Written by Deborah Levine

The first thing you see when you walk into the lobby of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga is a beautiful, almost life-size print of an African-American family. Then you realize that there are prints, photographs and paintings displayed on every wall of the lobby. As you go through the halls to the various offices, there are portraits of Chattanooga’s African American leaders done by student artists.

The building is the headquarters for the Urban League, but also serves as a gallery for African American art. Warren Logan, Executive Director of the Urban League shares his reasoning for establishing the gallery.

"The arts are a virtually untapped developmental tool to be used in neigh-borhood development and in the development of our children.They need to be included in the upfront planning processneighborhood change."

James McKissik is curator of these exhibits and Urban League’s V. P. for Programming . A painter, an artist in his own right, McKissic was recently awarded an Emerging Artist Scholarship as part of the 4 Bridges Art Festival scheduled in Chattanooga April 21 and 22, 2007.

With a BS in Secondary Education and an MPA in Nonprofit and Public Management, its not surprising that McKissic oversees the Urban League’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center After-School Programs. He uses the arts to teach literacy to grades 4-6 in the after-school program called “Read & Rise.”

The “Read & Rise” program is modeled on the traditional “griot” African-American communication model where the older leaders tell stories to young people and share their wisdom with the parents. The discussion format tackles questions like “Why don’t the kids like to read? What works?” The goal of “Read & Rise” is to create a literacy-rich home where memories are made of parents reading. And provide a place where parents are comfortable using books to teach lessons. James talked about his father giving him the autobiography of Malcolm X to read and understand how a man could change and turn his life around with the right inspiration. “As my father did for me, today’s parents should set an example and keep newspapers, magazines and books around the house. Use books to teach lessons.”

The Urban League has several partners who help integrate the Arts into community development. Allied Arts, Target and the TN Department of Education have supported the after school programs for elementary school-age children. The Hunter Museum has become a major partner in the high schools. Tim Brown, Hunter’s Associate Curator for Education, talks with enthusiasm about the emerging partnership with the museum, Urban League and the National Achiever Society. The project takes 30-35 high school students through a structured training course in career planning, community building and leadership development. Through the lens of arts education, the training gives the youth experience in leadership, team building and communications.

Through a program called PACE (Pod Cast and Community Engagement), the Hunter teaches HS students skills in technology. The PACE program is combined with an informal collaboration with Art 21, a PBS resource. The result is a powerful tool for shaping young minds, highlighting individual abilities, and creating strong identities rooted in culture and history. The Hunter is creating new on-line resources with expanded access through videos and pod casts.

McKissic is an enthusiastic advocate for ethnic artists. They provide much-needed inspiration to get children away from television cartoons and hip-hop music. “Even in Chattanooga, we have a number of talented artists of color such as sculptor Calvin Lee Dennis and photographer Rebecca Love, but they are not well known. The lack of a cohesive ethnic arts community is a major factor in their lack of recognition.” McKissik is hopeful that the ethnic arts community will grow as the area’s demographics continue changing.