me arts ed

Florida’s State Demonstration School – Ocoee Middle School

Thank you Jayne for sending this to me. I like the spirit and movement at the heart and soul of this work!

Creating thick air! Submitted by John Holdridge

Deputy Commissioner of Education Angela Faherty attended the workshop

The poet Rick Benjamin once used the term “thick air” in a workshop I attended at Brown University. Actually Rick’s session was part of a weeklong workshop for teachers that I had organized as part of the NEA’s summer arts program and poetry was one of the multiple art forms we were using to interpret and comprehend Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Rick was there himself to help thicken the air and since that day I have taken ownership of his term (isn’t that what good learners do?) and it now forms one of the bedrocks of my teaching. For me, and I think for Rick as well, the idea of creating thick air in a learning environment means creating a space where multiple voices and interpretations are encouraged and the air is ripe with the possibilities of imagination and creativity. In effect, if we can create thick air in our classrooms, we can reframe them as studios for thinking and for producing original work that demonstrates understanding of all content areas.

A On February 6th I led a creative literacy workshop for educators in Portland, Maine. Sponsored by the Southern Maine Writing Project and the Telling Room, the workshop brought together an interesting mix of educators that included an undergrad from the USM teacher ed. program, an Americorp volunteer working in education, a middle school teacher, a home school Mom, a graduate student in the Stone Coast MFA writing program, a retired teacher, professional writers, non profit leaders, and the deputy commissioner of education here in Maine. Needless to say our professional conversations were deep and wide with the variety of experiences of those in the room. But as varied as the participants seemed to be, 30 minutes into our day someone commented on how amazing it was that we all seemed to be quite comfortable sharing and performing with each other and that something had definitely changed since entering the space. It may have been that the coffee had kicked in, but I think it had more to do with the air that was already thick with movement, music, stories, and conversations.

Although the workshop was sponsored by two well respected writing organizations, the day was actually less about writing and more about literacy development and the concept of creating meaning and understanding through the arts. Working with a core text written by Halima, a young writer at the Telling Room, we wrestled with the essential question “What do we carry?” Taken from a line in “Hijab,” the question served as our grounding point for creative work and the discussions that occur during the act of creating and during and after the viewing of artistic products. We spent the day in a series of exercises that included performance (movement, tableaus, choral readings) writing (free writing and poetry) visual art(reading photographs and creating collage) and conversation. Each activity built on the previous and served as a lens for deepening comprehension based on individuals’ experiences and how they collided with the printed text and the various “texts” created and presented by others. Where the first answers to the question included “my bike bag, this pen, a cup of coffee,” the final answers included “we carry the joys and sorrows of those we know, we carry our culture and the lessons of our elders, and we carry hope for the future.” Thick air to say the least, and the kind of thick air that invites one to breathe deep and inhale the possibilities of creativity in teaching and learning.

John Holdridge is the Artistic Director of the Center for Creative Literacy, an education project dedicated to supporting community, creativity, and comprehension in our learning environments. He lives on Peaks Island, ME.

High School students visit UMA

About 100 students from 5 high schools participated in the District III jazz day on the UMA campus. Students and teachers were welcomed by UMA President Allyson Handley. Students had three opportunities during the day. One was with others who play the same or similar instrument (including voice). The second was a mixed group of students from the different schools. The third was a chance to visit the sound recording studios to learn more about UMA’s program.

The day finished with a concert of the different groups to share what they had learned. I had the chance to catch some of the groups and it was obvious that the day was a success. The last group to play was one of the UMA jazz groups.

I understand it has been a few years since District III offered this opportunity for high school students and it is clear that reinstating it was a great idea. UMA has an outstanding program and it is wonderful they’ve collaborated with teachers to arrange for students to take advantage of this learning environment.

Thank you to Brunswick Jr. High School’s Heidi Anderson and UMA’s Rick Nelson and others who made the arrangements for the day. FMI please contact either of them at handerson@brunswick.k12.me.us or  richardn@maine.edu. Thanks to Rick for the photos in this post.

Daniel Bernard Roumain

Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain (aka DBR) is a composer, violinist and bandleader who seamlessly blends funk, rock, hip-hop and classical music into an innovative musical experience.  Recently featured with Lady Gaga on American Idol, he has been described as the “hip-hop Mozart” and “Beethoven meets Lenny Kravitz.”  DBR’s exploration of musical rhythms and classically-driven sounds is peppered by his own cultural references and vibrant musical imagination.

Bay Chamber Concerts has co-commissioned DBR to compose a new symphonic work, which was performed by members of the Odeon Strings Program and guests as part of this concert on Sunday.

I had the pleasure of popping into rehearsals on Sunday and seeing DBR with students from all over Maine. It was fascinating to watch the sketched out plan unfold right before my eyes. Thank you Bay Chambers for providing this opportunity for Maine students and for the text for this blog post.

Great opportunity this summer

The Farnsworth Art Museum is teaming with the Maine Department of Education, University of Maine, Orono, The Strand Theater, Rockland and the Lincoln Center Institute of New York City to provide a professional development opportunity for K-12 educators. The Farnsworth is becoming one of eight sites world-wide to host the one-week Institute’s International Educator Workshop.

The International Educator Workshop is for educators and arts administrators who are interested in learning about imaginative teaching and learning through aesthetic education. The workshop will address what makes artworks an effective focus of study. A dynamic balance between philosophy and practice, activity and reflection, personal and group inquiries will authentically model the way aesthetic education practices can be adapted in many learning settings.

The learning opportunity will take place July 26-30th. Contact hours and graduate credits are available. A $100 deposit is required at the time of registration which will be refunded at the completion of the workshop. A $500 stipend will be paid to teachers who complete an implementation plan in their classrooms during the following school year.

Deposit checks should be mailed to the Farnsworth Art Museum, 16 Museum St., Rockland, ME 04841 Attn: Denise Mitchell.

Worth Sharing

Many of the meartsed readers send me items that an art teacher recently termed “quirky news”. I like that and sometimes I am not sure where to post them so others who like “quirky things” wouldn’t miss them. So here are some….

New set of stamps coming soon to your neighborhood post office. There’s even a stamp now with a beautiful monarch butterfly for the over sized letters and packages. You can view and learn about them by clicking here. Thank you Stephanie for sharing this with me!

Looking back and how I am today. How many times have you come across an old picture that immediately took you back to that moment? That is one of the reasons I love to take pictures. Here’s a website that highlights those pictures of folks at a younger age and retaken in a similar place and time. This would be cooool to do with students. You can get to the site called Young Me/Now Me by clicking here. Thank you Bob for sharing this with me!

During the depression how did the arts fare? “I was reading a book about Ashley Bryan, given to me by a close friend who has also met him. The book is a sort of “biography.”  He mentioned that during the depression, through the WPA arts classes were offered for free!.  In this time when our budget problems seem to lead the “powers that be” to consider cutting arts out of our schools to save money, I thought it was so interesting to come upon this information.  Might be interesting to do a little more research on the WPA’s program, and reasoning behind their offering these classes???! Thank you Cathy for sharing your thoughts!

Music and the Mind by Jane Christmas, McMaster University, Daily News, Sept. 06 This is an interesting article and the only thing that makes it quirky is the photo that is included of a young person with a sensor net over their head while she has her mind read. The article is very interesting. The research found an “improvement in musical tasks AND a greater improvement on non-musical memory tasks as well”. Please click here to read the article.  Thank you Sally for sharing the article!

I know that I will get other quirky items to post so don’t be surprised if other blog posts are titled “quirky things” in the future.

Speaking of quirky, this was created in PhotoBooth

Bangor Public Library

Paintings by Annette Sohn

Paintings! Prints! Photographs! Assemblages, fabric and more! The Art in the Heart Art Educators exhibit is being held at the Bangor Public Library, in the Lecture Hall. Twenty two area art educators have work on display. The exhibit is varied and colorful and reveals a great deal about the teachers participating. The exhibit will be on display for the month of March and will be part of the downtown Bangor Art Walk on March 19. On that evening, the public can view the exhibit as well as artist studios and galleries in downtown Bangor. Refreshments will be served at various locations during the 5:00 – 9:00 PM event.

Hundreds attend opening at Portland Museum of Art

Tanner, Gr 2, Young School, Saco, Art Teacher Diane Noble

For the 16th year the Maine Art Education Association has sponsored the state Youth Art Month exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. The opening was well attended with kids and parents and many others who appreciate and value student art work.

Congratulations to Manon Lewis, Tory Tyler-Millar from MAEA and to Stacy Rodenberger from the Portland Museum of Art. The staff of the PMA and MAEA members deserve a great big thank you for the work each person does in helping to create an outstanding event and exhibit. This year the students from MECA also assisted under the leadership of Michelle Zelkowitz.

Art Teachers: Allison Price, Brunswick HS & MAEA art teacher Shalimar Poulin Gardiner HS

It is a wonderful opportunity for art teachers to connect, see old friends, and to celebrate the art work of their students. Each student was recognized by being invited to the stage to receive a pin and certificate. A wonderful addition to this years event was the looping pictures of the student art work on the big screen. I understand this was Stacy’s idea and a good one it was!

Shalimar Poulin, this years Maine Art Educator of the Year, gave a lively presentation reaching out to each young artist with a slide show and stories of her childhood art making memories. She gave out bracelets with “Create” on them to remind us all of the importance and pure joy of making art.

The exhibit remains throughout March so if you missed the opening on Saturday, there is plenty of time for you to get there during the month.

Maine 2011 Teacher of the Year Nominees

On Friday Bill, Leavitt High School music teacher, was honored at the State House with 12 other nominees to be considered to represent all Maine teachers. I am proud that Bill represents his school as well as all Maine arts educators. Please join me in wishing Bill the BEST OF LUCK as he starts his journey in the process.

Below is the press release and a couple pictures of Bill at the ceremony.

Bill with students

Augusta – Governor John Baldacci and First Lady Karen Baldacci joined state education officials in honoring the 13 teachers nominated for the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year program at a State House ceremony Friday. The teachers were nominated by parents, colleagues and administrators at their local schools.

“Our teachers are among our most treasured resources in Maine,” said Governor Baldacci.  “You have an awesome responsibility.  You work hard all year-round, fulfilling the important role of preparing our youngsters to be good citizens and workers.”

Bill with Governor Baldacci

The 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year will be the 45th educator to receive the honor. Madeline Linscott of Winthrop, a retired elementary school teacher and principal, was the first to be named Maine Teacher of the Year in 1966. Kevin Grover, a second-grade teacher at D.W. Lunt School in Falmouth, is the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year.

The nominees will undergo an intensive selection process consisting of a school visit, a professional portfolio review, an oral presentation, and a final interview before the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year is selected. The selection committee includes past Teachers of the Year, principals, teachers, Department of Education staff, and members of the state’s professional educator associations and of the business community. The 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year will be announced at a surprise all-school assembly in September.

Hannaford Supermarkets generously underwrites the cost of the Maine Teacher of the Year program.

The 2011 nominees are:

• Alice Barr, Yarmouth High School
• William Buzza, Leavitt Area High School, Turner
• Jim Fratini, Hermon Middle School
• Kate Gardoqui, Noble High School, North Berwick
• Tracy Gendron-Turner, Montello Elementary School, Lewiston
• Amy Hediger, Poland Community School
• Nancy Kane, Sanford High School
• Walter LeBlanc, Westbrook High School
• Shelly Moody, Williams Elementary School, Oakland
• Eddy Naples, Region 9 School of Applied Technology, Mexico
• Cynthia Shepley, Abraham Lincoln School, Bangor
• Sandra Swan, Woodland Consolidated School
• Jason Tremblay, Massabesic High School, Waterboro

For more information on the Maine Teacher of the Year program, please click here.

Bangor High School

Holly Berry, printmaker and children’s book illustrator, spent two days at Bangor High School. On the first day she introduced students to her printmaking work. She presented a digital slide show of recent work and talked about techniques used. The examples of work were spread out on the tables for students to see and Holly did a short printing demonstration which helped students see the process unfold.

On the second day, Holly focused on her book illustrations. It was fascinating to learn about the process of designing and creating illustrations for the books. Students asked questions about developing ideas, techniques and processes, making a living as an artist, time commitment, research for books, etc. Holly was open to answering all questions with patience and care.

The Bangor High School art teachers thought that Holly’s presentation for students was interesting, informative, and extremely valuable. She offered a perspective that our students do not usually get. Artist visits to the classroom are always worthwhile. I would encourage folks to find a way to bring artists in to deliver information and ideas that will create new possibilities and enthusiasm. Please click here for information about Holly and her work.

Thanks to Kal Elmore, Bangor High School art teacher, who submitted this blog post. If you have an artist in your classroom and would like to submit a post please contact me or if anyone would like to comment on artists working in classrooms please comment below!

I was on a Per Cent for Art committee who commissioned Holly to create unique prints for a middle school. Holly also was a workshop leader this fall at Haystack.