Community Partner: Jubilee Arts
Intern: Simon Jackson‐Forsberg
Site Supervisor: Nora Howell
What is the Jubilee Arts?
Jubilee Arts is a community program providing arts classes to the residents of the Sandtown‐Winchester,
Upton, and surrounding neighborhoods in Baltimore
While studying at Hopkins, I have come to feel deeply indebted to the broader
Baltimore community. My experiences in Baltimore have informed my personal
convictions, politicized me, and charted the direction of my studies, so I came
into my internship with Jubilee Arts this summer hoping to substantiate my
connection to the city I increasingly call home. I had the opportunity to work with
an amazing group of artists and young people on Jubilee’s Art @ Work: Upton
summer mural program, which aims to empower youth artistically and
professionally via the creation of eight public art projects throughout Upton.
Upton has a central place in West Baltimore’s historical narrative as a hub of
African‐American art and culture, but the neighborhood also grapples with social
issues related to poverty, disinvestment, and the aftermath of the Baltimore
Uprising in 2015 and earlier unrest in 1968. It was an informative setting to say
the least.
On the first day of my internship, I was sent out into the neighborhood with a
clipboard and tasked with engaging local business owners and residents with the
mural project. Canvassing on Pennsylvania Avenue challenged my perspective on
Baltimore and my own privilege, but any initial discomfort dissipated as I put
faces and names to the abstract notion of community. People who had initially
been reserved to talk to me came to know me by name, and I began to feel that
the community had afforded me a position of trust, for which I am immensely
grateful.
When it came time to start painting, I shifted gears to support Miami‐based
mural artist Ignacio Mariño Larrique and his team of youth workers with the
installation of an original mural of daunting proportions. The mural was designed
holistically, reconciling creative input from the youths and the lead artist with
feedback from stakeholders. Ultimately, the design captured an idealized
Baltimore landscape with colorful references to Upton history depicted alongside
powerful social messages. Residents were overwhelmingly supportive of the
project, but where controversy arose the youths defended their creative choices
and took a stand against defeatism and the status quo in their community.
Working on the mural exposed me to the powerful role art can play in sparking
discourse and revitalizing disinvested neighborhoods, and it’s incredibly
rewarding to have the final product to show for it. Plus, I had a ton of fun using
spray paint. ‐ Simon
Tasks:
• Supported administrative functions of the Art @ Work:
Upton mural program; canvassed local businesses and
property owners to engage them with the mural program
• Contributed to the design and installation of an original
mural on historic Pennsylvania Avenue; worked as the mural
artist's assistant and apprentice
• Directly supervised the work of a group of 8 Youth Works
participants at the mural site; mentored youth in their
professional and artistic development
• Served as a Baltimore City Summer Food Service Program
site coordinator; ensured the distribution of surplus food to
28
members of the Upton community