Jess Smoot

For this academic year, I worked with students on creating “teacher personas” based on their
experiences in their school classrooms. They each made costumes for these personas, then wore them while we improvised different scenes that might happen in their school. Their performances ranged from angry and over-the-top to gentle examples of what empathetic teaching can look like, sometimes within minutes. Though the scenes may be fictional, through them we can see an honest picture of the range of experiences my collaborators have at school every day, and the complex emotions that accompany them. Documentation included: Audio track of each student’s teacher personas, accompanied with two of the “teacher costumes” created (with added embroidery by Jess). If displayed, they should be shown together.

Artists:
Chloe Edwards
Jimmie Flournoy Jr.
J’Khyli Ollie
Olawale Jenyo

What would the classroom look like if students were given agency over their education? During my residency, I will be working with a group of students to create a collaborative performance piece exploring pedagogy, learning, and oppressive hierarchies in education. The process will engage my collaborators and their viewpoints with developmentally appropriate versions of radical pedagogy theories (especially those of bell hooks and Paolo Freire)  and will attempt to embody what a student led, radical classroom could look like- all while embracing silliness, whimsy, and vulnerability. By the end of the residency, we will have a performance piece about what a reimagined classroom could look like that will be performed by student collaborators for their school community, with the possibility of a script that can be performed by adult collaborators in a professional art setting.

How would you change the way your school day went, and what would you learn? Artists in Public Schools Artist in Residence Jess Smoot worked with student collaborators to create an original performance piece to answer these questions- and more!

“Over the course of the school year, we’ll move, write, and play until we make a performance to share with the whole school, and with the whole city of Chicago. If you like dancing, singing, acting, or just are excited to share your story, you might enjoy trying your hand at performance art!”