Urbano Project Presents Screening of Web Shorts Created by Artist-in-Residence Paloma Valenzuela

Urbano Project will be presenting experimental work created during Dominican-American Artist-in-Residence Paloma Valenzuela's Spring 2020 Youth Artist Project as part of a year-long curatorial series exploring Creative Conditions. The virtual Zoom event, June 11 from 6-7 PM, will feature the films of Valenzuela (who creates, writes and produces the Latina-centered "The Pineapple Diaries" web series based in Jamaica Plain), alongside the creative multimedia work of Urbano students Miguel Estrada, Michaela Goodfellow, and Ariya Patel. Register for the Zoom event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/urbano-youth-artists-final-showcase-with-paloma-valenzuela-tickets-108042126910.

"It's uplifting to witness what artists and youth have to offer during this unprecedented time," says Urbano Director Stella McGregor. "Their creative spirit, willingness to quickly adapt to virtual learning, tenacity, and experimental approach to art making inspires us. Their art helps our racially-diverse communities to engage in challenging dialogues in Jamaica Plain, the Greater Boston Area, and in these times of social distancing, hopefully beyond."

During Valenzuela's residency, the youth participants gained hands-on experience and practiced script writing, producing, and editing their own web series. The process started with intensive writing that entailed learning the basics of script writing format and scene writing, and the use of script writing programs as well as learning how to write a solid script on several accessible writing programs. Participants developed skills in pre-production: script breakdown, scheduling, and storyboarding; hands-on production and filming; and the basics of reviewing dailies and editing. As a final, place-based project, the entire group worked as a team in the "writer's room" to create a pilot episode for their desired web series or short film, including draft and review. After writing was complete, they shifted into roles as crew members, preparing for production. Students pre-produced as a group in their individual roles, filming, and virtually working together to edit a pilot episode.

Take a peek at their design-journals where students have been recording their creative process with Raquel Jimenez, PhD, a research fellow at Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Youth Artists Projects are in-depth long-term artistic explorations of Urbano's annual theme through the lens and mentorship of the Artist-in-Residence, resulting in one or more exhibitions/projects that are presented at Urbano and other public sites.

Visit www.urbanoproject.org for more information.

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