Mandy Clearwaters, an art teacher at Winchell Elementary, had a vision to bring Inside Out, an international portrait project devised by French-artist JR, to Kalamazoo Public Schools. Students in the exhibition were encouraged to participate by art teachers. The theme of the project is unity and expressed in the statement, “We are Kalamazoo artists. We are innovators, dreamers, and creators,” which Clearwaters wrote.
“Art has allowed us to share who we are with the world. We are a diverse group of people using art to build bridges and understanding among the many communities that we represent. By sharing our thoughts and identities, we create a stronger and healthier future for Kalamazoo,” Clearwaters stated in a press release. “Our voices speak loud, not through our mouths, but through our hands.”
The project itself required enormous team effort. The district’s diversity is represented in the 1,000 smiling, serious, and silly faces in black and white portraits that line the inner sidewalks of Bronson Park. The impactful display is part of KPS’ All-district Art Fair, which takes place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bronson Park. In addition to Inside Out, student artwork will be featured.
As parents, teachers and volunteer students worked with mops and homemade wheat paste this week to affix the 4 ½ by 3-foot portraits to the cement, a sense of teamwork and collaboration was palpable.
Chrissy Brege, a Winchell art teacher who worked with Clearwaters on the project, had been busy at home making wheat paste the night before because an expected delivery of powdered paste didn’t arrive on time.
In addition to the many who were scattered throughout Bronson Park, there were as many behind the scenes who took photos, edited, organized photo releases, says Brege.
“The most valuable part of this project was bringing together, students, teachers, and parents,” says Brege. “We all came together as working artists. It’s a beautiful thing to see.”
Since 2011, more than 400,000 people from 149 countries and territories have participated in the “Inside Out” Project. This is Kalamazoo’s second “Inside Out Project.” The first, “We are Edison,” which took place in 2017, featured portrait of Edison residents attached to Washington Square buildings that were in the process of being rehabilitated. Sponsored by the Kalamazoo County Land Bank, “We are Edison” helped provide a sense of place and resident-presence in the neighborhood. Southwest Michigan Second Wave Photographer Fran Dwight, who was the photographer for the Edison “Inside Out,” also took these photos of the KPS Inside Out installation, which surely brought back a few memories.
As people worked on the project in Bronson Park Wednesday, many expressed gratitude for the dry weather. Within less than a week, a few of the portraits already had small rips or missing parts, and some were covered with pollen or speckled with leaves.
Deterioration is a natural part of the project, says Brege. “The kids were informed what they were getting into with the portraits,” she says, adding that each photo was expected to last from one week to three or four months.
Students’ faces — smiling, laughing, thinking, frowning, squinting — are the focus of a display of almost 1,000 black and white portraits that will line the interior sidewalks of Bronson Park in an exhibition called “It’s weird to see the photos decompose when you want them to be perfect,” said Dava Antoniotti, a mother of three who attend Winchell. “Their cute little faces. I’m trying to embrace that part of the project, but it goes against a natural part of being a parent, being a human.”
As she worked, Antoniotti had already spotted two of her children’s portraits, but the third hadn’t yet been applied. Above the park, two drones were taking videos and photos, the images which she was looking forward to seeing.
“It’s such a fun project,” Antoniotti says, adding her children won’t see the exhibit until Friday. “I’m really excited for them to see it. They can’t wait.”
The exhibit will be on display throughout the month of May. Friday’s celebration is open to the public.
Since 2011, more than 400,000 people from 149 countries and territories have participated in the Inside Out Project designed by French artist JR.
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