Art We There Yet
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      January 21, 2023

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      A Mural of Affirmations

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      The Story Behind “I Am The River”

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  • BEFORE THE AMERICAS
    • Before the Americas Project

      Our Story Before the Americas

      July 24, 2022

      Before the Americas Project

      The Story Behind “Emotion”

      November 1, 2018

      Before the Americas Project

      A Mural Celebrating Perspective

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      Before the Americas Project

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      May 27, 2018

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Art We There Yet
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    • MURALS

      A Mural Celebrating Heritage

      January 21, 2023

      MURALS

      A Mural Celebrating the Sea

      December 19, 2022

      MURALS

      A Mural of Affirmations

      November 29, 2022

      MURALS

      A Mural Celebrating Mentorship

      August 21, 2022

      MURALS

      A Mural Celebrating Teamwork

      April 17, 2022

  • MUSIC
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      The Story Behind “I Am The River”

      October 30, 2022

      MUSIC

      The Story Behind “Chan Chan”

      February 25, 2022

      MUSIC

      The Story Behind “Wanderer”

      January 31, 2022

      MUSIC

      The Story Behind “Here We Listen”

      January 30, 2022

      MUSIC

      A Song from the Bonneville Salt Flats

      February 10, 2021

  • WORKSHOPS
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      A Song Celebrating Patience

      December 5, 2022

      WORKSHOPS

      A Mural Celebrating a Way of Life

      February 27, 2022

      WORKSHOPS

      A Song Celebrating Growth

      February 20, 2022

      WORKSHOPS

      A Song Celebrating Inner Strength

      February 6, 2022

      WORKSHOPS

      A Song Celebrating Healing

      March 24, 2020

  • FILM
    • FILM

      NOLA from the Streets | A Short Film

      May 13, 2020

      FILM

      The Himalaya | A Short Film

      March 1, 2018

  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • People of the Americas
  • STORIES
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      Mission Alaska Begins

      January 22, 2023

      STORIES

      Adiós to Scraggy House

      January 15, 2023

      STORIES

      A Hop to Hawaii

      December 25, 2022

      STORIES

      A Winter Wonderland

      December 11, 2022

      STORIES

      Lessons of the Abandoned

      November 13, 2022

  • BEFORE THE AMERICAS
    • Before the Americas Project

      Our Story Before the Americas

      July 24, 2022

      Before the Americas Project

      The Story Behind “Emotion”

      November 1, 2018

      Before the Americas Project

      A Mural Celebrating Perspective

      June 10, 2018

      Before the Americas Project

      The Story Behind “Be”

      May 27, 2018

      Before the Americas Project

      The Story Behind “Paso A Paso”

      May 7, 2018

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MURALS

A Sensory Path Celebrating Mindfulness

by Art We There Yet? December 1, 2019
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The outdoor Sensory Path at Tanglewood Middle School was an amazing project for us to be a part of.


What is a sensory path?

A sensory path is an invaluable tool for any school community.  It is an interactive pathway, utilizing movement and varied sensory input (such as different shapes and colors), to engage and refocus a child.  When over-stimulation and stress lead to a decrease in cognitive functioning, sensory paths are shown to help provide the sensory input that then allows the child to return to the classroom and re-center on cognitive learning.  They also help build motor skills and spatial awareness, helping build the sensory pathways of the brain.  More here.


They are also a whole heck-of-a-lotta fun!

Weaving in and out of one another, the four paths that make up this one piece, can be used solo or in teams.  You can imagine the fun that ensues when four students compete to reach the finish line!  Even José and I couldn’t resist. Once the paint was thoroughly dried, we promptly raced each other!  (I won).


The path was the brainchild of Maureen Phend, an amazing educator at the school, who is one of those teachers that just is above and beyond.  She had the idea to take the school’s existing pavers and turn them into the path.  A few weeks after our departure from Tanglewood, she sent us these photos.

She took groups of students out to use the path.  Then later she had them unexpectedly draw the path from memory.  The detail in their recollection is amazing.


Mindful Moment

You’ll see that the path also incorporates something different.

When José and I first got to Tanglewood, we were so impressed to witness a practice the entire middle school has taken on together.  At the beginning and end of every school day, the whole school practices the Mindful Moment together.  Over the announcements, teachers are asked to lower their classroom lights.  Everyone becomes still.  And the announcements lead everyone through a simple meditation.

  • Relax.  Let the worries from home and from life fade away.
  • Focus.  Focus on the here and now, on how you feel, on feeling great and excited for the day.
  • Inhale.  Feel the breath coming in and filling you with energy.
  • Exhale.  Feel your worries fall away with your breath.
  • Smile.  Smile and have a great day!

We were prepping the wall for the first Tanglewood mural when José and I first witnessed the Mindful Moment.  We looked at each other and just said, “Wow!  That is really something.  Everyone could benefit from building this into the beginning and end of every day!”

It worked perfectly that the pavers had this long “tail” of individual pavers stretching away from the grid.  There were just enough to fit relax, focus, inhale, exhale, and smile.  So we incorporated them in.  And it couldn’t have worked out better, because it serves as the perfect way to “enter” into the sensory pathway.


We are so grateful to Tanglewood Middle for having us.  We know they feel we gave a lot to them.  But truthfully, we feel they gave us more.  To hear the kids get so excited about the murals, and to feel such ownership in them…that gave us a burst of affirmation and energy that we so needed right at the onset of this journey.


art-we-there-yet-skoolie-bus-travel

Did you know?

The AWTY Patreon Family is the beating heart behind the Art We There Yet project.

Patrons pitch in $1.50/mth to help cover project costs…

…And they get a mountain of goodies in return!

40+ unreleased demos from Cora
90+ photographs from Jose
Untold stories straight from Cora’s journals
Early access to all new videos & songs
Downloads of new Cora Rose albums
Credits in the final film and book

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A Mural Celebrating the Sea

A Mural Celebrating Action

A Mural Celebrating the World

About The Project

About The Project

Art We There Yet is a project to create art and music inspired by the Americas, celebrating our shared humanity and giving back to communities along the way. Aboard a school bus converted into an art and recording studio, we are traveling 30,000 miles across 23 countries of North, Central, and South America.

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