qm_winter_2015

16 / 36

Virginia C apitol C onnections, Winter 2015
16
It is lunchtime in Henry County, when twenty-five fourth
graders from Campbell Court Elementary, filter into a corner of
a busy cafeteria set-up as a make shift art studio. Clad in paint
splattered jeans, teaching artist, Kevin Reese, greets students amid
the clatter of clanging trays and chattering voices. Reese’s hair
and personality are reminiscent of the professor from the movie
“Back to the Future.”
Reese exclaims and then pauses, “There is one rule to making
a mobile.” Students look among themselves pondering Reese’s
statement thinking he is talking about touching the art materials
or following directions. Reese continues, “Mobiles are made
from the bottom up!” Next, students are asked to find their “2
fer”, a piece of wire having a shape attached at both ends. Reese
enthusiastically blurts out “find the balance point!” A sea of
index fingers emerges with “2 fers” identifying “the balance
point” as the area along the wire where the equal distribution of
Mobilizing Our Community: The Arts Education Balance
By Casey Polczynski
weight is achieved. Wire is bent and re-bent as students learn the
manipulation and configuration of mobile making. The energy in
the make shift studio increases as students add each successive
layer to their “maquettes” or mini-mobiles.
Arts education is the “2 fer” in a balanced education. The
Virginia Commission for the Arts provides grant funding for PreK-
12 artist residencies like the innovative nationwide school sculpture
program “Mobilizing Our Community” created by Reese. Arts in
Education grants give students and teachers the opportunity to
work with professional artists either in a school setting or through
after-school or summer programming. Students who engage in the
process of creating art not only learn the hands-on skills related
to a specific art form, but also gain essential lifelong experiences
that impact their social and intellectual development. Taylor,
a 4th grader shared, “I learned that when you get one idea, you
can change it into another.” Artist residencies are a component
in balanced education programs that build supportive, creative
environments, in which teachers/staff and artists work together to
offer learners new knowledge and experience in the arts.
Kevin Reese’s “Mobilizing Our Community” was the first
visual arts residency in Martinsville and Henry County that
involved four hundred and ninety students from nineteen different
schools with additional collaborative support and efforts of local
businesses and community organizations. Like other school
sculpture programs he has led in schools throughout the country,
Reese’s residencies result in full sized mobiles designed for public
spaces. VCA grantee, Piedmont Arts, located in Martinsville,
applied for the Arts in Education grant. Barbara Parker, Piedmont
Arts Director of Programs and the project coordinator stated,
“Seeing the students work through the design process and then
reaching that moment when they understand why and how a mobile
does what it does is so exciting.” She added, “Even students who
begin the project by saying they are not artistic come to realize
that creativity isn’t necessarily about being a great artist. It’s
about making something that is uniquely their design.”
This past December, one hundred and twenty five students,
parents, and community supporters, celebrated the unveiling of the
mobiles at the grand opening of a month long show at Piedmont
Arts. Dr. Sherri Lewis, principal of Drewry Mason Elementary
was in attendance. Dr. Lewis shared her appreciation for VCA
grant funding “to reach a broad spectrum of interests and students
through the various art forms because arts education enriches the
curriculum and motivates students who might otherwise drop out
of school. We couldn’t do it without the support.”
Forty large mobiles ranging from three to sixteen feet were on
display and installed throughout the community to all participating
schools and businesses. Any remaining mobiles will be available
for “adoption.” To check the availability of any remaining mobiles
or to learn more about the project, contact Piedmont Arts at www.
piedmontarts.org.
In 2014, The Virginia Commission for the Arts awarded twenty-
five Arts in Education grants to communities large and small
throughout the Commonwealth. Applicant for the 2015 AIE grants
may apply to the Commission for funds up to $10,000 and must
secure a one-to one match for the requested amount. VCA’s mission
is to support artistic excellence and encourage growth in artistic
quality for the benefit of all Virginians. For more information visit
the Commission’s website at
Dr. Casey Polczynski is the Arts in Education Coordinator for
the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
A sample of the mobiles made by the students during the workshop.
V