Bâches d'exposition présentées pendant les Journées Européennes du Patrimoine 2022 au château d'Azay-le-Rideau.

1. Cette exposition présente les productions réalisées par un groupe
d’élèves de Christopher Perkins, enseignant à la Felix Cook Fine
Arts School, dans le cadre d’un projet conduit durant l’année
scolaire 2021-2022 au château d’Azay-le-Rideau, en partenariat avec
Karine Parker-Lemoyne, directrice des programmes de l’Alliance
franco-texane pour les arts de Houston.
Ce projet « Soyez la Paix, Soyez l’Espoir » s’adressait à des enfants
âgés de sept à dix ans issus des quartiers défavorisés de Houston et
visait à leur enseigner des compétences sociales et émotionnelles à
travers des activités artistiques et culturelles à distance.
LA GRANDEUR EST EN MOI !
L’équipe de l’Alliance franco-texane pour
les Arts et du programme Be the Peace, Be
the Hope (BTPBTH).
Aurélie, médiatrice du service culturel du
château, réalisant une visite guidée en
ligne.
Les élèves ont travaillé sur le thème de « La grandeur est en moi ! »
et la notion de chef-d’œuvre avec pour exemple le château d’Azay-
le-Rideau. Un exemple de chef-d’œuvre architectural édifié grâce aux
compétences d’artisans et de bâtisseurs dont le travail en commun a
contribué à la réalisation de ce monument d’exception.
Les activités privilégiaient une approche sensorielle afin de constituer
une « boîte à outils » de compétences sociales et émotionnelles
destinée aux élèves. L’objectif de cette « boîte à outils » était d’aider
les enfants à identifier leurs valeurs, comprendre leurs émotions et
renforcer leur confiance en soi afin d’améliorer leur bien-être.
Les élèves de la Felix Cook Fine Arts School réalisant un atelier sur les blasons.
Remerciements : Bettina Gardelles, attachée culturelle à l’ambassade de France / Cynthia
Ouedraogo, coordonnatrice (BTPBTH) / Diana Vasquez, animatrice (BTPBTH) / Karine Parker-Lemoyne,
directeur exécutif et des programme de l’Alliance Franco-Texane pour les Arts & BTPBTH / Christopher
Perkins, directeur des Beaux-Arts de l’école primaire Felix Cook.

2. Synthèse :
Les enfants conçoivent une
œuvre, témoignage de la
grandeur qu’ils et elles ont
trouvée en eux.
Restitution & valorisation
(septembre 2022) :
Les travaux artistiques sont
exposés au château d’Azay-
le-Rideau.
Séance 1
(novembre 2021) :
Les enfants de Houston
découvrent en classe les
odeurs et les sons provenant du
château.
Séance 2
(21/11/2021) :
Visite en live stream du
château axée sur la découverte
sensorielle de la séance
précédente.
Séance 3
(17/12/2021) :
Visite thématique en live stream
des décors de Noël du château
sur le thème de la gourmandise
suivie d’une dégustation de
mets consommés au château.
Séance 4
(21/01/2022) :
Visite thématique en live stream
surl’architecturedumonument.
1
2
3
4
Extrait vidéo
d’une séance
en live stream
DÉROULEMENT DU PROJET
La découverte du monument s’est faite progressivement, au fil des
séances, pour ne pas dévoiler tout le château dès la première visite.
Chaque séance était consacrée à un sens. Cette approche par le
sensible s’est traduite par la découverte de parfums et d’odeurs, la
dégustation de mets et de produits consommés au château. À la fin
de ce cycle, les élèves ont créé leur propre chef-d’œuvre, synthèse de
leur souvenir du château et de leurs émotions personnelles.

3. ŒUVRES DES ÉLÈVES DE LA FELIX
COOK FINE ARTS SCHOOL
Through Cubistic Eyes
« My mother inspires my painting because she inspires me.
She supports me, and she takes care of me when I am
sick. I used different faces in my painting because another
inspiration I have is Picasso and cubism. I thought the castle
was beautiful, and to see the generations of families that
added decorations to it was impressive ».
Priscilla Contreras
Counting On You
« Thank you for showing me what the inside of a real French
castle looks like. I will never forget it ».
Samantha Soto

4. Bubbles
« I am a happy, bubbly person by nature. The bubbles are my
dreams floating up. I have to make sure that they last and
come true. The block maze inside my dress is my journey
through life. The French castle food tasting and smelling
sample scents from the castle were my favorite part of the
Castle tour ».
Ajah James
Vero of Samothrace
« My picture is based off the Greek statue Nike found on the
island of Samothrace. The winged victory is just like my mom,
who is very brave and never gives up; she is an angel in my
life. The patterns in the collage squares are like the bricks
from the castle holding the picture together ».
Norma Rodriguez

5. Messages
« I painted a picture of what I thought it might look like in
El Salvador. I wanted it to be colorful and have a blue moon
peeking over the horizon. It is raining gold. Parts of messages
can be read, but not all of them because it is not for everyone
to know. I am inspired by my family. I wanted to eat the food
that was on the tables in the castle, but they told me it was
just a realistic sculpture by an artist ».
Madelyn Lopez
Honeycomb
« This painting represents my family. Part of it represents
bees because bees work together in a honeycomb like my
family works together inside the home. My family supports
each other like my dad; he always comes to support me in my
art exhibits. My family always tells me that I am going to be
great in life and have a wonderful future. Also, some of the
elements in the painting are things that I need to improve
in myself, like I don’t talk too much to people. I need to
improve that. Also, the builders who made the castle were
very creative with their designs. I admire their hard work and
dedication ».
Andrea Serrano

6. Care
« Your mom inspired me to make this piece of art. She runs a
home health care company and is very caring. I wanted the
house to be made of gold to show it was valuable. One of the
windows is an art palette showing my passion for being an
artist. Having the tour go through the castle with the camera
was like playing a video game from the first-person point of
view. I liked it ».
Saniyah Oliver
MVP
« When I get older, I want to be a football player and take care
of my family. My mom inspires me to be great and believes in
meevenwhenIdon’tbelieveinmyself.Itwasexcitingactually
to see a real castle and what goes on inside, so I tried to do
the shapes and patterns I saw in the castle on my art piece ».
Noah Penny

7. Blossom
« I like the flowers that bloom and grow in front of the castle
and around it. I imagine they smell like lavender. If I lived in
the castle, my coat of arms would be my flower. So, I made
the shiny bulbs white and yellow in the background to be like
the Christmas lights we saw in the castle ».
Keyla Rivera
Calming The Storm
« The fiery red hair and skin symbolize my emotions. My
painting is about my best friend who helps me with my
emotions. I want to be just like him because he is smart and
thinks before acting. The dark blue dots are actually the
number of times that my friend helped me when I was sad.
The light blue shapes clustered in the spiral are stars that
represent hope for my future, my dreams, and my education.
The castle’s Christmas decorations were the most special to
me. Each room was completely different and prettier than the
one before it ».
Leslie Garcia

8. Potential
« The two things I wish to do the most are dance and art. My
mom inspires me to do my best and what I want to pursue in
life. The gold is to show how important they are to me. She
loves to work out and believes my hard work will pay off.
I enjoyed learning about the castle and how old it was
historically ».
Briana Ibarra
Life Assemblage
« These puzzle pieces represent part of your life. The patterns
and decorative designs represent the images that I saw in
the castle in France. I tried to imitate them in my work. I
used puzzle pieces to describe parts of me that are important
and have been impacted by my experiences in my life. For
example, one of the eyes is my viewpoint, and the other is
the viewpoint of my sister. Often, she is like a third eye or
even my other eyebecause she sees things with a different
perception that helps me make better choices. The castle
experience was great, and the patterns inspired me as they
helped me form the background in my picture ».
Dulce Donate

9. Artist Party
« The colorful patterns are both the ones seen in the French
castle and bright, colorful lights at a celebration. The
celebration is my life and my future. The brushes hang on
curtains that are pulled open, giving a peek into where I am
going. My mom is my inspiration and the hostess of my life
party. Without her, there would be nothing to celebrate. Oh,
and all positive people are invited to my party! ».
Morgan Stewart
Bridging The Gap
« My fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Klimitchek, brought me back
to real school to learn and improve my English. Math symbols
are added because I have a passion for math, and the pallet
is gold because I wish to pursue art as a career. The patterns
from the castle inspired me to use so many designs over
lapping each other. The gold palette is in a field of red to
show how intense and passionate I am about art. The left
side is mainly covered in yellow because yellow is an exciting
color when you are younger, like school is being made to be
compelling by teachers ».
Kenya Rivera

10. Eye of Horus
« I chose the eye because it came to me when I was in a calm
state of mind. I wanted the eye to see. Sometimes, people
have memories that go in the eye, and they see feedback in
their memories. I wanted to represent something like that. I
enjoyed the Castle tour, but I liked the tasting the most ».
Kayden McKnight
Queen Bee
« A crown floats in the middle of my painting, surrounded
by patterns from the French castle. A glow comes from
the crown that represents my mother’s energy. She is the
queen of our house and our lives. Many are outside looking
in and judging her, but they do not know what is truly going
on or what’s inside of her. She is my inspiration and my
queen. I liked tasting the food from the French castle, and I
really enjoyed seeing the holiday decorations in the different
rooms ».
Brenna Martin