Inspiring creativity in children

The Citizen News

Are the arts vital to providing a well-rounded education for children?

According to a recent Harris Poll released in June 2005, an impressive 93 percent of Americans said yes. Yet our new reality of significant budget shortfalls and schools placing an emphasis on test scores is adversely impacting quality arts education. Along comes Abrakadoodle, a national innovator in creative art education, to lead a renaissance in how children learn art as the 2005-2006 school year gets underway.

“Abrakadoodle is partnering with hundreds of schools and community sites nationwide to deliver remarkable art education,” stated Mary Rogers, M.Ed., CEO and founder of Abrakadoodle. “Increasingly, Abrakadoodle is taking over art education for preschools, public schools and after school programs. We are able to provide exceptional lessons, well-trained teachers and high quality materials to ensure that students enjoy all the benefits of a far-reaching art program.”

What’s unique about Abrakadoodle? It is the most comprehensive art program of its kind.  Abrakadoodle relies not on illusion but instead offers an enlightened approach to cultivating children’s creativity and knowledge of color, form and design. From working with acrylics and tempera paints to stamp art, drawing, digital design, and more, Abrakadoodle art classes inspire the best in its students. According to research published by Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/facts/), art education “makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child.” Studies suggest that students regularly participating in a broad art program are much more likely to experience academic success.

Through its hands-on classes in painting, sculpting, collage, mosaics, and sketching, Abrakadoodle teaches history, style and technique from such old masters as Renoir, Chagall and Monet and modern masters as Mort Solberg, Korky Paul and Lisa Cherkasky. Leading its creative program design is award winning fine artist and author Lori Schue, who has directed the release of more than 1,200 Abrakadoodle lessons to date. Abrakadoodle’s Artist of Distinction program further connects contemporary artists to children in the classroom through a unique mentoring program in which select artists share their vision, style and technique, which is incorporated into Abrakadoodle lessons. Abrakadoodle’s exclusive curriculum exceeds National Standards for Visual Arts Education.

“I am proud of our work in revitalizing arts education,” commented Lori Schue, Director of Curriculum for Abrakadoodle. “We expose students to a variety of artistic styles, engage them creatively, and help them to unlock their imaginations. Beyond developing a sense of wonder, children in our program build such skills as craftsmanship and problem solving —abilities needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”

Established in 2002, Abrakadoodle (www.abrakadoodle.com) classes deliver comprehensive art experiences that immerse students ages 20 months to 12 years old in a broad landscape of activities including painting, collage, sculpture, mosaics, and more. While Abrakadoodle emphasizes active learning, its presentation of student’s final projects with such products as FrameDoodles have earned praise from parents and participants alike. The magic behind Abrakadoodle is the creative energy between a child and his/her art materials ignited by a well-trained teacher. Artist Lori Schue, author of the popular book series Artworks for Kids, and educator/award-winning franchise developer Mary Rogers, M.Ed, created Abrakadoodle’s imaginative national curriculum.

Thursday, July 7, 2005   
     
  Arts collaborative drawn to boost education in county schools

By Heidi Price, Staff writer

hprice@observer-reporter.com

At one time, in Washington Park School, there were seven music teachers.

Now, one teacher instructs students in kindergarten through second grade, another teaches third through fifth grade and a third teaches middle school and high school music.

"At one point we did have a string program. Many years ago, there was a guitar lab," said Cindy Gregg, who teaches music to third- through fifth-grade students at the school. But Gregg sees her students only once every six days, a schedule that doesn't allow them to retain information.

It's not the school district's fault, says Gregg. Administrators support the arts but also face state and federal pressure for students to perform well on standardized math and reading tests. There are also financial factors; a decided difference among Pennsylvania school districts between the haves and the have-nots.

Joycelyn Gazi, an art teacher at Bentworth Elementary Center, feels she also works in a district that values arts education. But Bentworth can afford only about one school-sponsored outing a year at each grade level. And many cultural organizations, an hour's drive away in Pittsburgh, concentrate their outreach efforts on nearby school districts.

"Many times we go to different museums, the Carnegie, the Warhol. They really do appreciate what they're seeing," said Gazi, who has taught art for 33 years. "Anytime we've collaborated with any museums they've been wonderful. It all boils down to a cost factor."

Sarah Tambucci, executive director of the Arts Education Collaborative in downtown Pittsburgh, plans to change all this.

Armed with a $165,000 grant over two years from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Tambucci and the AEC hope to bolster arts education in the county through professional development, a network linking art and music teachers, and assessments of school curriculum to ensure it meets state standards.

The AEC, formed following a 1998 conference that realized the need to support arts educators in the region, serves 43 school districts in Allegheny County.

Tambucci said her office is compiling and continually updating a comprehensive list of art, music and dance initiatives that do outreach in the Pittsburgh area.

AEC also has assessed the arts curricula of Allegheny County school districts to ensure that it meets with state standards.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 hurt arts education as much as it helped, Tambucci said.

While the law, for the first time, placed pressure on schools to improve their students' standardized test scores, it also established art as a core academic content.

"Read between the lines. It means teachers must be highly qualified," Tambucci said.

The AEC also offers a Leadership Academy for teachers in the summer. Gregg is among those scheduled to attend this year's session, the first week of August at Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Gazi said even more importantly, Tambucci is uniting cultural resources in Washington County.

"In Scenery Hill, there are a lot of cottage industries. There's pottery that's nationally known. There are a lot of things we have that maybe we've taken for granted," Gazi said. "It's just linking everything together."
 

Value of arts education shines in kids' faces
NEWS-LEADER.COM

 Friday, July 1, 2005

The arts — like seemingly every nonprofit and social organization — are hurting for money. Public funds have been cut to a fraction of their previous numbers. And private funds — well, it seems every group is scrambling for the same donated scraps that, unfortunately for the arts, come from a generous few.

And those few are getting fewer, I hear from arts folks.

Many are aging out of their supportive years; others make concessions to the current economy. There don't seem to be enough new supporters to go around.

Some folks don't think the arts or arts education are as important to fund compared with other pressing social needs. So it's nice to see such strong evidence to the contrary in the glowing grins of children who dance, sing and create through the Art in the Park summer program, now in its third year.

Held at the Creamery Arts Center for kids who attend the Community Center, the program funded through a grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks has continued to improve.

Eventually, curricula also may be offered as art-camp opportunities for the general community, once there is more space with the completion of Creamery classrooms — expected before next summer.

For now, the public is invited to attend performances at the end of each session, most lasting two weeks. (Call 862-2787 for performance times.) The audience I joined was mostly made up of parents and involved adults.

At last week's Springfield Regional Opera session, I was quite impressed to see how elementary kids embraced the music — even opera music — to which they danced and sang this particular week with leaders Alberta Smith and Gretchen Casey of Central High School.

Janice Fulbright of SRO accompanied kids on some tunes — and helped them sing the fast-paced "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" from "Pirates of Penzance."

Isaiah Holyfield particularly caught my eye for his joyful grin and infectious enthusiasm — exhibited with an audible "Yeah!" when he and the others completed "I Don't Need Anything But You" from the musical "Annie."

He and the other kids — in bare feet, flip flops and tennis shoes — performed dance moves to a recording of "Masquerade" from "Phantom of the Opera." Each carried masks they'd created with feathers and sequins. Dy-audre Diggs' mask was so colorfully loaded with feathers she almost couldn't see.

Opera singer Marvin Murphree sang "Oh, Better By Far to Live and Die (a Pirate King)" to the kids, several of whom kept time with bobbing heads. Isaiah grinned and covered his ears when Murphree hit his final

high note.

Other groups working with kids include Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Ballet and clay artist Nathan Falter. Curriculum coordinator Addy McCord also teaches visual art, which is incorporated throughout each session this year.

"This is the highlight of their day, when they come up here," says Calvin Allen, who directs the Community Center.

Over three years, Casey has noticed how much repeat participants have absorbed.

"They learn so much faster," she says.

In fact, says Casey, their knowledge carries over from one session, and one summer, to the next. While choreographing songs, kids already know some movements from past exposure to Springfield Little Theatre or Springfield Ballet. (While teaching what she described as a "step-cross," someone asked, "Isn't that a jazz square?")

Being exposed to the arts has opened new doors for some. Several kids have joined the Children's Choirs of Southwest Missouri, a past program participant. Others talk about getting involved in drama when they reach high school.

McCord's amazed at how much more comfortable kids feel in the arts: "We don't have to warm up the kids as much to sing and dance. Seeing it for three years, I've seen how these kids have blossomed from being in their little shells. They're not shy anymore and are willing to try new things."

That kids are building on what they learn is the best proof I know that art education over time is the key to success.

Expose kids to art — give them ownership — and we've planted the seed for a lifetime appreciation.

Or maybe a lifelong career.

GOODBYE, ENOCH

I don't know who choked up more at his goodbye reception Wednesday: Enoch Morris, outgoing executive director at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, or the people who call him friend.

A warm farewell to Morris who, after 16 successful years with the hall, leaves this week to become executive director of RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Ga.

By Melania Zaharopoulos

Hollister artist Shannon Grissom works on a painting in her studio Tuesday afternoon.

Photo by: Nick Lovejoy/Staff Photographer

A bowl of brushes lies in the foreground of Shannon Grissom’s studio as she works on a new painting Tuesday afternoon.

Photo by: Nick Lovejoy/Staff Photographer

Colorful lines of paint edge Grissom's pallet in her Hollister studio.

Photo by: Nick Lovejoy/Staff Photographer

Living commission to commission with a reliance on the kindness of others has been a long tradition for artists, and things are no different for modern-day artists, often relying on a balanced mix of sales and grants or endowments to help them make the rent while they paint, sculpt, compose or choreograph.

But the funding that many artists rely on is being divided from a vastly shrunken pool of resources reflecting major changes not only in the economy, but in the way Americans see art. Public art interests in the state have faced sharp decline -  California now ranks 50th in the nation for public arts funding -  and many creative groups and galleries have closed up shop for good.

This decrease in interest for the creative efforts of today’s artists could also spell trouble for tomorrow’s as declining art education, a byproduct of the demand for ever-higher test scores and nearly three decades of program erosion, leaves students with little training in or appreciation for artistic trades, particularly theater and dance.

“The art situation is just struggling,” said Don Jensen, a Morgan Hill-based woodworker who also works as a landscape architect to supplement his income. “If it wasn’t for the dedication of the artists themselves, we wouldn’t have much. Almost everybody has a sugar daddy or a job. There’s just not nearly enough demand for the arts in our area to support it full-time.”

In fact, just six of the 15 art galleries listed in the 2004 South Valley Phone Directory are still in business, and galleries that used to dot Northern California are fewer and farther between.

Around the country, the art scene changed dramatically following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The tragedy changed the kind of organizations most Americans gave to, and larger funding sources, such as corporations and foundations, took tumbles in an uncertain stock market, leaving less money available for distribution in support of the arts.

In a potentially disastrous confluence of events, all five major income streams for the art world - revenue from ticket sales as well as gifts from foundations, corporations, individuals and the government - have gone into decline, according to John E. McGuirk, program officer for performing arts at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park. And while art sales continue to thrive, the market has moved away from original pieces into the sale of less-profitable prints and lithographs.

“If we go back 10 or 15 years, we had an art market that was dominated by collectors,” said Charlie Clark, owner of Leedo Gallery and Framing in Gilroy. “These are people who would collect a certain artist exclusively, but that market is pretty much gone. Mainly people now are buying stuff to decorate their homes with. They don’t care who painted it. They’re going for the color to match the couch rather than the merit of the art.”

State support for art programs such as county art commissions, artist-in-residence programs and minority theater has been among the hardest hit, with funding for the California Arts Council, a state agency responsible for dispensing grants to programs inspiring tomorrow’s artists, cut by $17 million in 2003. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cut, which represented more than 90 percent of the council’s operating budget, slashed its total funding to just under $3 million between state general funds, federal matching funds and special art license plate revenues.

“We had a program that ensured there was some sort of centralized arts organization in every single county in California,” said CAC spokeswoman Mary Beth Barber.

“Since the cuts, that network has decreased. There are some counties with no centralized art organization or that are working on a strictly voluntary basis, but we can’t track that. When we lost the funding, we also lost the funding for the people that were following those programs.”

It’s a dangerous situation for the state, said Barber, because California’s creative industries rely on fresh talent to maintain profitability.

“California is great because people here are so creative,” said Barber. “But it all starts with the lowest common denominator, which are local art organizations working with communities and kids. When you don’t help out on that level, it affects the whole.”

As an example, Barber cited the multi-billion-dollar Hollywood film industry.

“Where do all those lighting technicians, those stage managers first learn to do those things?” she asked. “They typically get their first exposure in community theater. Support for the arts and for art education is almost an artistic R&D for the rest of the creative industries in California.”

Beginning in 1970, the state eliminated its requirement for art-course training in elementary school teachers. This was compounded when, in 1978, state residents passed Proposition 13, a property tax cap that resulted in budget shifts and, ultimately, large staffing and program cuts, particularly in the arts. In 1983, the state’s high school reform law changed graduation requirements, requiring students to take either one year of foreign language or one year of performing arts instead of requiring both.

In 2001, California re-introduced requirements that elementary school teachers possess minimum levels of art education experience after the state’s education board outlined course requirements for art education in 2000. However, they did not provide any additional funding for programs, said Laurie Schell, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group California Alliance for Art Education.

“In many cases, the arts programs are existing in the margins and when a school is being judged by test scores in reading and in math, districts have a hard time, sometimes, accounting for the fact that they are spending money on programs some see as extras,” Schell said.

And while studies have correlated early art education with higher test scores, increased attendance and greater creativity, Schell is reticent to place too much emphasis on debated research.

“There is a link; there is correlation, but we have to be careful,” said Schell. “The Mozart effect is not proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. This does not mean, for instance, that the arts make people smarter in math, but whether it’s good for anybody or not. Existing educational code in California says the visual and performing arts will be provided to first through 12th grade students, and it is considered a core subject area in No Child Left Behind.”

Placing emphasis on the arts now could be critical to California’s future as an arts and entertainment leader, said John Kreidler, executive director of arts education and advocacy group Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley.

“I believe one of the things that happened with the San Jose Symphony (which went under in 2003 and later reopened as Symphony Silicon Valley) was a declining base of people who fit the profile of what we know are the audience for symphonies,” said Kreidler.

“Most people who go to symphonies read music and have some experience with Western European musical style. I’m not being critical at all. I’m just saying that if you don’t keep a base of people who know that field in an area, you’re bound to sink.”

Not everyone is convinced of that idea, though. Hollister artist Shannon Grissom believes artists must be willing to work within the changing dynamics of the global marketplace like other businesspeople.

“The way most artists go about selling their work - it’s set up for the artist to fail,” said Grissom. “You sell a painting here, you sell a painting there, but you don’t get anywhere. As much as I love to do what I do, it is a product, and I’m responsible for marketing it.”

Rather than decry the move of profitable art sales from individual paintings to prints and lithographs, Grissom has embraced the trend, turning her attention toward marketing her reproductions.

Though some artists may complain about marketing and self-promotion, for Grissom, it has actually driven up the overall value of her art. Grissom’s reproductions have been popular, and as their price has gone up, the prices of her originals have followed. These days she sells most of her canvases for $2,000 or more, but it’s not by spending all her time in the studio.

Grissom estimates that two-thirds of her day is devoted purely to marketing herself, and the time has been well spent. She has a successful public access television show, an upcoming children’s book and a nomination for the first Artists’ Academy Awards under her belt, and she’s currently searching for ways to market her goods to an even broader audience.

“Right now I’m really working on the print and reproduction-ware market, which is tableware, curtains, anything that you can print a painting on, because, unlike a one-time sale, I’ll continue to get royalties from that,” said Grissom. “It’s not supposed to be, ‘Oh! I’m an artist and everyone should buy my work.’ If I stayed in the studio all day, all I’d have would be a bunch of paintings with no one to buy them.”

When it comes to younger artists entering the scene, Grissom is hopeful. Tough economic times have left plenty of pocketbooks empty, but they’ve also pulled the artistic community together in a show of strength, she said, and things are looking up on the educational front, too.

Though funding remains low, artists are continuing to produce a profit -  California artists alone registered more than $300 million last year -  and education is changing for the better.

“It’s going to take a long time to make up for the fact that, for 31 years, teachers were not required to have art in their backgrounds,” said Kreidler. “But since a year of art education is now a requirement for incoming freshmen at the (University of California) and (California State University) level, high schools are going to have to ramp up their programs. Hopefully, other schools will follow suit.”

Survey: Arts education is key for schoolchildren

This is not in conjuction with Artistry just us spreading the word of good music and fun.

PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!

This Friday At The Hotel Cafe:

the long awaited debut of

KNIFEYHEAD @ 10:00
&
IAN BALL of GOMEZ with a few friends


DJ JIM BIANCO (yes, dj jim) will spin some of his favorites tunes.

Yes thats right. "djs" at the hotel cafe... come early for the live music, stay late for the non live music.. dont miss this groundbreaking event!!! or come and get drunk..

see you there!!!

The Hotel Cafe
1623 1/2 n. cahuenga blvd

By Meg Pace
apace@clarionledger.com

Two Mississippi elementary school teachers will be recognized for their work in art education during the annual conference of the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education.

Bobbye Wynn of Natchez and Paula Cannon of Biloxi both will receive the 2005 Thad Cochran Distinguished Arts Educator Award.

"One of the best ways to seek recognition for what the arts do is recognize those in art education," said Lola Norris, the alliance's executive director.

The Thad Cochran Distinguished Arts Educator Award is given annually to those who actively promote art education in their school or community through music, visual art, drama or dance.

Typically, one award is given per category every year, but the music and visual art categories were the only two that had applicants this year, Norris said.

Wynn, a music teacher at West Primary School in Natchez, won the award for her work in music education. She teaches pre-kindergarten through the first grade.

Wynn also directs the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade choirs at First Baptist Church of Natchez. Wynn's loves include teaching music and children's voices.

"I love teaching music because it's so creative," she said. "It allows me to be creative, and it allows the children to be creative, more so than in a regular classroom."

Cindy Idom, principal at West Primary, is among those who nominated Wynn for the award. "What the children are learning in the classroom, she is reinforcing in her music program," Idom said.

Wynn put together several musicals for her students that reinforced the school's character education curriculum. The musicals covered topics such as responsibility, caring and fairness.

"She's always gone above and beyond the call of duty when it's come to music education," said Anthony Morris, superintendent of Adams County schools.

Cannon is receiving the award for her work in visual arts. A teacher for 27 years, Cannon splits her time as an elementary art teacher between Gorenflo Elementary and Jeff Davis Elementary, both in Biloxi.

"She is a fantastic art teacher," said Susan Patterson, principal at Gorenflo. "She extends her classroom into the community and the community back into her classroom."

Cannon works with the Ohr-O'Keefe Art Museum in Biloxi and has been instrumental in getting students' art displayed there, Patterson said.

"Art education is important because it is in everything we teach: math, science, history," said Cannon.

"Art is a record of culture and time and places."

The award, which is in its sixth year, was named after Cochran only three years ago, Norris said.

Cochran is honored because of his continued support of the arts and his pursuit of arts education legislation, Norris said.