Download File - Wisconsin Art Education Association

ArtTimes Spring Issue 2010
President's Message
Jill LaGrange, President
The Wisconsin Art Education Association has made a radical transformation since
1950!!!
In 1950, Albert Einstein warns that nuclear war could lead to mutual destruction, Walt
Disney releases Cinderella in Hollywood, Florence Chadwick swims across the English
Channel, comic strip Peanuts is first published, T.S. Eliot speaks against television in the UK,
the first TV remote control is marketed, Jackson Pollock developed a radical new technique,
pouring and dripping thinned paint onto raw canvas laid on the ground painting Autumn
Rhythm, Number 30 in an Abstract Expressionism style of art, a gallon of gas was 18 cents,
Nat King Cole releases Mona Lisa , an Academy Award-winning song and the Wisconsin Art
Education Association was formed to have a venue for art educators to collectively discuss
problems, policies and philosophies concerning arts in the state. Dues were two dollars
which included membership and receiving two publications, a newspaper twice annually and
a newsletter quarterly.
For the past 60 years WAEA has distributed an ArtTimes Newsletter to all of its members
and to celebrate WAEA’s 60 th Birthday the ArtTimes will unfold as an eco-friendly digital
publication available on-line at or virtual home http://www.wiarted.org/ .
http://www.wiarted.org/ is where you will find a dynamic community of practice where
visual arts teachers, scholars, researchers and professors, students, administrators, and art
museum educators, and artists come together with a passion for the power of the arts in
developing human potential.
The e-ArtTimes is imbedded into our website with many links that may already be familiar
to you as a frequent visitor of the website:
*Regional News for YAM is available through the YAM Page.
*Visioneers and VAC have their own pages
*All Board Member articles which you have found so useful in the past are on hand at the
Board News Page
*Membership News is obtainable at the Membership and Advocacy Link
*WAEA Fall Conference, Confluence website page 2010 marks WAEA’s 60 th Anniversary so
join our transformation from a black and white paper ArtTimes to a full color e-ArtTimes.
Thank you to all members for your support of arts education in Wisconsin. Enjoy!
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Editorial
Jaehan Bae, Ph. D., Editor, 2009-2011
I ask you to take a moment of silence for the earthquake victims in Haiti. It is important
that we as a country support Haiti and its people through their recovery and reconstruction
efforts.
Board members met at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan on January 9,
2010. The board discussed how we manage the digital version of ArtTimes; division and
regional vice presidents update information monthly. You will also find a series of quality
lesson plans and images of students’ artworks in the resource section of the website. All
previous issues will be stored as PDFs, so you can easily access them at www.wiarted.org.
To act upon “ecological awareness,” the theme of this issue, I would like to introduce a
Japanese-American artist who was born in Honolulu, Hawai`i. Alison Moritsugu (b. 1962)
addresses preservation of the natural environment and endangered endemic flora and fauna
in Hawai’i through her paintings, wallpaper pieces, and sculptures; her intent is to show how
human civilizations and invasive species have destroyed Hawaii’s original ecosystem and
dramatically transformed society, economy, and culture (Umberger, 2009).
Through Moritsugu’s artworks and ideas, students can learn about positive and negative
relationships between nature and humans—how they rely heavily on each other and how
human beings coexist with other creatures; they may also discover how the artist addresses
her voice of social responsibility and actions for her community through her artworks. In
addition, Moritsugu’s main concern of invasive species and preservation of a fragile
ecosystem in her home state, Hawaii, could be applied to students’ community. I don’t want
to suggest any types of studio activities because it varies greatly. Please refer to
www.jmkac.org/AlisonMoritsugu for get more information about Moritsugu and her works.
The theme of the June issue is “social justice and art education.” This is also a theme of the
National Art Education Association’s annual conference. Topics of social justice are broad
and may include gender, race, democracy, equality, activism, collective responsibility,
cultural relevance, etc. As art educators, we truly believe that art education allows our
society and world to be a better place “where the rights and privileges of democracy are
available to all” (Gaber, 2004, p. 16). You could think about how we educate our youngsters
to become sensitive, responsible, democratic, and global citizens through teaching arts.
ArtTimes welcomes articles and comments from all WAEA members at any time. Please
send your articles or comments to me at jaehanbae73@gmail.com. I also encourage you to
set up your first page of the Internet on your desktop or laptop as the WAEA website. Start
with your web browser, click on “tools,” “internet options,” and then type www.wiarted.org
in the window. Let’s do this right away so that you can see the WAEA homepage every
morning. Small changes make huge differences.
Peace,
References
Garber, E. (2004). Social justice and art education. Visual Art Research, 30(2), 4-22.
Umberger, E. (Ed.). (2009). American Story. Sheboygan, WI: John Michael Kohler Arts
Center.
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President Elect
Frank Juarez, President-Elect, 2009-2011
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Technological Shift into the 21st Century: WAEA's e-ArtTimes
The Wisconsin Art Education Association (WAEA) will be celebrating 60 years at the 2010
WAEA Fall Conference in La Crosse, WI. This celebration brings not only 60 years of
advocating for arts education, but introduces WAEA's shift to implementing the digital age of
communication. WAEA has been working very hard in setting an user-friendly platform and
revamping the website (www.wiarted.org), which will enable us to communicate with you in
a timely fashion. There are many purposes for this new change, but I think the most
important one is keeping you up-to-date on what is happening in your region as well as
throughout the state. As a member of WAEA, you will have access to new information on a
monthly-basis from your regional VPs to quarterly articles from the President to bi-annual
articles from the Awards chair.
I highly encourage you to get acquainted with some of its new features. By going digital we
are able to bring you cutting-edge information at your fingertips.
Sincerely,
Past President
Dr. Lynn Jermal, Past President, 2009-2011
A ‘village’ of strangers helps conserve Li artifacts
It has been hot and muggy all day and now it is raining. Two of the collection groups are
still out in the field. Encountering muddy, narrow paths, pigs, dogs, and dark smoky homes,
the teams are knocking on doors to meet the inhabitants of the remote tropical Li village
surrounding me. They hope to return with artifacts, saved from being discarded. They will
return with insights into a world very different from their own.
The group from Wisconsin arrived on Hainan Island in early August 2009. The drive from
the airport was half modern expressway and half a winding concrete road rising slowly
through the mountains, twisting and turning past vistas of limestone rocks and a blue sea.
Traveling in a China Exploration and Research Society (CERS) Land Rover, I joined How Man,
Berry and Xavier and slowly followed a bus loaded with my University of Wisconsin-River
Falls (UWRF) students and other interns. Clearly, the bus driver was afraid of the road.
Night was falling before we finally arrived at our destination five hours later, a Li minority
village, literally at the end of the road. Rounding the last curve you could barely see the
hamlet of thatched roofs tucked into the side of the river valley. Rice paddies in a mosaic of
flooded fields and paths surrounded it.
The interns and staff poured into the nine thatch-roofed former Li houses made into a
compound by CERS, the organization that invite us to help with arts conservation projects,
the first step in the Hainan Island project. In 2007 CERS took custody of the houses from Li
families moving into new homes built with a ration of cement and concrete blocks given to
them by the Chinese government. The architecture and position of all the houses has
remained, but CERS has put in concrete floors to replace the dirt floors and concrete and
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ock paths and steps throughout. The colored cement emulates the clay soil and the
embedded rocks make the CERS area clean with a natural aesthetic. Traditional Li houses
have thatched bamboo roofs supported by tree trunks, walls made with knotted bamboo
strips coated with mud and compacted dirt floors. Air circulates through the horizontal gap
left between the roof and walls. I lay on my cot with a wall bordering the rest of the village
neighborhood. The morning hubbub of pigs being fed, voices murmuring in a rhythm of
different conversations, roosters crowing, and other sounds of a rural community make me
aware we are, indeed, in a village- one of our own making within another-a very old and
very established but changing village. The Li houses have several families related by blood
or marriage living together, pooling their labor and sharing their resources. The women in
my hut, a Japanese journalist, a California graduate student and an interior designer from
Lijiang, were brought together from all over the world by our common commitment to the
CERS mission to preserve evidence of the history of the Li people and Hainan Island.
Meeting the people of Hong Shui Village, the last traditional intact Li village, was a rare and
unforgettable opportunity.
The process of collecting artifacts required a trip though twisted narrow paths between
interlocking houses. I organized the volunteers into three teams with one Chinese speaker
in each group. Every group had an assigned area (30 houses) to visit in an effort to collect
farming, fishing, spiritual or fortune telling tools, everyday utensils (spoons, pottery,
baskets, and knives), handicraft examples and tools. The Li were generally hospitable,
though they did not always understand the concept or value of a museum of their culture.
During the day people were away working except for the young, the mothers and the
elderly. But with appointments to return later we continued the search going back into the
village again and again throughout several days to negotiate for traditionally hand-made
items being replaced by manufactured goods and forging some new relationships in the
process.
In a successful effort we collected about 150 artifacts of all kinds and prepared, labeled,
photographed and catalogued every artifact to document the collection. We then
temporarily installed the artifacts throughout the 9 houses of the compound for safekeeping.
They will be installed in the next stage of the project when three additional houses are
added for displays on Li culture, biodiversity, and Hainan Island.
Five UWRF students, my son Dan and myself made up the Wisconsin CERS. They joined
nine other interns, a filmmaker, a journalist, a designer, and CERS staff members to work
on the conservation of the culture of the Li people, the original inhabitants of Hainan. The
students were invaluable during the Hainan Island project. They worked collaboratively,
learned new skills and were not afraid of working hard, showing flexibility and tenacity
though out the process. Everyone was impressed with what they accomplished and I hope
other UWRF students and teachers participate in the next stages of the project. The same
team had come from the Himmalayas where they installed three artifact exhibits: one on
Hunting and Fishing, one on Costumes and Weaving and one in a traditional Lisu home as a
living museum in the Lisu Hill Tribe village of Xiangguqing in northern Yunnan Province.
I will be assembling a team to go back to China in the summer of 2011. We usually spend
almost a month abroad learning about Chinese culture and working in the field. Through
their internships, CERS creates value for the minority people it serves while also building
expertise and cultural understanding in the international people who help. For seven
Americans, Hong Shui Village and Xiangguqing Village will remain vivid and memorable
experiences. If you are interested in an educational experience like this, I have integrated
art teachers on previous trips and will do so again. There are also other opportunities for
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teachers to gain experience internationally, watch for them, plan ahead, and build an
adventure into your life!
Treasurer
Dani Graf, Treasurer
The income and expenses of WAEA must be aligned with our mission.
The two pie charts illustrate in percentage, form how our money is earned and how it is
spent. At the yearly retreat the elected board sets a budget for the next year. The bulk of
our expenses go out to projects: Youth Art Month, Fall Conference, Visioneer Design
Challenge and the Visual Arts Classic.
The Public Relations slice represents our website. The greatest portion of our income comes
from our Fall Conference. Any comments may be e-mailed to your Board.
Fiscal Year 2009-2010 financial performance.
Secretary
Kathryn Hammond, Secretary '09-11
WAEA Board Meeting Minutes
March 6, 2010
Edgewood Campus School
829 Edgewood College Drive
Madison, WI
1:15 PM-3:45 PM
Attendance: Kimberly Abler, Marcia Gorra-Patek, Jaehan Bae, Maria Mason, Ruth Vander
Horck, Jennifer Sweeney, Frank Juarez, Angela Johnson , Courtney Spousta, Oberon Leslie,
Erica Becker, Amanda Acklam, Jennifer Goodnough, Kathy Walter, Ann Schedivy-Tollefson,
Stacey Cluppert, Dani Graf, Kathryn Hammond, and Jill LaGrange.
Absences: Lia Johnson, Mel Pontious, Sandy Anderson, Val Banks, Nancy Zabler, Kathy
Rulien Baries, Lynn Jermal, and Jodi Brzezinski
Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 1:15 pm
-Overview of agenda by Jill
-Review findings, motions, and discussion.
-Presentation by Jean of WAEA website.
Student Event Team-VAC, YAM, and Visioneers.
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Team members: Oberon Leslie, Erica Becker, Sandy Anderson, Marcia Gorra-Patek,
Jennifer Goodnough, Jennifer Sweeney, Amanda Acklam,
Agenda items:
YAM needs to balance out the artwork submissions to the capital. Discussion at
the retreat will be on how artworks are to be entered, and etc. Also to be discussed at the
retreat will be who will do the work Oberon has done or if the position will be broken up into
three different positions.
Be certain that all artworks that art submitted are indeed from members of WAEA.
YAM Chair and Regional Vice Presidents discussed the possibility of changing the
format of how work is submitted to YAM. Presently art is sent to Regional Vice Presidents for
Regional Exhibits and 50 works of art are juried and exhibited in that Region. Since YAM is
a state level exhibit all work would get sent to the YAM Chair and then 300 works of art
would get juried into the exhibit. Many pros and cons need to be discussed so discussion
was tabled for Retreat.
Communications Team
Team members: Jill LaGrange, Maria Mason, Frank Juarez, Kathryn Hammond, Ruth
Vander Horck, Jaehan Bae, Ann Schedivy-Tollefson, and Kathleen Walter not present.
Agenda Items:
-Board members met in the computer lab Jean demonstrate how the website
works. Members worked on new website submission forms. Forms need to be
completed and sent to Jaehan, WAEA Editor by March 25, 2010
-Every 3 months articles from a member’s webpage will be archived. Nothing will
be archived until there is a new submission to replace it.
-Make sure that the “Going Green” slogan is added to your email signature asap.
-In April a postcard will go out reminding members that the ArtTimes has gone green.
-Board members will discuss the possibility of adding WAEA to Facebook at the
retreat.
Motion:
I, Kathryn Hammond, motion to have an example of a Facebook account and also
an endorsement for the site to review at the retreat. The communication team will develop
a guideline of how the site will work.
Seconded by Jen Sweeney
Motion passed.
Professional Development Team:
Team Members: Courtney S., Angela, Stacey and Kim Abler
Agenda Items:
-3 national known artists will have their work at the Madison Children’s Museum.
Madison Children’s Museum is submitting a grant to secure visiting artists for the
Madison Children’s Museum which may be an opportunity for WAEA to Co-sponsor
the workshop/presentation. Since Madison Children’s Museum opens in the Fall of
2010 Workshops will be tentatively planned for Spring of 2011.
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-Angela will be the lead contact with the Madison Children’s Museum.
-Courtney will be the contact for the Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend,
WI. Courtney is anticipating a possible teacher workshops co-sponsored event with
WAEA and the Museum of Wisconsin Art for the summer of 2010.
-Kim Abler will pursue Arts-at-Large co-sponsored events with WAEA for spring of
2011.
-Discussed how to submit and complete Professional Development Proposal Form
-Discussed Article IX Income and Benefits: No part of the earnings of the
Association shall be used to benefit any member, any employee so therefore board
members may not get paid for WAEA while acting as a board member
Conference Team
Team members: Maria Mason
Agenda Items:
Maria, Membership Chair, has made a link to the conference site. Follow the link on
WAEA for more info. The conference will be offered as a credit through UW-L for $190.00
for WAEA members only. $390 for non-members.
Agenda Items:
Proposed online registration for VAC, YAM and Visioneers to maintain more
accurate records of WAEA membership. Membership chair will then be able to organize who
is active and who needs to renew. This will help keep everybody “okay” to participate in
WAEA events.
WAEA Available Board Positions:
-YAM Chair: Oberon has prepared all documents and instructions for her
replacement. Thanks to Oberon for all her hard work!
-Advertising Chair: Ruth will mentor a new person and has a system in place for
replacement. Thanks to Ruth for all her hard work!
-Secondary Division Representative Position- Amy Brehm resigned from the
Secondary Division Representative Position
-Middle Divisional Representative: It has been several years since this position
has
been filled and it is important to find a person to fill this position.
Webmaster Position: This position is a non-board member, hired position ($250 a
month for a typical 20 hour a week commitment). Thanks to Jean for all her hard
work!
WAEA Ballots will get mailed out early April to WAEA Membership.
Motion:
Jill motions to offer UW-River Falls the chance to design our logo since the previous
school failed to meet our expectations. Jill filled out a grant that would be offered to a
teacher/student team to develop the WAEA logo. The grant will be $750.
Seconded by Amanda
Motion passed.
The Retreat date is May 1 – 2, 2010. La Crosse, WI
Respectfully Submitted,
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Kathryn Hammond,
WAEA Secretary
Department of Public Instruction, Fine Arts Consultant
Mel Pontious, State Fine Arts Consultant
The Guide, the Standards, and the 21st Century Skills
The last column was an overview of the relation among the skills advocated by the
Partnership for the 21st Century Skills, the Action Plan of the Task Force for the Arts and
Creativity in Education (TFACE), and the new state Art and Design guide , Planning
Curriculum in Art and Design (in progress). This column will deal more in depth with how
the student-centered strategies suggested in the guide help students develop not only the
processes and knowledge of the Standards but also the 21st Century Skills. The next
column will describe in detail the teaching/learning strategies and the conditions necessary
for the development of creative thinking skills in students, an important aspect of the 21st
Century Skills and the focus of the TFACE Action Plan.
Goals of the Art Program
There are two important long-term learning goals in art and design programs:
• Mastering the comprehensive artistic content and processes
• Learning to problem solve and learning to learn and function effectively in the microworkplace
of the art and design classroom or ensemble.
Achievement of these two goals is discussed in more detail below. The Guide will contain
examples of learning projects based on these goals.
Comprehensive Artistic Content and Processes
The first goal is achieved through the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards in Art and
Design. They set forth long-term goals of developing deeper knowledge of art, beyond the
immediate abilities to draw or sculpt, to the further horizons of creating and communicating
meaning and responding to the expression of meaning in art and design products. While
excellence in structure in art and design is both a worthy and a necessary goal, the program
must also have these over-arching long-term goals to provide the program clear
direction. In addition the Standards specify as learning goals the connections among the
arts and other domains of learning.
However, in many school situations the time crunch and the expectations of the public for
outstanding art and design products at all levels (which are indeed important) drives
teachers to employ mainly direct instruction (which has its place) as the most efficient
method to get students to produce a quality pot, sculpture, or drawing. This narrowing of
the curricular focus to the mechanics of producing art has the same effect as teaching to the
test in other subjects, which may result in better test scores but yields only shallow
understanding. Some educational researchers term this ‘de-education,’ since it avoids
having students develop those problem-solving abilities that are the hallmark of a good
education – and an accomplished artist or designer. Teachers sometimes feel that
addressing the Standards is something to be considered only after the important business of
getting an exhibition ready, as opposed to the student-centered approach of regarding the
artwork as an outgrowth of the students’ developing ability to master the art and design
processes.
Problem solving, Learning to Learn and Function Effectively
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As described above, the Standards are the source for the first goal – developing
comprehensive artistic abilities and understandings. How they are taught and learned
determines how well the second goal is achieved – learning to learn, to problem solve, and
to function effectively with others. In essence, the attributes of this goal are subsumed in
the 21st Century Skills, and the art and design classroom is the ideal environment for
developing them.
Problem solving is an ideal entry point for learning to learn and to function both individually
and in a group effort, all deemed important in the 21st Century Skills. As it will appear in
the Guide and was described in the Fall issue, classic problem solving is a process in which
one must first find and define the problem; develop and implement a solution; analyze, on
an ongoing basis, both process and product; reflect on what is working, what isn’t, and
what would improve it; and then improve it.
This involves an interplay of creative (divergent) and critical (convergent) thinking,
important abilities for creative and critical thinking. For instance, when students begin a
project of improving their artistic skills, they must first find and define the
problems. Typically this takes place in a brainstorming session in which many ideas are
suggested by the students and teacher (divergent thinking), after which the list is culled to
arrive at those few that are most important and manageable (convergent). Developing a
solution uses a similar approach. Analyzing one’s work and reflecting on what’s working
and what isn’t relies mainly on convergent thinking, while answering the question, ‘what
would improve it,’ employs both divergent and convergent skills.
Although students will learn through using this problem solving process effectively, they
may not develop the ability to ‘learn to learn,’ i.e., to master thinking processes and use
them efficiently in a novel situation. To do this, they must develop metacognitive abilities -
the knowledge of and executive control of the various thinking processes. This is key to
transferring and using these skills in other subjects and in life situations beyond school. The
Guide will suggest that teachers enhance student awareness of these skills by modeling
them – “thinking aloud” when leading students through the problem solving process and
naming the thinking skills and dispositions/habits of mind used. Later, having the students
identify the skills they use in the process will help them to develop conscious control of
them and use them in other contexts.
In addition to its use both as a learning tool and a means for authentic assessment, a
portfolio can serve an important metacognitive function. By noting the thinking skills used
and their effectiveness in accomplishing aspects of a given project, students will develop the
capacity to ‘learn to learn’ when presented with novel challenges. Recommendations for
developing and using portfolios will also appear in the Guide.
Recap
This column has discussed how student-centered teaching of a Standards-based curriculum
as it will be described in the new Art and Design Guide is the basis of realizing the twin
goals of mastering the skills and knowledge aspects of the Standards and the abilities of
problem solving and functioning in school and adult life as embodied in the 21st Century
Skills.
The next column will build on this and the previous column in discussing creativity, its
sources, and its development in the classroom. It will be based on the findings of both an
action research group of music teachers and the six pilot communities that are
implementing the Action Plan of the Task Force on the Arts and Creativity in Education.
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North East Region
Erica Becker, North East Region Vice President
REGIONAL VP’S
Hi, I want to share some of my Flickr photos with you. They’re in a set called "Youth Art
Month NE Show". Hope you like them!
2010 Youth Art Month
The Northeast Regional Youth Art Month Show was a big success this year and continues to
grow in size! For a second year in a row the show was located in the ARTgargae, Green Bay,
WI from February 15 to March 1. Twenty-eight teachers participated in this event sharing
84 pieces for display. The opening was held on February 21 from 1 till 4pm celebrating the
talents of our regional student artists and recognizing their art teachers who made it all
possible. Sandi Van Sistine, the founder and director of the ARTgarage, was this year’s juror
selecting nine pieces for regional awards.
2010 Youth Art Month Regional Show
The David Hockney Award (best in drawing): Emma’s “This Changes It All”
Berlin High School
The Vincent Van Gogh Award (best use of color to express emotions):
Brandyn’s “Here’s Looking at You” St. Mary Springs Academy
The Ansel Adams Photography Award (best in photography): Kelsey’s “Eyes
of Obsession” Ashwaubenon High School
The Monet Award (best use of color): Jordan’s “The Amazing Macaroni”
Friendship Learning Center
The Kandinsky Award (best imaginative work): Bradley’s “African Velvet
Monkey” Green Lake School
The Georgia O'Keeffe Award (best in choice of subject matter): Eden’s
“Thoughts of Koq-Koq” Shawano Community High School
Leonardo da Vinci Award (most inventive): Samuel’s “Rock On Ozzie” Rock
River Intermediate School
The Roy Lichtenstein Award (most graphic): Taylor’s “Nine Patch Color
Scheme” Little Wolf High School
Hokusai Award (best nature and water depiction): Amanda’s “Waterfall” New
Holstein High School
50 pieces of artwork were selected from the exhibit to represent the northeast region at the
State Capitol YAM Show March 6 through the 19. Congratulations to all students and
teachers!
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North Central Region
Amanda Acklam, North Central Region Vice President
Welcome to the North Central Region’s new web information page. If you have any
‘happenings’ at your school- a successful lesson, a student art show, a student who won an
art award…anything to share with other members from our region, please email me! And
remember if you are too busy to send a lesson, a photo with a caption is EXCELLENT!
NORTH CENTRAL REGION STATE YAM AWARD RECIPIENTS 2010
W.T. GRAHAM AWARDS
GABY (Gabryelle) DAHL GRADE 12
KIM CHARD, TEACHER
LAKELAND UNION HIGH SCHOOL, MINOCQUA
JOHN SCHLAEFER GRADE 5
STEPHEN LOFTUS, TEACHER
JOHN MARSHALL ELEMENTARY, WAUSAU
LAUREN WINCENTSEN GRADE 2
STEPHEN LOFTUS, TEACHER
JOHN MARSHALL ELEMENTARY, WAUSAU
JENESSA GREENEWAY GRADE 4
CONNIE HENKE, TEACHER
WOODSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WISCONSIN RAPIDS
SHANNON LANGE GRADE 7
BEV NIEHAUS, TEACHER
NORTHLAND PINES MIDDLE SCHOOL , EAGLE RIVER
1700 Pleasure Island Rd., Eagle River, WI 54521
MASON THOMAS KINDERGARTEN
AMANDA ACKLAM, TEACHER
ST GERMAIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ST GERMAIN
LIANNA SCHWALENBERG GRADE 8
DARIA SKIBBA, TEACHER
ALEXANDER MIDDLE SCHOOL, NEKOOSA
SAX—Jordan Joosten, Rudolph Elementary, Betsy Miller-Teacher
NASCO—Morgan Lepak, West Jr. High, Sharon Aiken Bruha-Teacher
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St. Germain Fire Department presented Joe Misina and Coldy Kruse with their winning fire posters.
North West Region
Sandy Anderson North West Region Vice President
Congratulations to everyone in Northwest Wisconsin, who submitted your schools artwork
for a very fine show at the state capitol in Madison, and a special congratulation to all the
students that won Sax, Nasco and W.T. Graham Awards.
I have been teaching at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School for the past 11 years and it will
be our 11th year of sending artwork to the University of Wisconsin-Superior American
Indian Art Scholarship Exhibit. This is a great art exhibit that takes place yearly. If you have
the opportunity please check it out. See details below.
~~~
Native American high school students and professional artists to display artwork April 7-28
The American Indian Art Scholarship Exhibit at the University of Wisconsin-Superior marks
its 11th year with high school students from around the region exhibiting their artwork April
7-28 in the university's Kruk Gallery.
Forty-two students from nine schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota are submitting work for
the exhibit, which recognizes the creativity of outstanding Native American high school
artists.
The exhibit also includes work by 21 established Native American artists from throughout
the region. Jonathan Thunder, a member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, is this year's
featured artist. He will exhibit his work and present a special workshop for the participating
high school artists.
The exhibit concludes April 28 with an artists' sale from 3 to 5 p.m. in the lobby outside the
gallery followed by a closing reception from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. At the reception, top
student works will be named and a student artist selected by exhibit judges will be offered a
$1,000 scholarship to UW-Superior. The students' artwork will be judged by a panel of
professional artists who are exhibiting work at the show.
The American Indian Art Scholarship Exhibit is popular around the region because it offers
young artists an opportunity to display their work and to learn from fellow artists, said Ivy
Vainio, multicultural affairs specialist at UW-Superior and the show's organizer.
The exhibit also is recognized as an opportunity for the public to see the work of many
established Native American artists. A recently published study by the Humphrey Institute
of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota noted that the UW-Superior exhibit is unique
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among student art shows in the region because it places the work of professional artists
with that of high school artists, providing encouragement for the young people.
This year's exhibit will include work by students from Superior High School, AlBrook High
School, Ashland High School, Cloquet Senior High School, Fond du Lac Ojibwe School,
Denfeld High School in Duluth, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, Oneida Nation High
School in Green Bay, Wis., and First Baptist Christian Academy in Park Rapids, Minn.
Established artists exhibiting work will include Petrina Arnold, Gordon Coons, Jes Durfee, Jill
Fortin, Orvilla Long Fox, Carl Gawboy, Jerry Kirk, Annette Lee, Douglas K. Limon, Marcie
McIntire, Wanesia Misquadace, Steve Premo, Josef Reiter, Karen Savage-Blue, Eve Schultz,
Gordon van Wert, Gerald White, William Wilson, Delina White, and Susan Zimmerman.
The American Indian Art Scholarship Exhibit is sponsored by UW-Superior's Office of
Multicultural Affairs, First Nations Center, and the Visual Arts Department.
South East Region
Marcia Gora-Patek, South East Region Vice President
“Forever and Ever, MOM!” Summer Arts Camps
I remember this feeling: “Mom, I want to come back to camp forever and ever!” my
daughter repeated to me, again, this year as we drove the 3 ½ hours back home from her
2-week summer camp. Each summer, I made a big deal out of the fact that our two
children would attend an arts camp. It was our only family summer vacation away from
home for many years. And for 13 years, I went with them to many arts camps around
Wisconsin, and also in Kansas, Illinois, Colorado and California.
Image 1, Double view portrait by Corbin, grade 2, Grafton Elementary
Any child of almost any age can enjoy an arts camp. Camps offer experiences for pre-school
through high school students. Arts camps can be as short as a day, or as long as several
weeks, depending on the type, location, and hosting institution. They offer a wide variety of
experiences, and do vary in quality. Even summer recreation (we used to call it playground)
classes at various school districts have quality arts classes for very reasonable costs. I have
made a list of 11 resources for you to begin your research. Help your child expand creative
thoughts, apply problem-solving skills, and boost confidence this summer by signing them
up for “arts camp”.
As a little girl, I felt special because my grandmother was able to afford to send me to our
local museum for art classes. I know this early experience influenced my confidence to
become an artist. I did want it to last “forever and ever”, and now, being an art teacher, it
almost does!
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Image 2, See-through Picasso Faces, grade 3, Corbin and Hailey, Grafton Elementary
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Image 3, Lizbeth working on Calder Sculpture, grade 4, Grafton Elementary
After a few years with any art unit, no matter how successful or popular, we all feel the
need to freshen it up or add a new twist. I ask myself, “Can this old dog (me) add a new
trick? What about that fourth-grade sculpture and color theory unit?”
Fourth grade students at Grafton Elementary School were first introduced to Picasso in
second grade when they create a drawing piece called a double-view portrait based on
cubism. (Image example 1) Students study several resources to learn about the life, art and
influence of Pablo. One of their favorite lessons is “Dropping in on Picasso” when Puffer the
interviewer marvels at a bicycle seat being turned into the Bull sculpture. In third grade
they revisit Picasso during a drawing unit using negative space and simple lines of varied
color and thickness to create see-through faces. (Image example 2) It is fun to hear them
try to quote Picasso, “It takes my whole life to draw like a child”, one third -grader
whispered in the cafeteria while finger-painting his pudding on the lunch tray.
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Image 4, Tyler's Calder in blue period, grade 4, Grafton Elementary
The usual fourth grade sculpture unit involves creating a composition without drawing
first. Students are required to manipulate pieces of varied sizes and shapes to make
judgments about balance, repetition, and focal point. For the past few years, geometric
shapes of cardboard have been easily related to the cubist compositions of Picasso, such as
the “Three Musicians”. After a relief sculpture is assembled, students investigate how
Picasso painted in mostly blues during his sad period of loss, or in reds during his fresh time
of love. Students make a painted chart of shades and tints of either red or blue, (10 tints
and 10 shades). The sculpture is then painted to include the shades and tints.
It seems as that by fourth grade, students really remembered a lot about Picasso’s life and
work, so I began to think about how to introduce a new artist to refresh this unit. I also
wanted them to create a sculpture in the round, rather than relief. Alexander Calder came
to mind! In one of the resources, the book “Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists:
Image 5, Red-period Calder by Tyler grade 4 Grafton Elementary
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Alexander Calder”, students learned that “Sandy” Calder created two types of sculptures:
Mobiles and Stabiles. (Image example 3, student working on Stabile Sculpture) Many
discussions about meanings of the words Mobile and Stabile ensue. Students notice how
the large and simple geometric and organic shapes are composed. Students choose, cut
and compose their sculpture from cardboard pieces. To my surprise, a quick discussion of
Picasso’s blue and red periods was all that was needed to set the scene for the shades and
tints charts. Students chose red or blue, and after the practice of their chart, painted their
Stabiles. (Image examples 4 & 5 of finished Stabile Sculptures) Fifty sculptures were
displayed, (to rave reviews by parents and public alike) for one month atop the stacks in
our school library.
Well, it seems, even old dogs can add a new trick. This one was a good one!
South West Region
Jen Goodnough, South West Region Vice President
South West in Style at the Capitol for YAM!
Here is a sampling of artists that were on display at the Capitol for Youth Art Month.
Congratulations!
Fegure 1 Julie Schwecke, Art Teacher at Lake
Mills, our region's YAM Coordinator for 2010-
2011.
Figure 2 Cave Painting by Jaimie at
Madison Elementary in Janesville. Teacher:
Amanda Mory
Figure 3 Sky High by Ashleigh at Marshall High
School. Teacher: Elizabeth Schlieger
Figure 4 Dream Butterfly by Corlissa at
Monroe Middle School. Teacher: Michele
Mars
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Figure 5 Cool/Warm Cartoon by Clea at Fox
Prairie Elementary, Stoughton. Teacher:
Nancy Hagen
Figure 6 Weed Still Life by Sarah
Hollenberge at lake Mills Middle School.
Teacher: Julie Schwecke
West Central Region
Jen Sweeney, West Central Region Vice President
WC Region YAM student and artwork
Student Artist at West Central Region YAM Show
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Student Artist at West Central Region YAM Show
Elementary Representative
Michelle Klopp '08-10
DIVISION VP’S
Which came first...the process or the project?
When it comes to planning your art lessons there is so much you need to keep in
mind. Standards, your schools curriculum, your students’ interests, time and even your
supplies. You cover the who, what, where and when, but with all that to think about, we
may lose sight of the why. The process of creating is often shadowed by the product being
created. So often it is the process, the creating the generating of ideas, and the discovery
of media that offer the best learning opportunities. The days of “refrigerator” art projects in
gone. Students today need to be more involved in the planning and initiating of ideas and
processes. We are you know moving into the “Creative Economy.”
Here are some thoughts on how to keep the process front and center:
• Allow time for idea development. Brainstorming and revisions of ideas can be
easily done in a sketch book
• Students should have an opportunity to explore media to discover it’s potential
uses and limits
• Give opportunities for students to discuss their ideas with classmates.
• Let students know that “mistakes” are really great opportunities to learn
something new and discover solutions.
• Offer assessment feedback about how the student worked not only on the
finished product.
• Allow for modifications when ideas change or do not work out as expected.
• Have studio time to create art that students will not keep when done. I.E. block
structures, play-dough sculptures, computer art, etc..)
• Try a partner or group project where many hands and ideas blend together
making work that is “ours” not “mine”.
• Try the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. technique
Howard Gardiner, a well-known education theorist, writes that "artistic learning grows from
children doing things: not just imitating but actually creating, whether it be drawing,
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painting, or sculpting on their own." Many educators support this theory, adding that art
activities contribute to children's capacity to make and understand meaning. Children's art
creations stand for objects, feelings, or ideas. We see this at the earliest stages of a child's
drawing and painting. A line may represent the ground, the sky, a smile, or a frown. A dot
may be used to designate a place or direction. A scribble may mean an idea or a feeling.
The most important rule for guiding children's art activities is that the process is always
more important than the product. "Process" means allowing children to explore art
materials with freedom without the pressure to copy a model or stay in the lines. Process is
experimenting with paints, watching the mixing colors, and feeling the textures of more or
less. Process is gluing various sizes, shapes, and colors of paper together to create a
collage. Process is freedom to experiment and enjoy the feeling of creating without being
concerned with the outcome or the product. Process is creating something that is uniquely
yours and not a copy of someone else's. (CHILDREN’S ART: IT’S THE PROCESS, NOT THE
PRODUCT, THAT COUNTS 
by Kathy Hardy, M.Ed.)
Have you ever been in a kindergarten classroom where all the art on the walls look oddly
the same? Or perhaps you can tell that the teacher did the majority of the cutting and
gluing because the googley eyes are in just the right place or the shapes have a cookiecutter
look to them. This kind of art has its place - you're in a hurry and you need to send
something home to enthusiastic parents or you're desperate to fill a bulletin board. However,
don't let those crafty-quick projects outshine the opportunity to create artistic opportunities
for your students.
"Now more than ever the arts matter in America. The arts are central to our nation's civic,
economic, and cultural vitality. The arts reflect who we are and what we stand for: freedom
of expression, imagination, and vision. Arts education is indispensable to raising America's
next generation of creative, innovative thinkers." (Rocco Landesman, Chairman, National
Endowment for the Arts)
Process art. A term applied to a trend in avant-garde art in the late 1960s and early 1970s
in which emphasis is put not on the formal aspects of a work but on the processes involved
in creating it and on the processes of change and decay it is subject to thereafter.
Here’s to a great ending to your school year,
Michelle
Higher Education Representative
Dr. C.W. (lia) Johnson '08-10
Teacher shortage in Art Education? NCLB Report and tidbits of news that affects all
of us. No answers. Lots of questions. Seeking truth, balancing values and just
plain chasin' my tail in 2010.
Recently within a period of a single week I have had two different students either in our Art
Education program at UW Eau Claire, or planning to be in the program—let me know that
they decided on doing a fast track alternate license program. A trend? I don’t know—but I
wouldn’t count it out. Times are tough and both time and money are big commodities these
days. The programs they switched to-- are faster and much cheaper than the more
commonly known post baccalaureate licensure program. As far as I can tell both are
primarily online classes in educational theory. I saw no art education courses in my
glancing at these. One of them meets a few Saturdays in a semester. The pedagogical
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content knowledge of art that is included on my list of intended outcomes in my program--
would probably not be an outcome of those programs. Yes. My personal opinion is that
students are missing important educational experiences going this route of “quick and
dirty.” I watched my brother do a similar program and come out somewhat clueless. He is
still teaching—for what that is worth. I also know…whether I like it or not—some people can
be tossed in a classroom….and land on their feet. They arrive reflective, love kids, learn
quickly, enjoy their work and can do a good job. That is of course if they get a job. One of
these alternative institutions explains on their website that you can’t actually get this license
in this alternative program until you have a teaching job. This little requirement, [probably
there because some amount of classroom hours—working with students has to be there]—
could severely limit one’s potential in the profession. The main route I know to get a job
without a license is though private schools. Am I missing something?
One of these educational sites [both available in Wisconsin by the way] also states that this
emergency teaching license is available due to shortages [according to the DPI] in the
content area of art education. I am not sure where or if the Wisconsin DPI really states
this. I have looked on their website….and not easily found much information about art
education teacher shortages. I found a report called: Supply and Demand of Education
2007: Personnel for Wisconsin Public Schools. The report does state “supply below average”
meaning we need more art teachers than we have but I am not convinced. Looking at the
map [p.75] suggests the supply is below average is the NE corner of the state…or the Green
Bay area. Are we really short teacher candidates for art positions? That is isn’t clear to me
even though most my students have been getting jobs. While it is true that many art
teachers in Wisconsin are coming of retirement age it is not clear whether these teachers
are actually retiring, or what how those open positions are faring in these times. Are
districts [most of which are faced with budget shortfalls] keeping those positions as they
empty—or folding them somehow into the remaining positions? Can fewer teachers do the
job of more teachers? They can—though obviously [to us anyway] not as well, nor as
happily. We are a professional bunch and willingly carry that torch far into the
night/darkness when necessary. It happened in the Eau Claire district this past
year. Teachers were asked to do more with less. It is certainly happening in higher
education as well—this being asked to do more with less. Likely this is not only so for those
of us in the teaching profession. We are certainly not alone at doing more with less but
change can be abrupt and brutal. Is it time to stand up and be counted or to time to “get it”
that sacrifice is going to be how we manage this pickle we are all in?
On a related note the No Child Left Behind: A study of its impact on Art Education report
just published February 2010 is out. Written by Robert Sabol, Ph.D. Purdue University, and
supported by a grant from NAEF [National Art Education Foundation] this report is based on
a national survey in 2009 asking a variety of visual arts teachers from all levels about their
felt impact of NCLB on art education programming and practices. There are several positive
surprises in the report but it is no surprise that art educators generally have negative
attitudes about the overall impact of NCLB [p. 18]. Though staffing and teaching loads were
not that much affected—workloads, a reduction in funding for programs, materials etc., and
decreased financial support from the states were major areas affected [p.16-18]. Some of
these cuts were probably due to decreased enrollments, and some probably were due to
district and state budget short falls in the current depressed economy. In my experience
these types of overloads and cuts are common in an economic downsizing trend and might
have occurred with or without NCLB influences. The report presents the major themes of
their findings and reports that on how art teachers … “have continued to make adjustments
and to cope with the ever changing landscape of education…how the members of the art
education profession will use their creativity, knowledge and skills to continue to provide the
highest quality art education possible in their education programs [p. 16]. ...The Obama
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administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of President Bush’s signature education law,
No Child Left Behind and will call for broad changes in how schools are to be judged to be
succeeding or failing, as well as for the elimination of the law’s 2014 deadline for bringing
every American child to academic proficiency. [Dillon, Sam, New York Times, Feb 1, 2010]
It is important to note they do not want to do away with the rigorous standards of the law—
but want change the ways in which evaluation/assessment and accountability are managed
under the law. No matter which side of this issue you might be on—nothing will change
until the congress can agree on something. Ha! If health care is an example—well—we
have awhile to wait yet. Our congressmen and women seem to follow the of stand up and
be counted. The problem is—all of the choices aren’t clean and it seems like to –that no
options offer hope.
I don’t know about you….but I can’t figure out up from down. Closing my eyes doesn’t
seem to be an option. What world is it that am I preparing educators for the 21st century
for? What skills and knowledge do my students really need to know and believe to support
the future of art education? What about the future of everything else? Good answers
conflict with important values both personal and professional that I have held a long
time. Where is the edge? What is the danger point? Does anybody know what we are
doing?
Also of possible interest:
Key Questions on the Obama Administrations 2011 Education Budget Request, February
2010, American Educational Budget Project.
OMB No.: 1840-0595 Expires : 1/31/2011
U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education Policy & Budget
Development Staff
Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing 1990-91 thru 2009-10 March – 2009
Student Art Education Representative
Stacey Cluppert '08-10
I would like to congratulate a few art education students (Matt Lawniczak, Mary Yang, Jason
Murray, Drew Bode, and myself) who were selected to be in the 9th Annual Honors
Exhibition at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO). Each of these students was selected
from studio professors, with all studios being represented. I think that it is great that even
though we are art education students, we are held to the same standard of studio majors
and can achieve one of the highest honors at UWO. Five art education students selected to
be in the exhibit and two received awards. Mary Yang received an honorarium for her metal
piece “Mood Ring,” and I received the Chancellor’s Award for a wood piece “Cattails.” Check
out the art work from each of these students.
Every semester I have the opportunity to present to upcoming art education students about
Wisconsin Art Education Association (WAEA) and National Art Education Association (NAEA),
and two art organizations that we have at the UWO. As a student, I understand that money
can be an issue, and I try to focus on what can be achieved by joining these organizations,
specifically, WAEA/NAEA. I personally understand the benefits of joining this organization,
but it can be hard to really point out things that students are looking for.
Benefits of being a student WAEA member for only $25!!! If you are at a university (faculty
or student) and are trying to motivate students to become members, these are a few things
I have tried.
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Matt Lawniczak, Disguist
Jason Murray, Untitled
Drew Bode, Essence of
Liquescent Solitude
Stacey Cluppert, Cattails
Mary Yang, Mood Ring
* Talk from Experience
Have you gone to a great conference or workshop? Show photos and talk about experiences
that you have had and what you learned from it.
* Show off the WAEA website(www.wiarted.org)
As WAEA is going Green, we are trying to put as much info on this one website for the
convenience of members. If you want to see Art Education student specific things, contact
me and let me know your ideas.
* Show publications that come with membership (Art Times, Art Education, and NAEA
newsletters)
* Try to organize a group to attend a state or national conference.
If you present at a conference, universities will sometimes give funds to attend the
conference. One of UWO’s art organizations are given money to travel, we can send 3-8
people to conferences for little to no cost to the student.
These are just a few of my ideas that I have used, if you have something else that works, I
would love to hear about it!
Stacey Cluppert, Art Education Students Representative (2008-2010)
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Supervision Representative
Kim Abler, Supervision Representative
The Best and Worst of Times
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age
of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season
of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to
heaven, we were all going direct the other way. I am sure that you have heard this famous
quote from Charles Dickens in the Tale of Two Cities. I feel as if I am living that more and
more these days.
This past Tuesday night, the district where I work held a public meeting to discuss the
upcoming budgets for next year. Students using Facebook organized a protest rally where
they met at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts and marched to the central
administration building carrying a coffin in a death march. The students ranged in age from
five to eighteen and represented the full K-12 continuum that the district is intended to
serve. When the students arrived they had a large number that signed up to speak. Some
of the speakers were so small that they could not reach the microphone on the podium and
needed to stand on a stool so that they could be seen and heard. I sat in the audience
listening to their impassioned speeches and how they do not want the arts to be cut out of
their schools. Some used research citing statistics about how the arts improve student
achievement, some spoke of the personal impact that the arts have on their own lives. All
were inspiring, eloquent and so amazingly articulate and it made me so very proud. Isn't
this exactly what we want our students to be able to do? The school board sat and
hopefully listened as parents, teachers and principals spoke for over two hours. They will
be holding a series of these public sessions prior to working on the budget, which our
superintendent will submit in April.
Now fast forward maybe nine hours later and I am in Madison celebrating Arts Day on
March 3, 2010. It was a beautiful bright sunny day and I was fortunate enough to have 4th
grade students from Emerson Elementary School come to present to the assembly gathered.
The students participated in an all school arts project in October where an artist, Tom
Kiebzak and a team of art therapy students from Mount Mary College worked together on an
abstract painting collaboration. Emerson school has 228 students and 31% of them are
students with special needs. This collaboration provided an opportunity for the entire school
community, including all 40 faculty and staff members (even the principal) and the students
to work together to create art. They painted on eight large canvases focusing on abstract
art and each person contributed to the total creation. Fourth grade students worked with a
filmmaker to document their experiences. There is a video posted on the Arts@Large, Inc.
website that features their work (www.artsatlargeinc.org). The students came to Madison to
participate in Arts Day to share their experiences. Students, the artist and art therapy
specialist Sue Loesl spoke after showing the video that students had worked to create. After
this the students marched up to the capitol building and toured the State Capitol. For almost
every child and parent chaperone, this was their first experience at the capitol. Some
students kept asking if this was the White House. They were invited to stop by the
Lieutenant Governor, Barbara Lawton's office. They had met the Lieutenant Governor at
Monona Terrace and she graciously extended an invitation to them to stop by her office
before they left. As we ended the tour and explained our special invitation to our tour guide
Jerry, he looked a bit suspicious but graciously walked us to her office. Lt. Gov. Lawton was
on the phone and in a few short moments we were standing in the official office of Barbara
Lawton. The students had their cameras and video cameras and there were two students
23

that asked if they could interview her. With microphone in hand and one student acting as
the cameraperson, they were ready. Barbara Lawton was happy to accommodate their
request and spent almost a half hour answering questions. The kids saved the best for last.
As time was drawing near and we were close to making our exit back to the bus and on to
Milwaukee, the student interviewer asked her final question, "Can you tell me why the Arts
are important to education?” I am so happy that they had their cameras and microphone.
Barbara Lawton gave a detailed and rich reply all of which they captured on tape. I can't
wait to have the kids get the video edited and we plan to post this on the Arts@Large, Inc.
website. From picket signs and school board meetings determining budgets that will likely
impact the arts, to a state celebration of Arts Day, ...well, I think that you see my point, it
was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In all seriousness, I am very concerned
not only for my district or even the state of Wisconsin, but for our entire nation and the
challenges that we are facing with the budgets in the educational systems across the
country. If we listened to what the young people think and have to say, their position is
crystal clear. I just hope that stool was high enough and the microphone was on.
4th grade students from Emerson Elementary School interviewing Lt. Governor Barbara
Lawton during Arts Day in Madison.
Museum Representatives
Courtney Spousta '10-12
Angela Johnson '10-12
As the newly appointed co-chair of the Wisconsin Art Education Association (WAEA) board
museum representative, I am thrilled to be part of a wonderful organization that serves art
educators state wide. My partner in this position, Angela Johnson, Program Coordinator at
the Madison children’s Museum, is in the midst of a massive move from the museum’s old
facility to a new building. She will be writing the next installment of ArtTimes.
Following in Elsa Lenz Kothe’s footsteps with her parting words on the importance of
collaboration in the last ArtTimes article, I share with you some exciting partnerships that
are underway at our museums. And I encourage you to contact your local art or science
museum, historical society, nature center or children’s museum to speak with an educator
about ways to partner. You’ll be surprised at what innovative art programs can be created
by collaborating with educational organizations.
The Madison Children’s Museum
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New building. Madison Children’s Museum (MCM) closed its State Street doors on Jan. 4 in
order to prepare for the move into a new facility down the Capitol Square on Hamilton
Street. The museum is scheduled to reopen in mid-August, with plenty of new, exciting
exhibits along with some favorites from the State Street location. While the museum is
closed, please visit our Web site for MCM Road Show events, which are scheduled from late
January through the end of May at various locations in south central Wisconsin. The Road
Show is sponsored by Target.
MCM is an award-winning organization which fosters family and community connections,
and provides a place where every child can learn through play in an interactive environment.
MCM’s hands-on exhibits and programs celebrate and encourage children’s imaginations and
the power of play as the cornerstone of learning. For more information about the museum,
please visit www.MadisonChildrensMuseum.org.
Madison Children’s Museum: Arts-in-Schools –The Kids Caps Community Art Initiative. Kids
Caps is a large scale public art project that involves every child within the Madison
Metropolitan School District (MMSD)’s 32 elementary schools in the creation of a
monumental sculptural installation in the Madison Children’s Museum’s (MCM) new home.
Each child will make a small piece of artwork inside a bottle cap, under the guidance of MCM
staff, MMSD art teacher Katharine Goray, and in collaboration with all of MMSD’s art
teachers. The art-filled bottle caps will be filled with a resin coating and then used as small
tiles, which will be integrated into several sculptural elements within the new building,
including the columns in the Art Studio, the sculptural entrance to the Art Studio, and a
large dragon slide. Working collaboratively with MMSD and MCM provided resources,
materials, teacher support, and training so that the project was easy for teachers to take on
and easy for children to complete. Each child will also have the chance to make their own
bottle cap art to take home. MCM will provide opportunities for every child to visit the
museum during the museum’s first year of operation, free of charge, so they can see their
work as part of the larger installation.
The Kids Caps project capitalizes on MCM’s long standing tradition of participation, inclusion,
and engagement, offering every child within the Madison Metropolitan School District the
chance to create something larger than themselves. MCM has always been a museum by,
for, and about children, where children themselves are active participants, decision makers
and creators of the museum’s exhibits and programs. They help brainstorm, plan, research,
design, and sometimes even build portions of the museum’s exhibits, becoming early
adopters of the notion of community engagement in the process. A major goal of the project
is to make sure that every child in Madison feels like they belong at the new MCM. The
museum has devised many ways for this to happen, from hosting community listening
sessions on exhibit content, to the Polling Place exhibit, where kids vote on their favorite
exhibit ideas, to working with over 600 MMSD students on tiles for the new bathrooms, to
engaging elementary students in helping interpret our 1830s log cabin. Kids Caps will
ensure that every school aged child participates in some way.
The Museum of Wisconsin Art
In 2007, the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MWA) expanded its mission and purpose to better
serve the residents of the state by becoming one of only 29 regional art museums in the
country. The mission of MWA is to serve the public good by collecting, conserving,
documenting and exhibiting visual art that represents the state’s unique art history
throughout the ages. The museum promotes appreciation and creation of visual art through
engaging programming and educational resources for all ages, enriching the lives of
everyone through the transforming power of art.
Museum of Wisconsin Art & Riveredge Nature Center (RNC) Collaborative:
From May 10 to May 14, MWA and RNC will collaborate to offer the Encountering Wisconsin
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Landscape Program for four days, to fourth grade students from Milwaukee, Washington and
Ozaukee counties. This day long school tour program will offer students an exploration into
the work of Wisconsin artist Truman Lowe, an art making activity at the museum and an
afternoon of outside exploration and further creative art making on the land at RNC.
In March 2010, Truman Lowe will install his exhibition Limn at MWA. Truman Lowe is a
Professor of Art at UW Madison, a prior curator of contemporary art for the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of the American Indian and a member of the Ho-chunk Nation. An
internationally acclaimed sculptor, Truman Lowe makes abstract works inspired by his deep
connection to the Wisconsin landscape. He is the recipient of numerous awards and
fellowships. Most recently, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts
and Letters (2005). In 2007, he received the Wisconsin Visual Arts Lifetime Achievement
Award, and in 2008-09, he won UW-Madison's Hilldale Award, Arts and Humanities Division.
A recent reviewer of his work stated, “When Truman Lowe makes art, he listens to nature
and converses with his Winnebago Indian ancestors.” His deeply inspiring work as an artist
exploring themes of nature will be used as a springboard for this collaborative school tour
program. The school tour program will focus on the relationship between Woodland Indian
Culture and its deep connection to the Wisconsin landscape.
Students will spend the morning at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, in West Bend, interpreting
and exploring the art of Truman Lowe and the museum’s permanent collections. The
afternoon will be spent at Riveredge Nature Center, in Newberg, exploring Wisconsin
landscape ad ecology. Throughout the entire day, staff and volunteer educators will lead
students in inquiry methods to observe the art at the museum, and the nature at Riveredge.
Students will record observations at both locations through writing and drawing.
MWA and RNC began collaborative programming in order to gather wider school audiences
that want to learn about art, nature and nature based art making. The pilot program in May
2009 brought 125 students to the facilities for 2 full days of art and nature.
MWA continues to welcome school groups from Southeastern Wisconsin and provides bus
funding assistance through an established Bart Art Wheels Program. In addition, the
museum looks to grow its relationship and commitment to SE Wisconsin schools by
providing solid comprehensive and thematic based tours that meet the needs of State
Learning Standards and allow teachers to incorporate art education into a diverse range of
subjects. For more information on the MWA/RNC tour program for 4th graders, or on any
other art education programs – please contact Courtney Spousta, Curator of Education, at
MWA at 262-334-9638 or Cspousta@wisconsinart.org.
Truman Lowe’s exhibition Limn will be on display at MWA from March 17 to May 30, 2010.
Join MWA on Thursday, March 25 from 5 to 8 pm for a night of discussion with artist
Truman Lowe and author Jo Ortel in celebration of the opening of Limn.
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