AWTT is pleased to highlight our current collaboration with Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC) in Louisville, Kentucky. Although many schools, galleries and museums around the country have exhibited AWTT portraits, JCTC has taken its AWTT-based program to a new level.
In the campus’s Krantz Art Gallery, several AWTT portraits, chosen by the event organizers, are on display – alongside student portraits that were inspired by Shetterly’s work. This makes for a unique and stunning display. And to make sure that the portraits are seen by as many students as possible, the show will be rotating through various buildings around the campus during the academic year.
Faculty members have also set up an extensive Learning Commons web space, where the portraits, along with their short biographies, are displayed. A surprising, diverse collection of seven portraits of Kentuckians is also displayed there, followed by a linked listing of AWTT portraits that are on display in other Kentucky venues, including the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (which houses an extensive collection of prints) and the Brandeis School of Law.
The Learning Commons space also offers faculty members sample class assignments, an introductory Power Point for classroom use, a brief tour of the AWTT site, and a recent podcast with artist Robert Shetterly and educator Bill Ayers.
We hope that other schools will take note and build upon JCTC’s work. Please contact us to find out more about other AWTT-inspired learning opportunities or to discuss ideas to fit your school or community’s vision. After many years of experience with co-sponsoring exhibits, AWTT educators have many ideas to share with you and love to brainstorm about new ways to use the portraits as inspiration for learning and social action.