me arts ed

Arts Connect Conference Supporter Artist and Craftsman Supply

Since it first opened its doors in 1985, Artist and Craftsman Supply has outfitted the creative culture in Portland, Maine with art material and spirit.  Though the company has grown to embrace 14 retail locations and web-site commerce, the basic principles of operation have remained true. The flagship store is still located on Deering Avenue under the guidance of the company’s founder and president Larry Adlerstein.

Tom Konieczko is the head of school sales at Artist and Craftsman Supply’s flagship store and has worked with Larry, general manager Steve Kenney, and the rest of the staff for the majority of six years to help foster the continuing growth of the creative spirit in Portland.

When the city’s artists unified in 2003 to paint fiberglass lighthouses to be displayed around the city and auctioned for charity, Artist and Craftsman Supply sourced the correct material and just the right varnish so these artists could protect their creations.  When the University of Southern Maine’s Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement partnered with local school children to paint murals about Martin Luther King Jr., Artist and Craftsman Supply helped provide material for the project and traveled to the painting site to lend support.

Having attended the Martin Luther King Day event Tom was tremendously impressed by the sense of community in Portland and enjoyed helping the city’s children articulate big ideas into form.

Artist and Craftsman Supply has hosted art shows with work from local schools.  In April of 2009, they featured ‘Zombies on Exchange Street’ by the students at Portland Arts and Technology High School.

These are a few examples of the ways Artist and Craftsman supply has helped support the growth of the arts in Portland.  More importantly, however, is the fact that they like to grow with their customers. This year, Artist and Craftsman Supply sponsored the Arts Connect Conference for Educators.  In Tom’s words:

“I had the opportunity to reconnect with our customers on their soil. Whenever I attend an event like this, I am truly impressed by the seriousness with which our state’s art teachers conduct their classrooms and the camaraderie displayed by this group of individuals. I have long marveled that a small city like Portland can support a retail store the size of Artist and Craftsman Supply on Deering Avenue. It is still the biggest store in our company. We hear from customers on regular occasion that they have moved to Portland to have better access to our wares. It is difficult to find a ‘real art store’ north of Boston. I believe that the presence of Artist and Craftsman Supply has helped the city of Portland  grow into an epicenter of art reminiscent of the size and scope of its bigger brothers further south.”

Artist and Craftsman Supply
540 Deering Avenue – Portland
207.772.7272
http://www.artistcraftsman.com

Workshop: Help! I’m “Music K-12” And I Thought I Was A Band Director  and User Friendly Essentials For Teach BOTH by  Beth Whitney

As one who always saw herself as a band director, I jumped at the chance to attend Lynn Brinckmeyer’s session  “Help! I am Music K-12 and I Thought I was a Band Director” as well as her session on “User Friendly Essentials for Teaching General Music” at the Arts Conference in Northport on October 9.   I’ve only been doing the “K-8 everything” routine since 1986.  There’s still lots to be learned!

Lynn is a wonderfully energetic presenter who didn’t let her lost luggage (including all her handouts and hands-on materials for the sessions) get her down.  She had us up and moving (and wagging our tails to Huckleberry Hound Dog bow-wow-wow) in no time, in the “User Friendly Essentials” session as well as passing the beat and hissing our little hearts out.  It was to bad that the pipe cleaners were in the missing luggage but I suspect we can still figure out how to make the pipe cleaner quarter notes she suggested.  In the “Help! I am Music K-12″ session, Lynn gave us some great suggestions to try with both our choruses and our general music classes.  She even spoke in band director language!

The best part was trying out the ideas at school the following week.  I tried them at a variety of levels, K-6.  My students loved the songs, chants (quite an upgrade from our usual 1971 Exploring Music books!) and the rhythm exercises.  All I have to do is pantomime holding that ball and start the t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t, ch-ch-ch-ch, ssss-ssss, shhhhhhhh, and they’re all with me.  Funwa Alafia has become a favorite of my students from grades 1-5!  I’m not sure the West African words were intended this way but we do have FUN and LAUGH with FUNwa a-LAUGH-ia!

I hope that someday I cross paths with Lynn again so I can tell her how much my students gained from her suggestions.