Family Legends

Wow! The organizational meeting of Family Legends was Saturday, April 9. The group included Twig Murray, president, Northern Virginia Fine Art Association; Sushmita Mazumdar, artist, graphic designer and book artist; Ruth Reeder, Alexandria Archaeology Educator Coordinator; Jen Hembree, Alexandria Legacies; Taki Sidley, T.C. Williams Photography Department; Nancy Boxall, T.C. Williams History Department; Mary Anne Weber, former editer of the Alexandria Gazette Packet and member Living Legends Board of Directors and myself, Nina Tisara, founder and director of Living Legends of Alexandria.

We identified major goals

• develop an appreciation of and skill in photojournalism and story telling
• foster artistic creativity in children
• expand the reach of the Archeology Department's oral history program to children and families

A specific goal is to encourage participation by Alexandria's diverse ethnic and racial populations.

As we reviewed our backgrounds and our hopes for this project, two separate paths emerged with activities that would result in different products but that could come together in the Spring of 2012 with a single event, perhaps a multi-media show and exhibition, that showcased the work of the student participants. Each would focus on Family Legends.

One path would lead to book-making workshops for children; the other would result in documentary stories and photographs by students.

If you appreciate Art...if you like History...if you enjoy working with young people...if the notion of Family Legends lights up your imagination...here's your chance to get involved at the very beginning as the project.  Your ideas can help shape the project.  Definitely a wow..

Nina Tisara