were loving it. This truly was transformative art process and project. Also, 1000 Hearts and Hands is beautiful demonstration of the essence of collaboration.

Folks loved this exhibition and I wanted to share with you a witness's story. Read below--Thank you Melissa for expressing your subjective experience.
Lisa Rasmussen M.F.A.


Lincoln’s Hearts and Hands

Walking into Lamyx Tea Bar, I was struck with the calm and soothing atmosphere it provides. My eyes can’t help but be drawn to the array of wonderful colors alongside me as I continue to the counter. This great display of Lincoln Child Center’s Hearts and Hands exhibit. Glancing at each unique piece of artwork covering the wall in what seems to be 1,000 hearts and hands. Each one conveying the individualism of its creator- each piece, each person, each story. It is quite a whimsical presentation, flowing along with all of its vibrancy and expressiveness. Thoughts of happiness, love, loss, and hope consume me into the stories behind each and every one. Among flowers, brightness, darkness, brokenness, and mystery, I see an overall connectedness. It is as if these are all driven by the same passion to convey this masterwork’s message as a whole, reaching out to its viewers.

As I drink my green tea while listening to the play list consisting of worldly allure, I can see all of these hearts and hands come together with all of their diversity and almost suggesting to me that all it takes is anyone’s loving hearts and hands to make a difference in a child’s life. Each one of the hearts that are up remind me of the soul and emotion that went into this presentation, while each hand I see reminds me of the very real people who created it. Each with their own views, hopes, and dreams. In essence, Lincoln Child Center is lending not only its hands but also its hearts to reach out and embrace those other hearts and hands within the community.
The barren spaces on the wall reflect those who have taken notice of the love and common theme of peace. Contributing themselves to the cause taking a piece of art into their home and into their hearts and hands, offering endurance for a brighter day. The artwork provides a very strong declaration, as the children and staff of Lincoln Child Center imply in this masterpiece. They are the kids you do not see or hear, but they refuse to remain in the shadows. The cause is very real and every vulnerable child is worthy of basking in the same light as others. Lincoln Child Center is offering its hearts and hands to you, in hopes for you to do the same.

Melissa Domann
May 27, 2009

My other half-what is she thinking?

I am in amazing collaboration called "Art is Moving" with artist Lauren Odell Usher. We began our collaboration in 2008 and have had some great success. Every time we meet we think of more exciting things to create.We had a project for a year were we opened, curated, and ran a gallery with others in Oakland, called the Red Door Gallery and Collective. In that experience with a large group of people we found out how collaboration can be really dysfunctional. We also manifested the ARTcart, a community art reach project and we have our Blog. We have many different and powerful projects going at once. We both are obsessed with Art and we share the same core philosophy on ART'S function, which is service and empowerment.



Collaboration can be really hard and we have found a balance to make it work. It really is easy and fun! And I feel we are making a difference in the world of Art. The interesting thing is our own art is so different. It seems we come at things from totally different directions and meet at the same point in the middle. Like, Lauren's latest project she has made a call out for pictures of peoples living rooms. I am participating in this project the pics here are two images of my living room. I have no idea were she is going with this and I look forward to see what transpires. "Click Here to check out Lauren's latest project. Participate if interested!