The Stage: An Interactive Art Experience

The second cohort of the PEACE Student Ambassador Program brought together high school students Jakob Wasserberger, recommended by educator Michael Brunetti, and Enoch Kodua, recommended by educator Shay Steuart, with a team of professional artist mentors: Paolo Bartolani (music), Maria Loreta Celitan (movement), Candido Crespo (visual art), and Joe Santarpia (visual art). Through a series of artist-led workshops, Jakob and Enoch developed The Stage: An Interactive Art Experience, a project rooted in their belief that art can change the world by building community through a feeling of belonging.

For the culminating experience at PAC MoCA on May 31, the students invited the public to become part of the artwork itself. Visitors contributed to a collaborative tile mural, adding color, texture, imagery, and design to individual tiles before returning them to a larger grid. Music and movement helped create an atmosphere of connection as the mural took shape piece by piece. Each contribution could stand on its own, but together the tiles became something larger than any individual could create alone. For Jakob and Enoch, this was the heart of the project: we can overcome isolation and silos by being part of something, or by making something together.