Wednesday, November 28, 2012

FEATURED 'ZINE - Mireya Perez

Cover

Pages 1 & 2

Pages 3 & 4

Pages 5 & 6

FEATURED 'ZINE - Ivette Valadez

Cover

Pages 1 & 2

Pages 3 & 4
Pages 5 & 6

Dan Moreno

This Zine is representation of a school without founding. Just like the public schools in Chicago Illinois, the Zine itself lacks parts, is abused and does not meet expectations. I tried to some how overwhelm the viewer of this artwork with disgust and anger. To stir up these emotions I left the zine unfinished. Pages were not properly folded. Each page that contained creased bubbles from to much glue stuck out at opposite directions. The viewer will most likely think they are wasting their time looking at an unfinished piece of art...or garbage.

Johanna Calva



This zine is about classroom sizes and how the crowdedness has effects on the students. the classroom sizes shoed be limited and more rooms showed open. Do to the classrooms being to crowded students don't have enough school materials and less individual help from the teacher. Students opinion does matter!! So we should take a stand and should be satisfy with the results. 

Cecilia Banuelos

Crowded classrooms is an issue that has to be taken into serious consideration. Us students are not allowed to have a say into whether we enjoy learning in a crowded classroom or if we do not. I believe that working in a crowded environment leads them to think that they are not important to teachers as teachers don't give the attention required. The lack of attention leads to thinking that they are not important which leads to lack of educational motivation from within.

Robert Aguero



My zine is inspired off of overcrowding in school. Overcrowding in school is getting worse and worse every year, we need more funding and more qualified teachers to help schools across America. Overcrowding can effect student grades because there may not be enough books or room in class. In some of my own classes there are 35+ students in one class room. 

Aniko Thomas


Most teachers don't like it, but if it helps, students should be able to listen to thier music in class. It most of the times helps them concentrate on their work. It also distracts them from other students. teachers listen to thier music in class and yet they feel we should? I will have to agree to disagree. This idea inspired me to make this piece.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012


'Zine news....

Our Guerrilla Art classes will be giving away free copies of our 'Zines about Public Education at Quimby's Bookstore at:


773-342-0910


So head over there, starting this weekend and get one of your own!

Quimby's is Awesome!

www.Quimbys.com

Monday, November 26, 2012

Samantha Vazquez

My zine shows the positive affect of listening to music during school hours. Some studies show that students who are able to hear music during doing their work in class have a positive effect. Students can listen to music during working so they can focus on their work rather than being distracted by the environment  around them.  Of course they should only listen to their music when the teacher is not speaking. Others studies show that music helps the brain process things better and function in a more productive way.

Ivette Valadez

Is it fair to punish someone if its helping them learn? Many schools don't allow student to listen to music during school. Study shows that the right type of music can stabilize a mental state of deep concentration. Yet, there are many teachers and staff stoping us from listening to music. The question is, "Why not?" if its helping us concentrate.

Julian Torres

"Music? Whats the delio?" is a zine that tries to go deep into the teen psyche about our love for music.

Elizabeth Sandoval

This zine is basically about students demanding field trips. Field trips are the extra push that get students to want to learn and remember what they learn.

Erika Rodea

More school field trips for students, the students can learn something new and have different experience  not only what they see and learn in the classroom, the students can see in different way what they learn in class.

Karina Pina


My zine defines the positive aspect there is when going on field trips and the negative aspect of not considering field trips as an option when teaching students. Kids are able to get a real life experience, opposed to the same boring routine they forcible have to follow at school. Field trips have a long-lasting impact on a students life. It is beneficial going on field trips every now and then for a class. It helps build some interest and motivation to engage themselves in their classwork when going back to their daily old routine.

Mariana Perez

This zine is about the importance of learning outside the classroom; kids deserve more hands on experiences.

Natanael Nava

My artwork is about bad funding. I think school should have better funding for students. Some schools have good funding like good books but  some schools don't they have ripped books that have been used for a long time already.

Mireya Perez

   This Zine is dedicated to our schools funding and how it affects the students of our schools. Is it up to us to save our own.? Who will help us and will our problems be solved and if not where will all these kids end up with a lack of a good education due to lack of school funds. So my question to the viewer of my Zine is how can you as an individual help out your community.

Izzi Mariche

In this zine I am focusing on school funding, specifically on fundings for art and music teachers. Many art and music teachers don't get enough fundings, it's like their voice isn't heard. They have a voice!

Jesus Macias

Students would fight for their rights no meter what.
because we think we could get better stuff for our school one 
thing that we all want is to have better service in school. 

Luis Munoz


Stephon Jones

well from a long fight for may days cps teachers  and the board of educations made a deal
with the cps students of what they want..which was clean bathrooms in there schools so they can feel
safe of using the bath room. and in the picture it shows a group of people standing up for whats right
and that is to have clean bath rooms and the words on the said is "we dont need no education, we dont need no school controls.

Lisa Huang

My topic is aout cleaner bathroom. I found images and texts that related to my topic. Then I put it into a slant way for my layout. By doing this project I knew more about school restrooms and how the school mostly work. Also, need time and patient to get my work done by working with the images and texts for each page. I have fun working at this booklet and chose nice images.  

Alfredo Gomez



This zine is about how schools need better bathrooms. Our bathrooms are bad, we have broken sinks and graffiti all over the walls and stalls. Some students dont go to the bathroom because they are bad and stink. We need better bathrooms like no broken sinks, no bad smell and toilet paper and soap because using the bathroom is important.

Mario Fox




The art describes how students are being tired due to long hours in the school and seeing that the students dont want to stay and listen to long lectures. These students dont want to stay in school all day because due to the long hours they wont have enough time to live out the rest the day. Its not good to have long hours in school because it drains the students energy by just listen to the teachers while sitting in a chair all day long.

Yating Deng



My Zine is about the negativity for having a longer school day. It will only make students suffer and exhausted after  a long day at school. It affects students in many ways, such as cutting class, stressed out, bored in class and more. Students only have certain amount of energy in school and thats the main reason why students cut class. So having a longer day is a bad thing.

Jessica Cazares

My artwork is about how the longer school day affects both students and teachers.
I talk about how the extra time is no help and causes students to be even more stressed out and tired. Also, the extra time teachers are taking out of their free time to think of extra work or lessons to give students. These are all things I used to show that the extra time in school isn't such a good idea.

Cecilia Banuelos


Jonathon Aguilar

My Zine is about how CPS has and keeps their schools crowded. Each classroom has about or more then 25 students and which they constantly shove more children into a class. Thus making the classroom is extremely crowded. It is hard on the students and the teachers but mostly the students because the teacher wont have enough time to go to each student and help them out individually. Also there aren't enough school supplies to go out to each student. This is the theme on my Zine which is about the crowded CPS classrooms.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Here Come The 'Zines!


So sorry for the delay...technical difficulties. However, those are being solved.

We have been creating all along... in fact are on our 3rd Guerrilla Art Action! Other art actions will follow soon after.
So stay tuned!

'ZINES!!!!!!!

After the first Chicago Teachers Union Strike in over 20 years, CPS students wanted to know what it was all about. We had a lot of discussions in class about Public School Education issues. Students pointed out that during the strike the T.V. showed a lot of people talking; Mayor Emmanuel, parents, teachers, union, & CPS bosses... but few students. They felt disenfranchised.

So, I asked THE STUDENTS how they felt about their public school education.  What works? What doesn't? What do they see as problems? What do they think are the solutions? Students worked in groups to choose & address issues that mattered to them: smaller class sizes, standardized testing, length of day, resources & equipment, inequity, violence, student voice, and many more.  Students researched their issues for facts, statistics, information, solutions.

Then they created their 'Zines using the collage/cut & paste method. They used Chicago 'Zine culture as example and inspiration. 

The following images are sample pages from each student 'Zine. Copies of the 'Zines have been passed out to a school in Missouri & into the Chicago community where certain lucky people will keep a copy!

We hope that those of you that see the images and/or RECEIVE A 'Zine will:

  1. go to this blogsite (can use the QR code on back of 'Zine or the blogsite URL)
  2. find a sample page from the 'Zine you received
  3. read what the student artist wrote about their issue
  4. submit your own comment 
  5. please be respectful and supportive in your comments
  6. Tell others about it so they can see for themselves!

I want to say thank you to my former student (and amazing artist/advertiser) David Sanchez for designing our QR code sticker that will be attached to all of the artwork we put into the community.

Also a big thank you to my daughter Zoe Xanos (also an amazing artist & computer whiz) for changing the stickers and making them fit the current classes.

Thanks to The Art Institute of Chicago Teacher's Center for all the free copies!!!

Where would I be without such great people to help!

Here come the 'Zines!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Announcing Guerrilla Art Class 2013!

We are an unusual class in a Chicago Public School. Our Multi-Media Art class has been adapted to create Guerrilla Artworks. Our goal is to be more than students making art projects. My students are functioning as artists in a collective who will make art that will be put out into the community. Community can be defined as school, neighborhood, city, other states, other countries, cyberspace even!

We create artwork that has specific messages that the students choose. Those messages may be personal, aesthetic, or about social justice. Finished artwork will be displayed into our every day world instead of a gallery space. This way, people moving through their daily lives have access to art at any moment. Viewers are confronted by art when they least expect it. People may see work posted at the grocers, local business, on the street, or even receive an artwork to keep.


We are hoping to engage viewers to not only view our work, but to also respond to the artwork through this blog. Students will regularly blog about their creative process and post images of completed pieces. Viewers are invited to find the artwork they see or receive and post their own comments and/or questions. We hope to create a conversation about art between viewers, blog followers, and the student guerrilla artists.

Please watch for our first project launch - 'Zines!