Update - the 2nd SisterSMATR Fab Lab
We did it, again!
Fab Lab 2018 -2019 Commencement and Celebration at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Tech and Art High School in Long Island City, NY.
The Second Fab Lab (Fab Lab 2.0) students Atika Fariha, Wendy Juarez, Alifyea Chowdhury, Kalsang Dedong, Saima Hossain were taught by Claire Lim, Wen Na-Tsao of Berklee College of Music’s Electronic Production and Design department, Bruca Moriera and Bleue Liverpool students from the International Center of Photography. As the photos and captions attest, Fab Lab 2.0 was a huge step forward and a fun filled success! Claire taught coding and programming the Arduino Duo, brilliantly! Nana was superb and focused on Sound Design and creating DIY musical instruments using the Apple iPad Pro, conductive paint, paper and alligator clips. See the photos in the media section here.
The Fab Laber’s went on
one field Trip during Fab Lab 2.0; a photo shooting trip in the Long Island City (LIC) neighborhood led by Bruca and Bleue, who helped the girls turn the images they captured into photo books, fun, beautiful and creative. A Champion and a Sistersmatr.org supporter, Billie Jean King, gave each of the girls a gift of brand, spanking new Billie Jean King tennis shoes! The girls were ecstatic and they couldn’t believe Billie Jean King would know of or care about them. It was so refreshing to see the surprise and joy in their eyes and the smiles on their faces.
Members of the SisterSMATR Founders, JoAnn Chase and Makani Themba; and, Advisory Team members Tory Jones, Asa Arnold, Ruby Packard, Cynthia Sley, Laurie Anderson, Diane McGrath, Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, Ebony Conley-Young, Agnes Mocsy, Michele DePass and a new Advisory Team member, Marlene Graham (aka AfuaKafi-Akua) gave their time, knowledge, energy and love for teaching to Fab Lab 1.0. They gave additional support, love and praise to our young teachers, Claire, Nana, Bruca and Bleue during Fab Lab 2.0. We could not have accomplished Fab Lab 1.0 or 2.0 without the support of Robert F. Wagner Jr. Tech and Art High School, which gave us space for our program and Giovanni Gallaread, Director of College Counseling.
Thank you to everyone for another empowering and inspiring Fab Lab experience!.
Synth Coding is fun! Kalsang Dedong admiring Atika Fariha and Saima Hossain’s (not shown) demonstration of the musical instruments they created, wired and wrote code for during SisterSMATR’s ‘Fab Lab’ a 2 hour, twice weekly, 12 week after school program at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Tech and Art School in Long Island City, NY
Next Fab Lab
Fab Lab 2019 – 2020
Exploring the Imogen Heap MIMI.MU glove to control sound, lights and visuals wirelessly. Building Augmented and Virtual Reality coding skills, gaming skills using Oculus headsets. The MINI.MU is MI.MU’s make-it-yourself musical glove for young engineers. It’s a collaboration between Grammy Award-winning musician Imogen Heap, creative technologist and children’s author Helen Leigh, Pimoroni, and the MI.MU glove team. This kit uses the micro:bit to create a friendly, simple and fun crafty code experience. These gloves are a simplified version of Imogen’s more advanced MiMu gloves, used in her performances. We will help our girls learn, code, create and graduate to the Mi.mu full blown version!
Reasons why….
Racism is painful, hurtful and scars even the youngest child of color who has eyes to see the violence, inequality, double standards and ears to hear the hate, lies, slights and denials of ‘all men (and women)’ are created equal. The color of her skin equals pain & fear, not love & acceptance. What a sad moment and words, out of the mouth of a child, in our super modern, un-evolved, western civilization! We not only have to do better, we have to ERASE RACISM and exclusivity! We are as weak as our weakest link and as strong as our combined strengths!!
