It's our 30th year! To celebrate, we have BIG plans
...check back often as we'll be filling in details and adding images...
Fifth graders this year are working with teacher and painter extraordinaire Meredy Hamilton (www.thecircleproject.net), creator of “The Circle Project.” Students will prepare for their
workshop by discussing their ideas of “Community.” Their
ideas will become individual painted panels, each of which will
include a circle, representing their idea of Community.
Each class or school will also have a group painting. You can see the Circle Paintings at Frontier Cafe and Gallery on display May 2-June 13, 2010.
Meredy has been making Art in and about Community for years. Her Circle paintings can be seen in many spots around town, including Frontier Cafe and Spindleworks. Her workshop will take place in March when she'll visit each classroom twice for about an hour each time.
For the fourth grade,
we have invited Heather Perry (www.heatherperryphoto.com), a nationally recognized award-winning nature
photographer (who resides in Bath), to present a residency using digital
imagery to tell a story of nature.
She is teaching the students basic mechanics of a digital camera; “field
skills” at the Cathance River Education Alliance (CREA) Preserve in Topsham (a
short 10 minute bus ride from their classrooms, but a world away from
schoolyard scenery and classroom familiarity); and aesthetic
decision-making. The images will
be collected and edited into a slide show which you can see on June 4th, 2010 at Crooker Theater and June 10, 2010 at Frontier Cafe, Gallery and Theater.
Watching the students get off the bus and look around when they arrive at CREA has been delightful. After a short walk to the river, the students immediately focus on their new-found skills and set right to work making images. Heather will visit each classroom for a slide show which illustrates technique, concept and story for the students. Then, a hands-on session in the classroom with the cameras followed by a trip to CREA and then a final followup and slideshow of everyone's work. Click here to see some of the images the students have made in Heather's workshop this year. Heather is working with Coffin School in October, Longfellow in February, and Jordan Acres in May. The slide show will be in June. Check back for specific dates.
Matt Loosigian (www.earthjams.com) is this year's third grade artist in residence. Matt is a dynamic, spirited performer
who travels throughout New England singing at fairs, festivals and schools. His
performances seamlessly weave messages of environmental stewardship, peace and
compassion with humor and silliness.
Matt and the third graders are writing songs about their studies, their
community, and their environment that will provide a portion of the soundtrack
for the slide show.
Matt has been so inspiring to the students. They are learning math skills (rhythm); language skills (rhyme and meter); literary skills (how poetry works within songs) and cooperation, working collaboratively to make music together while offering gentle and useful criticism to each other in the process.
Matt visits each classroom 3 times for 50 minutes and then shares a concert at each school with all the students. His workshops will take place in December and January.
Click on this link to read and hear some of the music Matt has made this year with students in Brunswick Schools (the link will take you to Matt's website).
Here is one of the songs Matt wrote with Mr DeCamilla's class, taken from Matt's website, www.earthjams.com
"Food Drive Song" Listen.mp3
Mr. Decamilla's class--Longfellow Elementary
Longfellow School reaching out to the communityDelivering food, a giving opportunity
We want to give some attention
To Midcoast Hunger Prevention
We want to relieve the tension
And all the apprehension
Of people who are hungry
And giving and living
Respectful and peaceful
And helpful and thankful
Do de do do do do do do do 3x
Thank you
Second graders and Primary Pod students are learning the art of puppetmaking with Cathy Worthington, regional fiber artist,
and Maureen Block, sculptor and art teacher. These two have shown and sold work nationally and have
worked in professional and community-based art programs for much of their
careers. Together with artists from Spindleworks (who have been making art with
Brunswick second graders for a couple of years) and the students, they are creating larger-than-life street puppets using painted fabric, chicken wire and
needles and thread. The puppets will be making their public debut at Brunswick's first annual All-Species Parade! Their classroom work will take place throughout the school year, visiting each classroom 3 times for about an hour and a half each time.
The students' eyes get as big as saucers as Cathy and Maureen set up for each classroom's first workshop, filling bowls with paint and spreading out sheets. It has been great fun working with the second grade and Primary Pod students as they learn (some for the first time) to thread a needle, to pin patterns, and to envision the final giant puppet in the midst of the brilliantly painted pieces of cloth. They laugh and jump up and down and hug each other as the puppets leave the floor of their classes and become three dimensional flying creatures in the schoolyards.
Al Miller is a key part of this workshop, bringing his legendary theatrical skills to the students and Spindleworkers, and helping to bring the puppets to life. Al will teach the students how to realize and embody the characters of their puppets. For nearly four decades he has been a tireless champion of the arts in Brunswick. Everyone agreed that he is the perfect choice for the role of Grand Marshall of the first annual Greater Brunswick All Species parade.
First graders will work with Martin Steingesser (www.martinsteingesser.com ), Portland, Maine’s first poet laureate. His residency will begin in March, spilling into April with 3 visits to each classroom for about an hour each. Martin has worked extensively in schools throughout New England and New York, writing poems with students about their lives, their studies and their worlds. He describes his workshops as, “…vision-shifting, focused on finding and making images that resonate with our reflective and feeling life.” We will include "voice-over" poems from Martin's workshop in Heather's slide show.
Additionally, Maureen Block, Catherine Worthington and artists from Spindleworks are leading several community workshops outside of school hours throughout the year in maskmaking and stick-puppet making for artists and would-be artists of all ages. The next one is on April 22, 2010, EarthDay! at 68 Maine Street (Frank Brockman's Gallery) in Brunswick from 10:30-1:30.
Finally, on May 13, 2010, together with Spindleworks, we’ll host Brunswick's first annual “All-Species” parade on Maine Street. Grand Marshall Al Miller and Spindleworkers will head up the parade in collaboration with Arts Are Elementary and other local groups and individuals. The street puppets, masks and stick-puppets will all play a part. Anyone who would like to join the parade is welcome.
The culmination of these activities will be a celebration that begins with a slideshow of images taken throughout the school year in Heather Perry’s photography residency, photos taken during the community art workshops, and photos of the All Species Parade collected and edited into a narrative by Ms. Perry. The evening will include performances by Matt Loosigian and Martin Steingesser featuring their own work as well as the work they created in their school residencies.
The slideshow will be accompanied by an intermission Bake Sale at the June 4th event at Crooker Theater and by Meredy Hamilton’s fourth graders' Circle paintings at the June 10th Frontier event. The slideshow, complete with musical and poetical soundtrack will be preserved on DVD and made available for sale (if we can raise the funds), as well as for potential use as a publicity and fundraising tool for AAE and CREA far into the future.
Puppetmaking, Community Arts Days, the “All Species Parade,” the slide presentation with audio and visual exhibits by students and professional artists: all promise an inspiring regional celebration of our community, our natural surrounds, creativity, artists, educators, and the affirming power of collaboration.