October 24, 2010

By: Robin L. from St Petersburg, FL
Comments: 17

Posted By: Robin Little
On: 4/26/2008 11:19:00 PM

My school had the privilege of having Kevin Reese, an artist from Washington, DC, come spend a week with us. He worked with our fifth graders in January to get some input about what the school meant to the students. Then he took their ideas and created a design for a moving sculpture based on the ideas of Alexander Calder. He returned this week with a white scaled model. Then he worked with our third, fourth, and fifth graders to measure, cut, sand, glue, paint, gloss, assemble, and dedicate the 18 foot sculpture. The students were included in every part of the construction of the sculpture from choosing the paint colors, deciding where to apply them and position the aluminum gears, math symbols, and children attached to it. The sculpture has become the focal point of our courtyard and embodies the blending of engineering and the arts in our school. The students have taken ownership of the sculpture because Kevin did such a fantastic job of keeping them in control of the design process. It was such a rewarding experience for all of us involved. I highly recommend you seek out this type of experience if you ever have an opportunity to be involved. Check out Kevin's website, www.schoolscuptures.com. Look for our school (Douglas L. Jamerson, Jr. Elementary Center for Mathematics and Engineering) scupture to be posted next. What an experience in design!

Posted By: Jennifer Baker
On: 4/29/2008 10:12:35 AM

I teach 11th grade design at The Charter High School For Architecture and Design. I had the pleasure of working with Bernard Collins, a spoken word artist and painter. He came to us from We The Poets, as a visiting artist through the Arts And Spirituality Center. https://www.artsandspirituality.org/ Bernard is working with us over the course of three different lesson plans. We have eighty-minute classes. Bernard is scheduled for six visits, each midway through a lesson. Bernard's work with the students adds an interdisciplinary angle to the array of lesson I am teaching this semester. The lessons we have completed so far were: 1) Fashion Design Made of recycled and found materials. -Writing poems about trash, and the elements earth, wind, fire and water. 2) Food packaging: a graphic design lesson. -Writing autobiographical copy for the package designs: linking personal identity to corporate identity. As I continue our work I will post commentary and also lesson plans. I agree with Robin Little, collaborations like these enrich the lesson and the students’ experiences. -Jennifer Baker

Posted By: Cynthia Eaton
On: 4/29/2008 6:46:21 PM

Lucky--All of you,to have an artist in residency program. Fifteen years ago Washington State had a program across the curriculum and I had a writer in residence for four years ago. Funding for the program was has been non-existent for over a decade. How are these programs funded at your schools and in your states? Are these volunteer positions? Please pass on yon your secrets-Cynthia Eaton Spokane, WA

Posted By: Nancy Gerber
On: 4/29/2008 9:37:33 PM

We had an artist in residence work with our elementary children to make two dazzling mosaics in our front entry. It has transformed the school! The kids had some input in the design, however they were intimately involved in the construction process. It was a good introductory experience that gives the kids ownership of the piece as well as the process. They can now design a smaller more personal piece having participated in “ a real artist’s” design. Rather than designing the mosaic themselves they were observers of the process, so they could do their own. Additionally kids post questions near the completed mosaics such as “How long will it last? How many tiles did it take? Why is the state shaped that way?” Kids can interact with the piece in many ways. Target funds some of these grants.

Posted By: mel ruth
On: 4/30/2008 1:37:38 PM

My class was inspired by the women we met in a residence artist who came to talk to us. We knew that a residency program encourages community outreach. The artist talked to my students about how they can get involved in their community just by being designers and artists. The artist show us pieces of her work and set us free to brainstorm on how we could do something like this in ours halls, neighborhoods, etc.

Posted By: mel ruth
On: 4/30/2008 1:37:38 PM

My class was inspired by the women we met in a residence artist who came to talk to us. We knew that a residency program encourages community outreach. The artist talked to my students about how they can get involved in their community just by being designers and artists. The artist show us pieces of her work and set us free to brainstorm on how we could do something like this in ours halls, neighborhoods, etc.

Posted By: Elizabeth Roszak
On: 5/8/2008 4:25:19 PM

We get grants throught the Minnesota State Arts Board. THey have a list of certified artists in residence that have a proven track record for succesful work with students. They have grants that pay half the cost of the residency and then our school has an educational foundation that often pays the other half. Find out what larger corporations are in your area, they often have money dedicated for school grants. As for as community art work goes, my kindergarteners just finished making three huge paper mache suns inspired by the glass artist, Dale Chihuly. We are keeping these suns to hang in our school but next year we are going to donate them to a senior high rise that is in need of some energetic artwork. I had been pondering what to do with these sculptures but now I am on a mission to brighten up the lives of our seniors through my student's artwork.

Posted By: Joyce Perdue
On: 6/30/2008 11:44:20 PM

Cynthia Do you have a program in your area called Allied Arts? That is the name of the program that works with us for Artists in Residence.

Posted By: Shannon Lewis
On: 10/24/2010 11:12:25 PM

I am currently working at a fine arts magnet school for k-5. We have artist in residence who work with each class once per week. They also do larger projects through out the year that include mosaics, collages and murals that beautify the school campus. A celebration of art is presented at the end of the school year. I am going to work with the art teachers this year to bring design based learning and creating into the art curriculum. Finding ways to bring their creations and designs out to the community at large would be wonderful and would create a greater sense of purpose.