Shop Floor Theatre Company’s goal this year is to give young leaders the ability to connect their artistic expression and the desire to keep their community safe. One of the initiatives has been to partner up with mAsk The People so that they can take the lead and encourage those around them to “Mask their Face, Not their Style”.
mAsk The People, is a maker-to-market initiative, where artists, designers and community activists are engaged to help put their unique designs on reusable multi-layered filtration masks to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Masks are a critical part of keeping our community safe during this pandemic, and being able to provide proper PPE for our youth programs is vital for the safety of our participants, staff and the greater community we serve!” says Kendrick Jones, executive director at Shop Floor Theatre Company.
“Being able to team up with an organization such as mAsk The People not only will help encourage our youth to be a part of the collective fight against the virus, but will also ensure they can continue to express their individuality and creativity in a new way especially, as young people are re-entering clubs and schools,” Jones added.
“The real challenge is to change peoples’ behavior and attitudes towards wearing masks,” Garvey Chui of mAsk The People said.
“This is why we wanted to help make wearing masks fun and a way to express one’s identity through unique designs. Hence, Mask Your Face, Not Your Style!” Chui added.
“In partnering with us, mAsk the People is providing critical masks in a fun and artistic way that allows our youth to continue to express themselves, while going back into society safely”, Jones said. “Our young leaders will be role models in creating the change in our community,”
“We’re really grateful to the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, who provided us with financial support to donate these critical masks to the communities in Flint, Michigan,” Chui said.…”Not only do we help communities of artists, but our masks are manufactured by an US-based company who employ out-of-work and retired tailors and seamstresses. We also give a portion of the proceeds back to various community charities, to ensure that each mask not only protects us from the virus, but also benefits all stakeholders involved.”
Shop Floor Theatre Company is a non-profit based in Flint, Michigan who create original and transformative place-based theatre arts with – and for – people of all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds. They use community-centered theatre techniques to provide expressive-opportunities that encourage civic dialogue and engagement, and promote sociocultural awareness.
For additional details, visit https://www.sftco.org/ and https://m-askthepeople.com/.
