The City of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture announced "Bridging Communities Through Literacy," a tapestry project created by Chattanooga teens and facilitated by Frances McDonald with Mark Making for the Teen Stack at the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennial Library main branch at 1001 Broad Street. The project work day will take place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the library auditorium.

All teens are encouraged to come out and participate in this collaborative project.

EAC Administrator Missy Crutchfield said, "EAC found a way to 'Bridge'—or Connect the Dots, as we like to say—this opportunity with the Library, Mark Making and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Parks Foundation through literacy and art. The timing is perfect with the new Teen Stack Center, and Mayor Littlefield's recent citywide library roundtable meeting. Also, this project is one of the first for Mark Making and the first project for the Parks Foundation where they are reaching out through arts, culture, and in a different arena."

Garnet Chapin, sitting chair of the Parks Foundation said, "We look forward to supporting further innovative projects with the City's Department of Education, Arts & Culture along with the Department of Parks and Recreation, to help turn urban spaces into public places."

Artist and Project Facilitator Frances McDonald with Mark Making said, "The 20 by five-foot tapestry piece will be a black and white collage with color highlights of monoprints and paint-ins of images provoking a movement from past to present. This improvisational, collaborative piece will hang in the Teen Stack at the main branch of the library."

The "Bridging Communities Through Literacy" tapestry project is a partnership of the City of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture; the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Parks Foundation; and Mark Making, a new non-profit with the mission of offering art education and emphasizing creativity-building skills with the goal of creating public art pieces.

Other project sponsors include Chattanooga Teen Scene and the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennial Library Teen Advisory Board.

For more information about the "Bridging Communities Through Literacy" tapestry project or the City of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture, contact Melissa Turner at 423 425-7826.