Creative Workshops Connect Art with the Classroom
South Shore Arts takes great pride in the diversity of its programming. Classroom teachers and organization leaders looking for new and innovative means to tie art to their curriculum may call upon the Education Department to develop projects to meet their specific needs. During the past year, South Shore Arts conducted a number of workshops that demonstrated the universal relevance of art to any subject. From math to science, literature to holiday themes, the possibilities for inspiration are infinite.
Two sixth-grade classes from St. John the Evangelist School in St. John recently visited the Center for Visual and Performing Arts for a pottery demonstration and workshop. Teacher Barbara Cerwinske’s sixth grade students had read A Single Shard by Korean-American writer Linda Sue Park. The book is about an orphaned boy, who lives with a lame straw weaver in a 12th century Korean village famous for its celadon pottery. The child is fascinated by one of the local potters’ work and eventually begins working for him. After reading the book, looking at pottery on-line and discovering that most of the students had never seen pottery made on a wheel, South Shore Arts staff organized a field trip for students to observe a potter at work, experience their first hand-shaping clay and make a small pot.
Ms. Cerwinske says her students thoroughly enjoyed the day and were excited when they received their pots after they’d been painted celadon green and fired. “This was truly a learning experience that connected reading and fine arts in a way that our students won’t soon forget,” she says. After securing a grant for a classroom project, Amber Booker, a kindergarten teacher at Washington Elementary School in East Chicago, asked South Shore Arts to develop an interesting way for her students to observe Black History Month. Under the guidance of a South Shore Arts instructor, the children constructed drums that were used during their cultural celebration in February.
Third and forth grade students from Roosevelt Elementary School in Dolton wanted to experience art away from their classroom. The students were studying area and perimeter in math class, so South Shore Arts staff created an Area and Perimeter Workshop, combining art and math that supported these concepts. Using shapes and geometry, students were are to create spheres embellished with color, texture and pattern. Elsewhere, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops benefited from workshops in art and drama. Shore Arts instructors translated scout guidelines into inspirational activities that allowed the participants to earn patches, badges and belt loops.
Thanks to funding from the Foundations of East Chicago, all fifth-grade students at the East Chicago public schools enjoyed a Cultural Scepter Workshop with David Philpot, a Chicago-based artist whose beautifully unique staffs have captured the attention of galleries and collectors alike, including Oprah Winfrey. “The students were very involved in the projects,” said Mary L. Cutean, a fifth-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary School. “There was a large degree of cooperation and sharing, two things that we rally need to promote among our students.” Students and teachers appreciated the level of enrichment this activity brought to their schools. “It was a wonderful experience,” said William Jarrett of Harrison School.
When students from Scott Middle School in Hammond visited the Center for a Vision, Light and Color Workshop, they were introduced to basic color theory by mixing their own colors. Then, by using light and dark color to generate shadows and highlights, they created the illusion of dimension in their work. This workshop enhanced the curriculum of a special Saturday program.
The renowned illustrations of Eric Carle provided inspiration for two workshops at Longwood Elementary School in Chicago Heights. With watercolor and collage as the featured medium, kindergarten students were able to produce their own whimsical creatures. One-day workshops based on Chris Van Allsburg’s Polar Express served over 1,100 Hammond first graders through funding provided by the City of Hammond. The book was brought to life for the children as they experienced a magical encounter with the story at Substation No. 9, the South Shore Arts Hammond satellite location. Each child constructed a themed ornament that was displayed in the gallery.
Following the Jim West Puppet Show, funding from CHASE took South Shore Arts instructors into area classrooms with all the materials necessary for free follow-up puppet workshops. These activities not only promote creativity but also reinforce the message put forth by the puppeteer: “Creativity and imagination can take place with simple materials that children can easily access.” Danna Penning, a third-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School, said, “The activity came just in time, as the students were writing a play for their puppet animals.” Following one of the workshops, a kindergartner at St. Paul Lutheran School in Muster summed it up best: “This is the best day of my life!”
Many other theme-based workshops have taken place at schools, festivals and art centers giving children opportunities for expression as they experience the creative process of making art. The Education Department at South Shore Arts encourages schools and organizations to embrace art: Call 219/836.1839 to schedule an art workshop—the possibilities are endless!
Making Memories:
Making Memories––A Family Enrichment Program was launched earlier this year in six libraries in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago. Conducted in partnership with Books, Brushes and Bands for Education, the South Shore Chamber Orchestra, the Towle Theater, children’s book illustrator Patrick Girouard and Professor Bill Buckley, a poet-in-residence at IU Northwest, the program will soon move into the Porter County communities of Portage, South Haven and Valparaiso. The program brings families together through reading and the arts: bookmaking, writing, music, visual art and drama.
Jeff Casey, Managing Director of the Towle Theater says, “Being a part of Making Memories has been a great experience. Most of our outreach is done on-site at the theater. This program has given our organization the opportunity to get out into the communities of Gary and East Chicago, beyond our home of Hammond. Watching parents and grandparents interact with their kids through this program has reinforced why we exist––to ignite imagination and create a love for the arts within families in our community. What makes this program unique is that we are doing so through literacy and various artistic components.”
CONTENTS