Let’s Get Radical
This Sunday was pure momentum. 11 native artists came out to start one of Shiprock’s first mural’s of its kind. RDP commissioned the collaborative mural outside the new Chieftain Records Music Store. Kids, painters, taggers, music artists, rappers came out of the woodwork to check out the amazing process or add their own skills and imagination to the wall.
It all started around noon when artists Saba, Carl Ski Zero, Jaycee Beyale
Chrystal Arviso, Quinn Montoya, and Michael Billy started to flow their visions and designs together. There was something about collaborating to create a mural that in turn created this amazing connection and community. The experienced graffiti artists including local Kirtland artist, Hardison Yazzie mentored the younger artists on technique as well as provided immensely supportive encouragement.
We are excited to announce that this will be the first of a series of murals in Shiprock! If you want to get involved or come check out the mural itself contact us at saragreen1213@yahoo.com or (267)-733-2266!
BIG thank you to all artists including, L.A. Underground Paints, and Chieftain Records Music Shop! Let’s keep this flowing!
Green in the Desert
The Shiprock Community Garden is transforming each week! Through the care of local individuals ranging from youth to grandmothers and grandfathers, the garden is now a rich colorful community hub!
speak your mind
We hosted an Open Mic/Poetry Slam at the new music store, Chieftain Track Records. The owners were psyched, and so many artists came out to share their talents. Young and old mingled in glorious creativity. It was such a blast, especially at the end, when guys from 3 different bands jammed out. Our friend Jared MCed and got the crowd pumped. Another friend from IHS read some of his poetry, while Sierra sang a song she had written. The originality was so impressive! Covers dominated the night, with the best being a country/rock version of Outkast’s Hey Ya. Local bands, like Party Apocalypse and My Deadly Dearest, tried out their acoustic sets.
Summer’s Here and the Time is Right
For doing community organizing. So now that summer has officially begun (it being 90s to 100s all week), we’re continuing some endeavors and starting new ones. With our expanding volunteer base and group of adult mentors, we’re making this the coolest summer you can get while in the desert.
Things to look forward to:
1. Community Art Class: Mon and Thurs, 2pm-4pm @ The Drop-In Center (more programs getting scheduled every day.)
2. Phase I of Skatepark constructed
3. 4 heritage trips for youth
4. Community Garden unveiling (trees being planted as I type this)
5. 4 brand spankin’ new murals
6. Opening of our very own arts and activism center
Garden Party!
We had our first planting day at the garden. Thanks to everyone who has been coming to help set it all up with the beds, fencing, etc. It’s been messy work, but so awesome to finally plant. I can’t wait to see all our zuccini and watermelon grow beautifully by the Shiprock Library.
Skate on
We’ve been doing lots of local fundraising for the Skate Park Competition on Saturday and it’s been so much fun! The skaters brought up the idea to have a Navajo Taco Sale, so that’s what we did!
Making fry bread
Lil B's Frybread
Up for Another Vote
Our project is up for another voting competition! This time with Pepsi. We got lots of funding for our program from the last grant y’all voted for (THANKS!), so now we’re applying to be able to provide stipends for our volunteers and youth around the community.
Whenever we meet a new, interested youth around Shiprock, the first question is “Can you hire me?”. People here really need jobs, and the only ones being provided are unhealthy: fast-food chains, coal mines, oil fields. If you come to Shiprock, that’s pretty much all you see. We need healthy, green jobs to help the community and people want to do it! There just aren’t any resources. So please vote. And please vote every day because our community deserves to have jobs that aren’t polluting our air, water, and bodies.
http://www.refresheverything.com/rethinkdinepower
please vote every day and pass it on to your friends.
Whew
Since the erasure of the mural, things have been kicking into gear. We’ve done:
1. A community dialogue, packed with adults and youth, really awesome conversations
2. First work-day of the community garden, we’ve got the beds in place and ready to plant!
3. Created our summer Skatepark plan and helped a volunteer apply for funding.
4. Helped a volunteer facilitate weekly youth meetings.
5. Went to each high school to gather input on what a Youth Center should look like.
6. Got a Mosaic project for the park approved by the Chapter House
Pictures to come soon!!
A Beautiful Surprise
FURTHER UPDATE: The Office of Youth Development Director will paint over the mural this afternoon.
UPDATE: The Boys and Girls Club is disinclined to keep the mural. We’re in conversation with the staff, arguing for the beauty and the message of this piece, but it’s not looking good for either letting the mural stay up or getting our money back for the project.
On Easter, we had two artistically-inclined friends visit from Albuquerque to work on what turned out to be a surprise mural. They had called saying the two of them were not going to come on Saturday, the original date for the mural, and everyone was disappointed but ready to try again later in the month. However, when Erin and I woke up, we had gotten a voicemail saying that they came anyway and for us to go check it out and help finish it. The two guys had gotten there that night and finished it in less than 24 hours!!
Clean Up the Shiprock!
We had two friends, Chad and Lydia, from the Bay Area visiting our project and our first part of the tour of our town was to visit the Rock. The area is quite a few miles outside of town and while it has few visitors, the land is littered with cans and bottles. Our friends decided that for Good Friday we do a Good Deed. We got around 20 of our friends to pick up trash around the rock and ended up with 30 bags of trash and recyclables.
