Final Days

My Last Few Days – High Up Installs, 80 Drilled Holes, Opening Excitement

These past couple of days I've left the classrooms to I find myself 20 feet up in the air balancing on metal scaffolding, drilling holes, and listening to hallway high school banter. Hanging one finished print after another I drilled and drilled while listening to the comforting sound of Ira Glass's voice from This American Life podcast coming through my headphone. Every student that finished a print, then applied their work to a piece of wood. So each of those blocks of wood are being drilled to the wall to create a permanent student installation in the stairway at the school.

Over these last two weeks as you've known I've had my hands in the classroom teaching and assisting Mankato West High School Studio Art students in creating a reductive relief print. It's been a world wind over these past weeks and it seems like i've been there way longer. I've been able to connect and better understand teachers as well as the students, learning how to be a better teacher and leader through out this whole process, something you never really understand until you find yourself emerged in it.

With every project we teach there are always mixed feelings about art. Some fall in love and some grow great hatred. But whatever the opinion of their work is when they complete that final print, once they saw their work on display they grow to have excitement for themselves and their work. Placing the work onto the wall shows the students the value of their work and the value of making art.

Wednesday night from 6-8pm Mrs. Downs and Mrs. Youell held an opening reception for students, teachers, and parents to come and view the installation, the students work, and the art rooms. It was such a great turn out and a new excitement was shared throughout.

Now that my time at West High School is over I'm excited to see the continuing and progression of the arts within the school. Kids get excited about art and I think this residency was a great opportunity for everyone involved. It exposed the students to a new art form, connected them to the arts in our community, at the same time employing a local artist. I hope this is a project that all schools in our region can explore.

Thank you again to Tessa Downs and Nicole Youell for allowing me to come into their classroom as an artist in residency at West High School these last few weeks. They both a great teachers and it was such a great experience!

Also to Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council for supplying the grant that funded this project.