About me
Ambray has always loved exploring and researching different cultures. In 1st grade her path in life was predetermined by a presenter ( a Japanese Sumi painter visiting her school and doing a painting demo). She decided at that point to be an artist. From a low-income family living in a high risk neighborhood, her mother taking all her and her brothers and sisters to the library every 2 weeks ( with each of them walking out with an arm load of books--tapped her into the importance of literacy at an early age).
Ambray uses different artistic skills and storytelling methods in the ArtSmart Cultural Programs she creates and has been performing these programs for the past 12 years at all APL branches. 3 years ago when she joined the outreach team...she started taking these cultural programs in outreach to Museums, community organizations, and Elementary Schools-- (targeting Title 1 Schools) in AISD, DVISD, and Manor. Her cultural programs include Oct-Dia de los Muertos, Nov-Native American Celebration, Dec-Season's Special, Feb-Echoes of Africa, April-Dia de los Ninos, May-Celebrating Asian Dragons.
She schedules up to 30 schools in a school year to receive these programs. For the past 3-4 years, each school year....approximately 10,000 to 13,000 students, teachers, and school librarians have received a program at their school (with all having the opportunity to view a program). These cultural programs have been presented to elementary students in DVISD, AISD, and 1 Manor school. She has already visited up to 80 elementary schools.
A cultural program outreach day...starts with checkin and setup at school at 6:45 am and ends with program breakdown from 2:15-3:15. A school usually schedules all grade levels to receive the program on their reserved cultural day, and can schedule up to 8 back-to-back programs on their cultural day.
All programs are literacy based (folktales or history based) using different storytelling methods such as: oral storytelling, book readings, song, rhyme, poetry, shadow show puppetry, dance, or theatrics. All programs have a lovely visual display, which she creates though either drawing, painting, image display board, ethnic clothes, instruments, and art; as well as a book display.
