Our Philosophy

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

"Implementing curriculum means esteeming morality and doing inquiry learning" (Zhang, 2022, p.340). Our curriculum will prioritize the inclusion of BIPOC, Indigenous, African American, Asian, and Middle Eastern artistic traditions. By centering these perspectives, we seek to create an environment where participants can see themselves and their histories reflected in the learning process. We will ensure that the content of our workshops is not only relevant to the participants’ lives but also connects to their cultural backgrounds. We hope that the knowledge gained in the workshops can be used outside to inspire participants to engage with their communities, advocate for social change, and explore their artistic identities. By incorporating local artists, historical narratives, and contemporary issues we want to use art to resonate with the NYC community. Our workshops will emphasize collaboration and conversation, encouraging participants to share their thoughts and experiences. This dialogue is essential for building a community of learners who are invested in one another’s perspectives. By bringing together participants of different ages, we will create a dynamic exchange of knowledge and experiences. This interaction creates mutual respect and understanding, allowing for the sharing of wisdom across generations.Through storytelling and hands-on activities, we will prompt participants to critically examine their identities and the cultural histories that shape them. This reflective practice empowers individuals to understand their place within broader societal narratives and to challenge dominant histories. 

Critical Race Theory

Acknowledging the need for racially diverse and culturally inclusive curricula in public spaces, we aim to use our Threads of History curriculum to ensure that the histories and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are shared within and across communities in public libraries. By using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a framework, we seek to challenge hegemonic narratives that often dominate educational settings leaving “the lived experiences of people of color marginalized and left out of classroom discourse”, ( Yosso, 2002, pg 100). For example, lessons on Black History through African dance and drums may not show up in traditional formal curricula in classroom lectures; but, in our curriculum learners have an experiential opportunity to participate in “dancing the history lessons” while learning traditional dance movements and hearing oral lectures from master teachers in the field. This participatory learning experience contextualizes Black History to offer kinesthetic understandings to community members which contrasts traditional curricula that center on the white experience and Westernized ways of learning. Thus, we believe history moves and threads together. 

Critical Pedagogy 

Paulo Freire encourages learners to question and challenge societal norms and power dynamics. Through critical discussions about art and history, participants develop critical thinking skills and become active agents in their learning. “Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other” (Freire, 1985, p. 72). Through these series of workshops we hope for participants to engage in that “hopeful inquiry” that is exhibited through relational understandings of place, with the entanglement of space, and the interdependence of the connections built within the community. We hope to utilize critical pedagogy as a framework for centering storytelling as a vehicle of learning. We will amplify the counter narratives that are often ignored or dismissed. We will enhance stories of BIPOC folx and in this way reshape the stories we tell ourselves, each other, and the world. By being in connection in the community, we hope participants will enjoy ancestral knowledge through a myriad of experiences. The hope for these experiences is to bring the community closer together to weave our threads of history into liberation.