USU ArtsBridge fuels K-12 creativity
“I would like to stand on the rooftops and scream the importance of the arts in schools,” said Teresa Osborne, a USU ArtsBridge scholar.
Osborne helped eighth graders from Bear River Charter School in Garland, Utah, add finishing touches to their murals prior to their debut in downtown Logan. An important part of this project is that the 8th graders are doing this mural as a service project for the younger grades at the school.
Cache Valley youth and scholars from the USU ArtsBridge program presented several of their projects as part of Logan’s springtime Downtown Gallery Walk, April 8.
Three large murals from different Cache Valley schools were displayed at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which Laurie Baefsky, USU ArtsBridge program director, said has hosted ArtsBridge student projects for the past several spring Gallery Walks.
One of these murals, “U.S. History Mural” was designed and painted by Cade Bassett’s eightth grade class at Bear River Charter School with guidance from Osborne, Baefsky said.
“We made it clear to the students that this was going to be their project,” Bassett said, “They chose the concepts democratically, divided into groups, did the research, learned art basics and created art.”
Bassett, a middle school teacher, said he has enjoyed the past few months, as his class has come together to create the five panels that represent different periods of U.S. History.
“I couldn’t have taught all this in the class,” Bassett said.
“Bear River Bird Refuge Mural,” created by Debbie Lowry’s fourth grade class of Mountainside Elementary School with ArtsBridge Scholar Sarah Ford and “Utah’s 29 Counties,” created by Linsey Clawson’s fourth grade class of Millville Elementary School with the assistance of ArtsBridge scholar Brian Able, were also on display.
Three more exhibits, which were created collaboratively by the arts ambassador program, comprised of Fast Forward High School students, USU ArtsBridge scholars and USU’s Access and Diversity Center, were displayed at the Thatcher-Young Mansion and on the sidewalk outside the Ellen Eccles Theater.
Holly Conger, USU ArtsBridge program assistant, said the arts ambassador program pairs up high school students with university student mentors, who form a “big brothers big sisters” relationship, and then create different forms of art together.
“We wanted to do something that was arts-related that would increase retention and college attendance among high school students,” Conger said. She said the program is making a huge difference.
“This year there were exhibits from three disciplines: music, film and visual arts,” Conger said. “This is such an effective way to learn subjects, it makes it a much more memorable experience than just learning from textbooks.”
Osborned said, “I’m a huge advocate of art in schools and ArtsBridge takes literature, arts, music and theater, and uses them to teach these students core subjects.” Osborne said.
Baefsky said combining arts with core subjects helps preserve art education in schools, in a time when many art and music programs are being cut.
“It’s a win-win partnership,” she said.
She said another benefit of the ArtsBridge program is the vocational training that arts majors can receive.
“The integrated arts-based model of instruction that ArtsBridge so successfully uses seems to have a growing acceptance and reception in our schools, especially in Utah,” she said.
The program is open to students of any discipline who are dependable, reliable and creative, she said.
“Ninety percent of arts majors end up teaching” Baefsky said, “But only 10 percent of those receive any formal teacher training, this program bridges that enormous gap.”
The USU ArtsBridge program – which is part of the nationwide organization “ArtsBridge America” – began in 2007, and since then has reached more than 1,000 students in 45 classrooms across Cache Valley, Baefsky said.
“If you go around to many of the schools in the valley you’ll see beautiful murals created through the ArtsBridge program,” Baefsky said.
Anne Desjardins, principal of Bear River Charter School, said she came in contact with ArtsBridge while trying to find a project that would allow her students to do service for others. She said she was also was looking for an alternative way to teach U.S. history to the students.
“When you look at these murals, they’re stunning, they’ll be on display permanently at our school,” she said.
– keaton.reed@aggiemail.usu.edu