KC Family Literacy receives RAAC grant for Huichol art
By EL CONQUISTADOR
The Family Literacy Program in the Adult Education and Transition Programs division at Kishwaukee College offered a summer program in which participating families created Huichol or yarn paintings.
The Huichol project was partially supported by a grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council, which receives support from the city of Rockford, the Illinois Arts Council and its members.
The Huichol Project was developed by Carla Raynor, coordinator of the Family Literacy Program, for families in the English-as-a-second-language programs offered throughout the local communities by the AETP.
Huichol, or yarn paintings, are an art form created by indigenous people in Mexico and consist of applying wax to a prepared surface and then pressing yarn into the wax to make a colorful work of art.
The participating families in the Family Literacy Program used foam core board, wax and yarn.
The project was designed to allow parents and children to work together on the projects plus learn the history and culture of the tribe in Mexico which first created these beautiful works of art, through books and stories.
The project promotes literacy as it brings the families together to share an educational and creative experience.
“This is an extra learning opportunity that allows families to attend this class together and take the project home to continue working on it together,” Raynor said in a news release. “This project brings literacy and writing into their works as they create stories to accompany their works.” The completed works are displayed at the DeKalb Public Library and the Kishwaukee College Library.
For more information on the Family Literacy Program at Kishwaukee College, contact Carla Raynor at 815-825-2086, ext. 2910; for information on English-as-a-second-language classes offered through Adult Education and Transition Programs, call ext. 3180.
