On February 15, in room 31, Black Excellence United hosted a painting party for students and staff to commemorate Black History Month. The club brought in a professional artist to teach students and staff how to paint an image celebrating Black History Month.
The event was a relaxing afternoon filled with painting, music and laughter as students and staff created beautiful paintings in a warm and inviting environment.
The painting party was a positive experience for all. “It gives you something creative to do and an activity you can bond over,” said Dr. Linette Chaloka. Dr. Chaloka shared that she enjoyed the club’s unique atmosphere that allowed students and staff to relax and bond with each other.
During the event, club sponsor Ms. Jamea Harper opened up the floor for students to request songs or music. “I really enjoyed the student input,” reflected Dr. Chaloka. “It was fun to hear the students talk about certain songs, and then the teachers suggesting other songs and then going back and forth about what they loved about those different pieces of music,” said Dr. Chaloka.
The professional artist, who is a high school art teacher herself and runs painting parties for many groups, taught students and staff how to paint an image of the Tree of Life with the colors yellow, red and green, the colors of Black History Month. According to an article in Business Insider, “The official colors of Black History Month are black, red, yellow, and green, which symbolize unity and pride. The colors are derived from the Ethiopian flag and the Pan-African flag, which was created in 1920 to represent the unity of the African diaspora and Black liberation in the US.”
“[The artist] did a great job of providing us with all of our supplies and giving us the sketched-out canvases, which I appreciated a lot,” said Dr. Chaloka. The artist walked the students and staff step by step in creating their image, encouraging them to put their own creative spin on it and helping them if they had questions about their piece.
Dr. Chaloka’s favorite part of the event was “just the laughing and joking.” She continued, “Having the students and teachers being able to see one another and just those different ways, it just built that relationship.”
“It’s a cool hangout, but it’s also a really cool product as well,” said Dr. Chaloka in closing.
The event was a success, with smiles abundant as each student and staff member alike created a beautiful piece of artwork and made lasting memories.
