Donna Backues

Art, Teaching and Other Stuff!

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Roots of Happiness Elders Batik Painting class

Some of our SEAMAAC Roots of Happiness Elders gathered to learn how to do the Indonesian technique of wax resist painting called batik.  It was a big challenge but very rewarding.

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SEAMAAC Elders Shibori Dyeing

Several of SEAMAAC’s elders from our Roots of Happiness Elders Program participated in a workshop to learn Shibori dying techniques.  It was interesting that many of our Laotian elders knew about indigo because as children they helped their mothers grow, harvest and boil indigo to make dye for clothing.

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Roots of Happiness - Elders SEAMAAC

The Elders at their weekly gathering worked on creating one or two mini acrylic paintings that were then pieced together to create a “quilt” pattern on boards.  I am the Coordinator of Community and Family Wellness at SEAMAAC in South Philly and I’m lucky to still be able to do fun collaborative art projects.

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Isabella Miller Recreation Center Mural for Swimming Pool Steps.  Camden, NJ

I had a wonderful summer residency with Rutgers- Camden Center for the Arts working with children from Camden, New Jersey.  Each child made a fantasy fish.

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I am enjoying my summer residency at the Cambodian Association in South Philly thanks to the Fleischer Art Memorial.  The theme is “Philly Love” and the children are in the process of creating a mural.

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My residency through Rutgers Camden Center for the Arts was a wonderful experience.  

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The Delphi Arts Futures program from the Philadelphia Art Museum places professional artists with high school art teachers and students from selected schools in Philadelphia.

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Getting mural material at NewCourtland Life Center.  I’m very much enjoying this opportunity funded by the NewCourtland Fellowship Award (Center for Emerging Artists).  This intergenerational project has been a very moving experience watching the youth and seniors learn from each other.

Finished Tapestry!

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Batik Workshop at SEAMAAC Outreach Office

I received a small grant to teach a batik workshop at SEAMAAC’s Outreach Office on 8th and Snyder in South Philly.  My goal was to see many different ethnic groups from the surrounding neighborhoods represented among the students.

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Rutger-Camden Center of the Arts Residency

I am doing a teaching artist residency in Camden schools along with artists Doris Nogueira and Cesar Viveros.  We will be working together to compile drawings and paintings from various schools to create a large mural for Liberty Property Trust that will be located next to the Ben Franklin bridge on the Camden water front.

Student art from Holy Name Catholic School in Camden

Drawings from Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy middle school and high school students

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Philadelphia International Unity Cup thank you party at Penn Museum

I was one of 6 artists chosen to design banners for the teams.

Mayor Kenney was there getting a photo with the winning team - Liberia

Team Liberia like their banner and wanted a photo with the artist

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Banners designs for Philadephia International Unity Cup Championship

I designed 8 banners for 8 different teams (out of 48) that participated in the Unity Games.  Below are some of them being carried in the Parade of Nations event before the final game.

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Mifflin Square Park Day

The diverse neighborhood surrounding Mifflin Square Park in South Philly gathered for all kinds of fun and festivities.  I had a tent for folks to add colored dyes to a wax drawn mandala based on the blueprint of the park.  

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Visit from a famous dangdut singer from Indonesia!

Ikke Nurjanah came to my house with her camera crew.  She was on a tour of the USA promoting the art of dangdut.  She wanted to meet the “bule” (white person) who loves batik.  It was fun.

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Art Camp in West Java

In July, I spent a week in Tasikmalaya, West Java running an art camp through the non-profit that I worked with for my last 10 years living in there before returning to the USA.  It was a great success and I miss the children already.  I got interviewed by 2 newspapers and 2 TV stations.  

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Artist Residency at Neumann-Goretti High School

I am fortunate to be working with talented art teacher Mary Barrett and her wonderful students at a high school only a block away from my house.  This day the students learned about composition and did value studies from post cards of Degas paintings.

Time to start practice Batiks.  These pieces below look pretty good for just practice!

3/2/16

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3-D Sculpture at the Village

We are putting scraps of cardboard to good use channeling famous artists Frank Stella and Elizabeth Murray.  My 8 year students are coming up with some cool creations.

D’Shaun’s “Space Ship”

Roderique and Franko had lots of fun with their abstract scultures.