BRENDA WONG AOKI
Education
Earth Dance Study Guide
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2020 we had planned to do an Earth Dance in the Japantown Peace Plaza with 100 students from Rooftop Elementary School, Martin Luther King Middle School and Mercy High School. Unfortunately, like everyone else, our event was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to the day we all dance together again! As part of our original plan for the Earth Dance our project coordinator, Andi Wong, created this study guide about the history of storytelling, Japantown and how people everywhere honor the Earth.
Teaching artist and arts advocate Andi Wong currently works with teachers, students, families and the arts community as the Site Arts Coordinator at Dianne Feinstein Elementary School. A UC Davis graduate with a degree in Art Studio, Andi has a special interest in the design and implementation of integrated studies that explore the materials and languages of art - visual art, dance, music, theater, literary arts and new media. She established Rooftop Alterative School’s concept-based arts integration program, “Art Is…” (2006-2018), and has developed curriculum for numerous Bay Area arts education organizations, including the de Young Museum and San Francisco Opera. She has led arts education workshops for the Alameda Arts Alliance, Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, ArtsBridge at UCB, Lincoln Center Institute National Educator Workshop and served on the San Francisco Unified School District’s Arts Education Master Plan Advisory Committee and the SFUSD ArtCenter Advisory Board. In 2019, she was the project coordinator for First Voice’s J-town Culture Bearers Series during Cherry Blossom Festival and she continues to work with them on their Hewlett 50 Commission.
Stories
The Mirror:
Jizo:
In these dark times, Brenda and Mark would like to offer our stories to teachers, parents, guardians & anyone in need of a little sustenance for the soul.
Feed the heart
to energize the spirit
that gives us the courage
to protect our bodies
Tales of the Pacific Rim
If you enjoyed these stories check out more in our Digital Store below!
