I brought this question with me to Urban Con at the Urban Art Gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in November. Artists B/ue Robin and Jae Martin had brought creatives together to express and showcase their powers. My mission was to take away lessons that I could bring back to my classroom, and that would help to shape how I use my own superpower. 

When I arrived, I opened my heart and eyes to learn what parts of each of their stories would guide me along my mission. Each level of the gallery brought a new edition to this series. The adventure began on the bottom floor. The quest was to uncover how comics morphed into cartoons - how animation became digital painting. This leg of the mission brought forth the talent of some of the younger heroes, the future of the art world.

As I emerged from the bottom floor, I took in the neighborhood that surrounds the gallery. What lessons do I take from this neighborhood in Philadelphia? The hum and feel of community that surrounded the Urban Art Gallery was palpable. The large window on the second floor served as a beacon or signal to bring people in for fellowship, reflection, laughter, and love. It draws people into this center of community. 

The next page turned, and I entered floor two. Each wall was designed in panels as a comic book is laid out. The details of the speech bubbles for all the pieces brought the implied dialogue to the forefront. All the words that were needed were the name of the piece and artist. Art tells its own story, and those stories are different depending on who is interacting with the piece. The journeys of each of us were different because the light and stories we received are a part of our own stories. Among the art, our superheroes floated among those of us who came to learn. The joy and buzz in the room surrounded me as I found myself drawn to the replica of a comic book (The Living Comic) displayed in the window. Here, artwork from multiple artists was shown. No obvious theme connected the pieces but stepping away and taking in the visual as a whole, I was left with a sense of power. Each of these artists were showing the spectators how they see the world and more importantly learn from the world. This expression of their superpowers through multi types of mediums showed strength. It made sense that this would be the middle floor because it served as the connection and what held the journey together.

After meeting and learning from some of our heroes on this floor I ventured up. At the apex of the gallery is where art imitated life- real life scenes and people brought out through 3D and 2D art. The details from the vintage comic book display, the black and white painted furniture and the 3D printed art brought out the events and people that shaped the origin stories of our heroes. The seamless combination of street art and comic art allowed the artists to show their life adventures and dreams. Each of the pieces told a story and how lucky I was to be a part of that story. 

As I left that evening, I contemplated if I had completed my mission. What was my superpower? What did I learn from our artist superheroes that brought their stories from Philadelphia, Florida, the Carolinas, New York, Baltimore, and the DMV? I learned that how we each move through the world allows each of us to create our own adventures. The artists showed me that one of the most important powers is to decide how we share our adventures with the world. 

Did I succeed in my mission? Yes, because I was uplifted by the creative spirit and stories told.  I felt emboldened to incorporate more expression through art into my classroom. It reinforced the idea that what my students need is the time to create and express themselves through art. Giving them that space in a fast paced world allows them to develop and share their outlook. Thank you to our artistic superheroes who were vulnerable in their expression and a special thank you to B/ue Robin and Jae Martin for curating this experience. I look forward to the next adventures of our superheroes.