Posts Tagged ‘ARRT’

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Day of Action

January 3, 2024

Gun Safety

I’ve been angry for some time about shootings that have killed innocent people. I know that I am not alone. The ones that are the most upsetting are the shootings that have taken place at schools. My heart aches for the teachers and students whose lives have been lost, injured, or altered. And, all the families and friends that live with the memories. And, the fear that many teachers and students have, especially just after a school shooting takes place.

I remember clearly the following:

  • Columbine High School, Columbine, Colorado, April 20, 1999, 12 students and 1 teacher murdered and 2 student perpetrators committed suicide
  • Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012, 20 students (between the ages of 6 and 7), 5 adult staff members murdered, and 1 student perpetrator committed suicide
  • Marjory Stonemason Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida, February 14, 2018, 14 students and 3 staff members
  • Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022, 19 students and 2 teachers murdered, perpetrator was shot at the scene

The shootings in Lewiston on October 25, 2023 stunned me beyond anger. Every time there has been a mass shooting I find myself wondering what is going to stop this behavior and I ask myself, what can I do? How can we as a society get people the help and attention and education that they need before they take actions that kill others and many times themselves? Yes, the laws need to change but we know laws alone are not the answer nor is taking away guns from all people the answer.

The following data is from 2021 and was published by the Pew Research center in August 2023. There is much more on this webpage.

  • More Americans died from gun-related injuries, 48,830 people, in 2021 than in any other year on record.
  • 54% of all gun-related deaths in the US were suicides (26,328), 81% involved a firearm.
  • During the pandemic gun murders increased 45% between 2019 and 2021 and the number of gun suicides rose 10% during that same time.
  • According to the BBC the US ratio is 120.5 firearms per 100 residents, up from 88 per 100 in 2011.

Please note: I grew up with guns in my home, they were used only for hunting. We had food on the table some years because of the rabbits and deer my father shot. I was taught to respect the guns in our home, they were always locked in a gun safe. When I was about 12 years old I took the hunter safety course and went on my first hunt with my father, sister, and brothers.

Today was the first session of the Maine Legislature. They started the session by honoring the 18 people killed in Lewiston. I traveled to Augusta to attend the scheduled rally in the State House. I’m guessing there were a thousand people there. When I arrived the line to get into the building and go through security wound around the State House, down the hill and across the entrance to the side of the street in front of the library. Many people had signs tucked under their arms with their hands in their pockets to keep warm. People were patient and on the quiet side, having small conversations. After 2 hours in the slow moving line we saw people leaving the building and the word passed along that the official rally was over, individuals were encouraged to go visit their legislators offices, and family members of those killed in Lewiston were telling their stories.

As I stood in line talking to strangers my mind wandered to all the teachers and students in schools across our state of Maine. I hope no Maine teacher or student has to go through a shooting in their school. I was grateful to have the chance to be there today but even though my attending didn’t really ‘do’ anything there was a small part of me that was there for all the teachers and students who were not there. I stood in line with the hundreds of others who care deeply about the lives of Maine people. I hope that we sent a clear picture and that the Maine Legislature can work together to do what is right for Mainers.

ARRT! – Artists’ Rapid Response Team banner
ARRT! – Artists’ Rapid Response Team banner
ARRT! – Artists’ Rapid Response Team banner

ARRT! (Artists’ Rapid Response Team) collaborates with 60+ non-profit, progressive groups to promote social change in Maine. This collective of approximately twelve artists meets monthly to create issue-oriented, socially-engaged banners and props. LEARN MORE!

LumenARRT created the following video. https://www.facebook.com/lumenARRT/videos/663147735748999

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What’s Your Opinion?

May 9, 2021

Portland Museum of Art


The information below was passed on by retired art teacher and artist Christine Higgins, a member of Union of Maine Visual Artists and ARRT! – Artists’ Rapid Response Team. If you have questions please email Christine at cmjh@megalink.net.

As the Portland Museum of Art considers uses for the building adjacent to PMA, why not have it dedicated to an arts education center focused on Maine’s youth? It could be a fabulous opportunity to offer experiences in all the arts- music, dance, writing, and the visual arts.  Perhaps educators and artist in this state could unite to advocate?

The invitation below is from Alicia Coll, Philanthropy and Campaign Administrator at the Portland Museum of Art.

Please join us for a virtual Zoom PMA Listening Session held especially for Artists with PMA consultant and host Paul Johnson, Principal of Creative Fundraising Advisors, on Monday, May 10th from 6:00pm-7:00pm, please reply to this email to confirm. 

Monday, May 10, 2021

5:00PM-6:00PM EST

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/2242615853

Meeting ID: 224 261 5853

Thank you for considering sharing your thoughts and opinions with us about how to maximize the use of the building adjacent to the PMA at 142 Free Street, purchased by PMA in 2019, so that it most effectively serves our visitors and our community. It will be very helpful as we plan for the future of the PMA. We hope you will join us and look forward to listening and learning from you. 

Alicia’s email address is acoll@portlandmuseum.org.

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ARRT! Collaboration

April 8, 2021

Portland Museum of Art and Portland High School

Collaboration comes in many forms and can make a huge difference in the education of students. I’ve observed collaborations that start with a small idea and grow into a long-term meaningful learning opportunity. Quite often, not only are students learning but the adults, who are behind the details, are expanding their knowledge as well.

One such opportunity is presently underway at Portland High School (PHS) in collaboration with the Portland Museum of Art (PMA). The PMA Learning & Teaching Specialist Meghan Quigley Graham has been working with the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Partnerships since 2019. The PPS/PMA Partnerships was established as a way to connect with educators and students in the district on a deeper level. The partnerships work with individual educators to collaboratively build opportunities for free-choice, student-driven learning. Through these partnerships, they learn more about access barriers and opportunities for the PMA to be a better resource for educators throughout Maine. These partnerships within the PPS district help to inform ways that the museum can expand capacity for more direct collaboration with educators in other districts.

Meghan has been working with art teacher Louis Pierre Lachapelle as part of the PPS/PMA Partnerships. Louis taught at Lincoln Middle School before taking the position at Portland High School two years ago. This school year, Meghan and Louis wanted to connect students with artists featured in the Untitled 2020: Art from Maine in a ____ Time exhibition at the PMA. It was important that the youth voice be a part of this exhibition in some way, as young people have a lot to express about the year that 2020 was, just as the artists featured in the exhibition do. The PMA’s main role in this partnership was to connect Louis and the Artists’ Rapid Response Team (ARRT)! They will also be reflecting on the experience and sharing that out with wider audiences once the collaboration is complete. They hope to find a way to display some of the artwork that students create.

Each week the artists of ARRT! connect with Louis’ advanced students and provide them feedback and comments on the art they have underway. Students are inspired by the conversations and are very engaged in the opportunity. Louis acknowledged that not only do the artists’ have so much to offer students but PMA does as well. It’s a win-win for everyone.

For those who don’t know ARRT! they create banners and props to promote the work of progressive non-profits across Maine. You can learn more at THIS LINK. ARRT! artists’ are also members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA). ARRT! collaborates with 60+ non-profit, progressive groups to promote social change in Maine. ARRT artists’ are pleased to be working with the PHS students in Louis’ classes. They are concerned about the future so being able to work with high schoolers provides a wonderful opportunity to address their concern. With the pandemic ARRT! has shifted how they perform their mission. Maine artist Natasha Mayers who established ARRT! says: “One of the best things to come out of this work with the PHS class is to work as a team, an expert panel, seeing how much we  have to offer the students. I’m overwhelmed by the skill and kindness and generosity and insight that the other ARRTists bring to the discussion. The students get feedback from at least 3 or 4 of us. Lucky students.”  In addition, this opportunity opens up a new window for ARRT. “We have worked together for years, but not in this way, so it is a new appreciation of each other and of ARRT! collaboration.”

ARRT! was selected to participate in the juried exhibition Untitled, 2020: Art From Maine In A _______ Time, which runs until May 31, 2021. The PMA is now open to the public by advance time ticketed only.

Meghan said: “PMA is always looking for more ways to collaborate and partner with Maine educators! If anyone is interested in discussing potential collaborations and partnerships with the PMA.” Please contact Meghan at mquigley@portlandmuseum.org.

Posted in Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Opportunity, Visual Arts | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »