Students Celebrate Black History Month with Interactive Performance at Grounds for Sculpture
Foundation Academies’ students are bringing Black History to life with an interactive performance at Grounds for Sculpture on Saturday, February 29, 2020, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The annual Blacks in Wax event will feature 11 students in grades three through six performing as influential African-American leaders of the past and present.
Drawing inspiration from The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, Foundation Academies’ Blacks in Wax event builds upon the museum’s original concept by adding in performances that share the stories of African-American historical figures. A vital part of the school’s Black History Month celebration and curriculum, the event requires that students research African-American leaders, select one to portray and then write and perform their own monologues.
During the event, students appear “frozen” like wax sculptures, and as audience members pass by, they bring their characters to life through short biographical performances. The event’s focus on experiential learning helps deepen students’ connection with history as well as with their peers.
“Our scholars have worked very hard to ‘get to know’ their historical figures and understand why their contributions are significant,” said Dasha Thomas, Foundation Academies Special Education Paraprofessional and Blacks in Wax Event Director. “Through the weeks of hard work and rehearsals, students in grades three to six really bonded as they learned about the figures chosen by their peers, discovered the reasons behind those choices, and learned more about each other as people. I’m so proud of our students for working as a team, and for understanding the importance of honoring the past while living in the present. I can’t wait to see them perform this Saturday at Grounds for Sculpture.”
This year’s historical figure highlights include singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist Aretha Franklin; writer, poet, memoirist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou; abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman; and activist, scholar, and writer Angela Davis, among others.
The 2020 Blacks in Wax performance will take place at Grounds for Sculpture’s Welcome Center, Saturday, February 29, 2020, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The performance is free with admission.
Grounds for Sculpture is located at 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton Township, NJ, 08619. For more information, visit: https://www.groundsforsculpture.org/events/blacks-in-wax-a-performance-by-foundation-academy-students/
Michelle Lawlor, Marketing and Communications Associate, spearheads Foundation Academies’ marketing and communication efforts. Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Multimedia Communications from Rider University.