Context
Houston’s historic Fifth Ward is one of the city’s oldest African American communities. Created as a political district in 1865, the Fifth Ward is the home to some of the nation’s greatest educators, athletes, politicians, musicians, artists, business and faith-based leaders. The community is currently undergoing considerable change as revitalization efforts replace vacant lots and abandonment with new homes, schools and retail business. In an effort to preserve the rich heritage of this evolving community MOCAH is producing the Fruits of Fifth Ward Mosaic Mural project.

The art project documents the history and cultural heritage of one of Houston’s oldest African-American communities, the Fifth Ward. This project is one of twenty-six recipients of the 2005-2006 Save Our History National grant from the History Channel. As a recipient of the Save Our History grant, this special opportunity will place a local and national spot light on the cultural heritage of Texas, the city of Houston and the historic Fifth Ward community. Through a broad range of outreach activities, educational workshops and special guest appearances students from Phyllis Wheatley High School will learn about the rich heritage and history of the people, places and events that have shaped and forged their community.

Special thanks to Patricia Prather, executive director of the Texas Trailblazer Preservation Association, for her extensive research on many of the individuals that are recognized in this mural project.

Goals

Purpose
The Save Our History workshops instill a sense of community pride in students, residents and teachers and provide a unique, interactive, way for our youth to study and appreciate national and local history. The workshops allow the students to learn about the historical significance of their community by engaging them in hand-on activities such as the recording of oral histories, the mapping of headstones at a local historical cemetery, and community outreach days were residents are invited to bring in old photographs, news articles and other reference materials that will be scanned into a computer system in order to develop a digital archive of the history of the community. The desired outcome of these activities is the creation of a four-part tile mosaic mural which will reflect the people, places and events that have forged the Fifth Ward into the community that it is today and it will become in the future.

Methods
MOCAH will engage approximately 30 high school students and community residents in a comprehensive research, design and production process that traces the early history of Texas, Houston and the Fifth Ward community from 1865-2006. This series of workshops will be conducted at Phyllis Wheatley, one of the oldest high schools in Houston, from February 15 – May 10, 2006. Through these Save Our History workshops the participants will work alongside a team of historians, elders and professional artists to explore, research and document the history of the Fifth Ward and related Texas history.

The Save Our History Educators Manual, provided by the History Channel, and lesson plans were created in collaboration with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). These lesson plans will provide a structured process for how the students will research and organize their work for the creation of the mural designs. The lesson plans include local history activities that focus on developing key preservation skills in students at the high school level. By exposing students to the rich historical resources that exist in their communities and encouraging them to take an active role in the preservation of local heritage, Save Our History helps develop the next generation of historians and preservationists.

Phyllis Wheatley High School students preparing timelines.

Research Phase
Using audio and video taped interviews of elders, historians and area residents, the students created a chronological timeline of series of events that depict the history, architecture, work life and development of the community. The Texas Trailblazer Preservation Association's historical guide was used extensively to introduce the students to historical figures from the Fifth Ward. The students photographed, document and journalize the oral and written history of the community and this data has been compiled for the creation of an instructional kit for use by other schools, community groups and educational environments.

Phyllis Wheatley High School students use historical photographs and news articles to create design for mural project.

Design Phase
Upon completion of the research phase a team of artists guided the students through a 27 hour design phase. During the design phase the teams used their research, reference materials and timelines to compose a collage of the people, places and events that occurred during each bicentennial. Next, the artists teams completed a 350 hour production phase during which the teams constructed and assembled handmade and commercial ceramic tiles for the mosaic mural series. Each mural will serve a pictorial narrative reflecting 47 year time increments, from 1865-1912, 1912-1959, 1959-2006.

Dedication
The mural project will culminate in a dedication and the 3rd Annual Fifth Ward Community Arts Festival, October 21, 2006, hosted by Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation. The dedication will commemorate the completion of the project, the achievements of the artists, youth and volunteer participants and our partners, sponsors and funders. Civic leaders, residents and elected officials will be invited to share their pride and joy for the accomplishments of the students and the Fifth Ward community.