CADA-CASA article

"Cada Casa classes start ten minutes late," says director Tymon, sitting in a circle of students of The Mural Project.

I sit and look around. Poet House Art, off of Minnesota in downtown Bend has exploded since it's expectant beginning. What started as inexpensive studio space and gallery has morphed quickly into a social lounge, music venue, and an open door for those who want to do something cool.

It's the second week of The Mural Project class and students gather on or around couches with notebooks and white paper coffee cups.  Class begins with Tymon dividing the students into two previously decided groups: "'Truck-stop group' is leaving to do a project proposal onsite, 'Mate group' is staying here to work on planning and finalize drawings."

Tymon sits with me a moment to discuss how he became motivated to start CADA-CASA and future intentions. His experiences in Cusco, Peru where a strict emphasis on performance and meeting standards made up many of the childrens education heavily influenced his ambition. He observed "there was a disconnection between the childrens perception of education and its relation to their life." In response he brought college students and volunteers into the town to teach screen-printing, web-site developing, musicianshop and more.

"CADA-CASA is a community-based education organization aimed to connect educators and students of all ages. Our goal is to redefine education as a life long process that comes from passionate members of our community."
It's guiding principles, given more attention on the CADA-CASA homepage, are Explorative Learning, Positivism, Community Awareness, and being Evironmentally Conscious.

Everyone has assumed action stations. Half have left. The other half opened notebooks or have pulled out sketches of proposed images for the Mate Bar mural. The mural itself will be painted on the brickwall of Tin Pan Alley one floor below.
There are about 10 students left, all teens, in the gallery with teachers who give direction, mediate questions, and collaborate mural plans.

It's a simple formula. Bring people who have something to teach together with students who want to learn and pair this with fascinating and explorative subject matter.
The Mural Project also seems simple enough. Divide into two groups, pick a theme for each mural, draw, translate onto large scale using a projector, combine everything together, and paint the wall.

I start looking over shoulders. CADA-CASA student Nicole is drawing mushrooms. She explains to me the theme of mural is urban environments returning to nature. "It's like the book Waters of Babylon," a student adds. "Post-apocolyptic."

Another has drawn a yerba mate tree, thick branches with bunches of leaves. Students are drawing and searching on the computer. A planning station maps out the mural in its entirity is being scrutinized. Everyone is very involved.

The future of CADA-CASA? Being recognized as an offical nonprofit and in a year have elective classes where students can earn school credits. And growing. More students, more teachers, more collaborations and more learning.