The Beginning

In May 2008, students of Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School created a mural of Claude Monet's house and gardens at Giverny. The project was led by art teacher Morag Bradford and artist in residence Kristin Helberg.

Morag integrated the project cross the elementary and middle school curriculum, students studied French Impressionism, mapped Monet's garden, tasted French food, listened to French music and learned some French phrases. When the students sent out invitations to the unveiling of their mural, Kristin sent an invitation to the French Embassy in the hope that the students would have the opportunity to meet a representative from the country they had been studying.

The mural celebration was attended by students, families, faculty, community partners and Monsieur Roland Celette, Cultural Attaché, and two guests from the French Embassy. Monsieur Celette greeted the students and their families, praised the students' work and encouraged their attempts at speaking French. The students thoroughly enjoyed showing off their work and acting as ambassadors for their school and community.

A photograph of the event was published in the Baltimore Sun newspaper.

The student's reaction was so positive that Morag decided to expand her vision from being a school wide project, to a year long arts integration program. The program, now named Worldview, would be expanded to engage students in exploring the world around them and to learn to appreciate how similar people are while appreciating their differences. Focusing on a different country each year students would make connections between their own lives and the lives of people in the culture of study.

India would be the country for year one; as Morag had travelled extensively there and had many artifacts to share, and because of the connection between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and their campaigns for civil rights.

This is where I come in. "I want to help,"I told her. I work at James Mosher Elementary School, a few blocks from Morag's school. Both schools are inner city schools with low socio-economic status and an at-risk population. Basically great kids with limited knowledge of the world beyond their neighborhood.

Over the next few months Morag and I wrote a few grants to fund Worldview. Our friend and graphic designer Luci Morreale of Ladderback Design created our logo and business cards and we began to contact local businesses and cultural agencies. Amanda Kodeck of The Walters Art Museum and Dawn Lobell of Baltimore City Public Schools both gave us their time and expertise for our grant writing efforts. Our first big triumph was the ING Unsung Heroes Award. With this award we can start to fund the components we want to include in our program such as music, dance, yoga, and additional visual arts projects.