One of our ArtEsteem Alumni stopped by last week to visit us at the AHC Office!
Mike Brown was a 7th grade student at Lowell Middle School and participated in our ArtEsteem program during the 2004 / 2005 school year. He worked with instructor Rodney Ewing to create his #SelfAsSuperHero portrait entitled “Glorothon,” which is also featured on pages 74 and 75 of our #SelfAsSuperHero Handbook.
"Glorothon is a half alien and half machine. Inside his head is where he controls what his arms and legs do. He has the power to do anything he wants, and what he wants is peace. He has different weapons, such as Respectoaro, which he shoots into the sky and people find it so beautiful that everyone begins to respect each other. Cupid beams help people who are in denial of love, fall in love with each other. Life beam is a weapon of mass devotion that gives life to any being or thing. The Peace Bomb Glorothon shoots out into the atmosphere and when it comes back to earth it explodes into stars and glitter everywhere. It is so beautiful that all beings - humans, aliens, animals and all creations - live together in peace. It even makes lions become vegetarians. They make a holiday called Unification Day!"
We caught up with Mike, and this is what he had to say about his time at ArtEsteem:
"ArtEsteem was more than a program. It was a way of life for me. It helped me get my creativity flowing, and I learned how to express myself on canvas. That was important for me because I get bored really easily. I was always taught that a busy mind, and a creative mind, is a good thing that should never go waste. So I did what I could to stay creative, stay busy, stay positive and have fun."
From Left to Right: Executive Director Amana Harris, Mike Brown III, Mike Brown Jr., and Art Esteem Program Manager Christina Samuelson
Mike Brown went on to graduate from Skyline High School in 2010, and became a real life super hero by joining the Navy in 2011. He is currently stationed in San Diego with his wife Ebony Nicole Brown and son Mike Brown III. We are so proud of you Mike, thank you for being awesome, and most importantly thank you for your work and serving our Country!