MAKING CONNECTIONS
Aiken Center for the Arts is offering an Author in Residence Program for 8th grade students in the Aiken County Public School District through SC Arts Commission Arts in Education grant.
MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE PAST AND PRESENT
Dr. Curry, author of “The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from the Past (1830- 1960)” and “The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol. 1, A Narrative History” uses literature and storytelling alongside visual art and artifacts to engage students with the ancestral stories of his own family history bringing to light African American history right here in Aiken County beginning with the middle passage through reconstruction.
Dr. Curry utilizes stories from the past to empower students to embrace their future and create their own pathways. He demonstrates that education was crucial but not singularly sufficient for sustaining his journey to authorship. He emphasizes that it took the intertwining of education and passion to bring his book from research to reality.
This residency for 8th grade students supplies the middle school with a class set (qty. 30) of one of Dr. Curry’s books with supplemental materials for the teacher which connect the narratives in the book to the 8th grade social studies standards. After students have read narratives from his book, Dr. Curry will conduct one session with the 8th grade classes where he shows that history is alive and an important source of connection to our communities. The residency includes an exhibition of artifacts and visual art to help give form to the narratives being discussed. Extending the experience, the students are given the opportunity to explore the exhibition and write their reflections.
AUTHOR RESIDENCY PROGRAM
AT A GLANCE
This residency for 8th grade students will supply the middle school with a class set (qty. 30) of one of Dr. Curry’s books with supplemental materials for the teacher which connect the narratives in the book to the 8th grade social studies standards. After students have read narratives from his book, Dr. Curry will conduct one session with the 8th grade classes where he shows that history is alive and an important source of connection to our communities. The residency includes an exhibition of artifacts and visual art to help give form to the narratives being discussed. Extending the experience, the students are given the opportunity to explore the exhibition and write their reflections. Call our Executive Director, Caroline Gwinn, to schedule.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DR. WALTER CURRY
The Author in Residence connects 8th grade students in Aiken County Schools with Dr. Walter Curry. This project provides the middle schools with a class set of Dr. Curry’s books “The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from the Past (1830-1960) “ or “The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol. 1” with supplemental materials for the teacher which connect the narratives in the book to the 8th grade social studies standards. After students have read narratives from his book, Dr. Curry conducts a one day residency with the 8th grade classes where he shows that history is alive and an important source of connection to our communities. Dr. Curry’s book brings to life Aiken county’s African-American history. Discussions of his family history initiate conversations about the past to help students shape the narratives of their future, combining education, creativity, and passion.
