Dear Friend, 

When Elaine and I envisioned the Donor Digest, we thought it would be an exclusive, short update for our best supporters. Let me tell you, I tried to be concise today, but I just couldn’t do it. There’s so many wonderful things I want to share with you about Savoy Elementary’s recent Painting Our Identities unit. 

In this unit, students learn how artists use symbols, expressions, and compositional choices to reveal parts of a subject’s identity. Students use these same techniques to create a self-portrait that reveals and celebrates aspects of their own identity—both the visible and invisible parts of themselves. We have been doing this unit for a while, but Savoy’s experience was our first time running the program at the National Museum of African Art. Our curriculum team, Maryam and Sierra, had each gone to see the temporary exhibit, Iké Udé: Nollywood Portraits, on a weekend day and they were blown away. The pair knew our students needed to see it too, so they came together and  quickly adapted the unit to make it possible. 

This stunning exhibit celebrates the African actors who are integral to Nollywood, Nigeria’s multi-billion dollar film industry.  The portraits are colorful, bold, and enthralling. The portraits’ sitters are adorned in elaborate mixes of traditional Nigerian formal-wear and modern Hollywood silhouettes. And the exhibit space itself is glamorous. A red carpet lined the entrance as if it were a movie premier, and one student exclaimed "Oh, wow! We actually get to walk on a red carpet!!!" Two other girls gasped, “OH MY GOSH!” in unison and then broke into giggles at their shared excitement. 

At the museum, students engaged in close-looking of various portraits, they explored the galleries, and posed proudly for their own self-portraits. Students also learned about Genevieve Nnaji, the first Nigerian to direct a film for Netflix, and was featured more than once in the exhibit. Ultimately, the best way to show how special and impactful the experience was is through students’ and the teachers' own words. I hope you enjoy the following quotes. 

"If I were to come back to this museum, I'd want to bring my brother because he's not really into museum type stuff, but I think he'd really like to see this because it's so beautiful." - Student, when asked if she wanted to return.

"I like the way her hair looks and her dress looks like a beautiful cloth. If I was wearing this dress, I would feel like I was the most important person and famous!"  - Student, when discussing a favorite portrait.

"She loves colors, she's proud to be Black, maybe she loves decorating and design, she has a really good style." - Student, when asked what the portrait was telling her about the sitter.

"This is the first time we've been on a field experience since the pandemic. I was praying ‘Is Live It Learn It going to come?!’ because I wanted y'all to plan a field experience so badly. It helps me so much and our students love it!"  - Teacher