Tag Archives: rockwell museum

Arts Education

STEM to STEAM

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At this point in our history, educational priorities are focused on STEM: science, technology, engineering and math. This is a lopsided view of values in education. We need to encourage our school districts and educators to prioritize STEAM: science, technology, engineering, ART and math.

This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.

Artwork is the application of many of these other areas of education. Artists deal with physics and chemistry because they work with materials that have specific properties and limits. They deal with mathematics as they confront geometry, measurements and mechanics. Technology and engineering are utilized as they are in every other arena of production – the thing produced must work! It must be stable and function.

Artwork has been devalued as impractical. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yet, at the same time, artwork is creative.  It can be fanciful. This should not be used to denigrate art, but rather to reveal what it has to offer to other disciplines. Engineers and scientists must be creative. They must be inventive. Like artists, they must explore the boundaries of what has already been done to see what might be done.

This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.
This week in the Garden of Fire, students visited The Rockwell Museum to learn about Native American pottery. They worked with 171 Cedar Arts Center instructors to create and decorate their own coil pot. Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher photography, 2017.

Education must encourage creativity in all its forms. This will help our children build a world that can address unforeseen challenges including repercussions from climate change, population pressures and changing social, political, and environmental situations. Now, more than ever, we need our artists to give us the vision – a practical vision – for the future.

The students involved in the Garden of Fire are not worried about any of this. They are simply learning and having fun. It is our job to think about this on their behalf.

Connie Sullivan-Blum
Executive Director of The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes

 

 

garden of fire festival

It Takes a Village

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The culminating festival for the Garden of Fire was a tremendous success from every aspect.

“It takes a village,” as they say, and the program and festival could not have happened without all the amazing educators, artists, and community volunteers. We were delighted to have parents join us in celebrating their children’s accomplishments. The youths are the heart and joy of the program with their enthusiasm and eagerness to try new things.

The Garden of Fire: Summer of Water ironically took place during weeks of severe drought and heat in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. Each week of programs centered on topics including nature, growing cycles, healthy food, and art – highlighting the connection to water, importance of potable (drinkable) water, sounds & rhythms of water through music, reliance on water for life on Earth, and water pollution and conservation.

Suddenly, three days before the festival we were surprised with a series of thunderstorms and downpours. The much-needed water finally came! Naturally, we were a bit worried for the festival, BUT the morning of the celebration the dark clouds cleared and the sun shone bright and hot!

Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography, 2016.
Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography, 2016.
Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography, 2016.
Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography, 2016.
Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography, 2016.
Images courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography, 2016.

Kids reveled in all the water-themed activities, live music, art displays and games which opened and closed with a special ceremony.

In closing, we thank everyone who contributed and we look forward to 2017!

Amy Ruza
Education Programs Coordinator
The Rockwell Museum

Arts Education, Youth Center Update

“When the earth needs a drink, Mother Nature makes it Rain!”

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There is something about the smell that lingers in the air after a rainstorm in the summer time… for me it is extremely calming and refreshing, and it brings back many memories of summers spent playing outside as a child.

Unfortunately, this summer we have had very few rainstorms, meaning far fewer chances to enjoy this experience. However, this week we were lucky enough to receive some much needed rain!

The rain triggered a conversation between myself and a 9-year-old girl. I asked her why she thought rain was important, and her answer was sweet and simple: “It helps everything on the earth, like plants so they are able to grow, and for people to drink!” She then continued with “When the earth needs a drink, Mother Nature makes it rain!”

 The Garden of Fire continues to spark imaginations this year with the theme of WATER.

Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography

So far this summer the Corning Youth Center has visited The Rockwell Museum to make clay animal sculptures to protect their gardens, they have made and decorated their own rain sticks while learning about how to cope with their own emotions, and they have visited the Tanglewood Nature Center to go on a hike, meet some of their fascinating animals, and participate in a drumming circle, all while learning about the importance of water.

Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography
Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography

In each of these activities youth were encouraged to use their imaginations and to be creative. For their animal sculptures at The Rockwell, each youth was asked to choose a specific animal that they themselves could relate to. Some youth chose a bird, some chose snakes, another chose an elephant, and a young girl chose a lion. When asked why she chose a lion, specifically a male lion, she said:

“Because lions are strong, courageous, and fierce, like me!”

These moments are why we love Garden of Fire.

Ashlee Peachey
Laura Richardson Houghton Corning Youth Center

 

Photos courtesy of Dan Gallagher Photography

Gardens, news

2016: Summer of Water!

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Last week, Garden of Fire partners met at The Rockwell Museum to finalize many details about programming and discussed aspects of this year’s theme of WATER. 

We are all very excited to be flowing into year three of this wonderful program for youth in our area . Water is essential to the existence of life and can be a great symbol of the relationship between all living things.

More than half of the human body is composed of water and about 71% of planet earth is water. Water can move through just about anything and over time can carve canyons.

Drop by drop, little by little, in the lives of children and teens who participate in the program, we hope to help open a stream of expression through the arts and a sense of wonder through the science that can move through their entire lives.

Participants can look forward to many water-themed projects and programs. For example, as the youth centers grow their gardens, they’ll work with Tanglewood Nature Center and learn about how crucial water is for gardens to grow, and how plants adapt to different climates based on availability of water in their natural habitat.IMG_8341

At The Rockwell, students will make their own Clay Animal Garden Sculptures, created with symbolism meant to protect and grow their garden. With CareFirst, students will make their own rain sticks in conjunction with reflection on internal growth.

We are so excited to launch this summer’s program – it can’t come soon enough! Look for the full summer schedule coming soon. Until then….

 

Gigi1
Gigi Alvare, Director of Education

The Rockwell Museum

Arts Education, Youth Center Update

Making Animal Friends with the Garden of Fire

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Our summer program is up and running!  We have planned many activities with community partners for our kids, one being The Garden of Fire. Having had their first session with the Rockwell Museum and Tanglewood Nature Center, the children are excited to continue the journey and explore all that the Garden of Fire offers.

Week One began with the Garden of Fire story, read by Gigi Alvare, The Rockwell’s Director of Education. Students were assigned roles in the story and used animal puppets to say their lines.

Puppets2

Puppets

Parents were invited to participate in the day’s program.

Parents

Students met various garden animals with Ian of Tangle Wood Nature Center & Museum. They drew pictures of the animals in their Garden of Fire journals and wrote a bit about what they learned.

Bunny

Owl

Journal2

Worm

Journal

Turtle

I sat down and had a conversation with one of our kids, Kennedy, asking her what she thought of the program so far. Here is what Kennedy had to say in regards to the Garden of Fire;

I thought the story was really cool and I got to hold the deer puppet.  They helped me to understand what a metaphor is because they explained that it was a garden looked like it was on fire, when it actually was not.  All of the animals from Tanglewood were super cool.  They and the story helped me to understand the cycle of a garden and how it all works. I am really excited about what is to come from all of the artists and the different things we get to make.  I cannot wait for the festival and think that it will be really, really fun.

To see the excitement from the kids who are just starting to be involved with the Garden of Fire,  and the kids who have been involved in years past, shows that learning over the summer can be fun.  We look forward to hearing from the kids each week on what they learned and what they look forward to with the coming sessions.  The excitement for the festival is contagious and we look forward to being part of such an awesome project and day.

Mary Ellen Monahan
Missi Allison
The Salvation Army Summer Program Directors

Arts Education

Cultivating Creativity

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Together we can care for our most precious gifts: the earth itself and the children who live on it. 

The word ‘culture’ comes from the  Latin word cultura – with literal meanings tied to agriculture, and figurative connotations of care and honoring. And, from past participle stem colere which means “tend, guard, cultivate, till”.

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The development of culture takes constant tilling, constant caring – it is the “garden” that we can grow especially through teaching and caring for younger generations. Each seed that we plant through the art and science projects provided through the Garden of Fire program has the potential of blossoming into a deeper understanding of life in a young person’s mind and heart. As “gardeners” leading the project forward, staff from the nine partnering agencies are working together to create a model for a collaborative and creative culture.

It is crucial for young people to understand that they are not alone in their experience of daily life and it is only with this awareness that the healing of individuals and society can take place. Collaborative art and gardening activities can lift spirits, promote communication, improve common understanding and boost social skills. Through collaborative projects, a structure for building community emerges.

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The Rockwell Museum, which serves as the lead agency for the Garden of Fire program, is embedded in local history and connected through its images and objects to many cultures of the United States.  Through the Museum collection, the American experience in all its complexities comes alive. With education at the heart of our mission, The Rockwell is dedicated to serving youth that may not have other alternatives for arts education by opening boundaries between museum, school and community.

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Our work with schools and non-profits is designed to help ensure that all children have successful experiences as they grow up in our community.   In the face of a rapidly changing world and ever more prevalent societal crises we are committed to creating opportunities for people of all ages to delight in, and find solace in, the truth, beauty, and joy of art and art making. It is so energizing to have partners in these endeavors through the Garden of Fire program!

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It is my hope that the model program we have collectively created will spark the imagination and action of other communities to build their own Garden of Fire. Together we can care for our most precious gifts: the earth itself and the children who live on it.

Gigi Alvaré
Director of Education
The Rockwell Museum