Our 30th year! To celebrate, we made BIG plans
Fifth graders worked with teacher and painter extraordinaire Meredy Hamilton (www.thecircleproject.net), creator of “The Circle Project.” Students prepared for the workshop by discussing their ideas of “Community.” Their ideas became individual painted panels, each of which included a circle, representing their idea of Community.
Each class or school.also made a group painting. The Circle Paintings were on display at Frontier Cafe and Gallery from 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 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 taught 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 were collected and edited into a film which was shown on June 4th, 2010 at Crooker Theater and June 10, 2010 at Frontier Cafe, Gallery and Theater. If you'd like to see the movie, contact Heather
Watching the students get off the bus and look around when they arrived at CREA was delightful. After a short walk to the river, the students immediately focused on their new-found skills and set right to work making images. Heather visited each classroom for a slide show which illustrated 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 a final followup and film of everyone's work. Click here to see some of the images the students have made in Heather's workshop this year. Heather worked with Coffin School in October, Longfellow in February, and Jordan Acres in May.
Matt Loosigian (www.earthjams.com) was 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 wrote songs about their studies, their community, and their environment that Matt performed in the year-end concerts.
Matt was so inspiring to the students. They learned 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 visited each classroom 3 times for 50 minutes and then shared a concert at each school with all the students. His workshops took 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 community
Delivering 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
We are caring, and sharing
And giving and living
Respectful and peaceful
And helpful and thankful
Do de do do do do do do do 3x
Second graders and Primary Pod students learned 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 created larger-than-life street puppets using painted fabric, chicken wire and
needles and thread. The puppets made their public debut at Brunswick's first annual All-Species Parade! Their classroom work took place throughout the school year, visiting each classroom 3 times for about an hour and a half each time.
The students' eyes got 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 was great fun working with the second grade and Primary Pod students as they learned (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 laughed and jumped up and down and hugged each other as the puppets left the floor of their classes and become three dimensional flying creatures in the schoolyards.
Al Miller was 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 taught 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 worked with Martin Steingesser (www.martinsteingesser.com ), Portland, Maine’s first poet laureate. His residency began 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 led 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.
Finally, on May 13, 2010, together with Spindleworks, we hosted Brunswick's first annual “All-Species” parade on Maine Street. Grand Marshall Al Miller and Spindleworkers headed up the parade in collaboration with Arts Are Elementary and other local groups and individuals. The street puppets, masks and stick-puppets all played a part. Anyone who wanted to join the parade was welcome.
The culmination of these activities was be a celebration that began 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 included performances by Matt Loosigian and Martin Steingesser featuring their own work as well as the work they created in their school residencies.
The slideshow was 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 is preserved on DVD and is available for sale 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 promised and delivered an inspiring regional celebration of our community, our natural surrounds, creativity, artists, educators, and the affirming power of collaboration.
