Assets and Arts Community Engagement by Staff 6-18-2010
A growing body of research is proving what arts advocates have always known: arts education helps children to develop and learn, and to acquire the assets they need to succeed. The arts help children develop vital, higher-level skills that are essential to success in school and the workplace. In addition, an arts education helps students to learn other subjects and the assessment methods used in the arts can better measure achievement in these subjects.
To ensure strong, effective and innovative arts education programs across the state, Alaska ICE has collaborated with the Alaska Arts Education Consortium (AAEC) as a member and to share resources and responsibilities for various art institutes and workshops to bring Alaska’s teachers training and support in the arts to help them meet curriculum goals. We continue to seek opportunities to work together in the future to expand our efforts in arts education.
We know that artists can play a significant role in arts education in the classroom, but what about in the greater community? The annual 2010 Arts Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) was held in Anchorage bringing students, artists, and community members together. Effective partnerships were formed between schools and the arts community to benefit students and strengthen arts education in both settings! Several projects teaming youth with adults were completed in local communities throughout the state as a result of TOPs participation.
1-4-10 Nominate a School of Excellence in Arts The Alaska Arts Education Consortium, in partnership with the Kennedy Center for the Arts, is seeking nominations of art rich schools for the Schools of Excellence in Arts Education Award. Parents, teachers, administrators, students, and community members are encouraged to nominate a school for recognition.
12-9-09 Community Tree at The Canvas The Canvas Community Tree project developed out of the imagination of 8th grade student Anna Thompson, a volunteer assistant teacher in an art class for adults with developmental disabilities. The project was created to engage and excite both youth and adults from the class and the community.
10-5-09 Klawock Students Use Comic Life Software for Project At Klawock School, the third- and fourth-grade class is exploring the wonderful educational possibilities that a technology-rich environment has made possible.
10-1-09 Protect Bristol Bay Photo Contest Why Protect Bristol Bay? Answer this question with your personal photos and enter NunamtaAulukestai (Caretakers of Our Land) 2009 Protect Bristol Bay Photo Contest!
9-28-09 C-SPAN Seeks Student Video Entries for Contest C-SPAN is calling for entries in the 2010 StudentCam video documentary competition. A total of $50,000 will be awarded in cash prizes, which includes 75 student awards and 11 teacher awards.
9-25-09 Calling Out to AK The Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI) has launched a new feature which will allow the program to share the voices of teens from around Alaska. Teens are now able to submit content, including video, audio, photos and written news or public interest stories through ATMI’s Web site.
8-26-09 Poetry Out Loud! The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, in partnership with the Alaska State Council on the Arts and Juneau Arts & Humanities Council.
7-8-09 Elementary Students Gain Skills with Digital Storytelling Offering new and enriching experiences to the students at Glacier Valley Elementary in Juneau is becoming routine for its teachers. This past school year, the Digital Storytelling Club was the latest in a host of engaging programs and was geared toward Glacier Valley’s 4th and 5th graders.
5-20-09 Inupiaq movies teach lessons, capture oral history Over 70 people attended a screening of homegrown films featuring elder stories in Wainwright that were written, produced and directed by students at the Alak School.
3-5-0-9 Juneau Student Symphony to Premier Alaska Sinfonietta The Juneau Student Symphony and the Alaska Youth Choir will premier the Alaska Sinfonietta by Thomas Reiner at their winter concert series at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on March 14 and 15 and at their community outreach concert at Auke Bay Elementary School.
2-26-09 It's no yarn: Students embrace knitting Last February, Haines School librarian Linda Moyer started an after-school program “Nifty Knitters,” which attracts as many as 30 knitters each week, including students of all ages, parents and seniors.
2-6-09 New website shows Arts in Action The arts play an important role in learning, child development, and the improvement of Alaska’s schools. A new website developed by Glacier Valley teacher Lorrie Heagy documents the successes and diversity of their Art is Elementary program and the importance of arts education in general.
1-16-09 2009 Artists TOPs in Anchorage Alaska ICE is dedicated to helping local artists, teachers of the arts, and arts organizations to connect with young people, and help them expand and enhance the asset building activities they are already doing in their communities. Join us in Anchorage April 2 and 3, 2009.
11-26-08 Unalaska's Drive-In to promote Community Engagement The Alaska Kids Are Our Kids (AKAOK) group held their annual Drive-In Movie to promote community engagement on November 16, 2008. In all, 45 pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students and parents participated.
11-24-08 Marco Torres encourages AASB blog participation AASB's 55th Annual Conference keynote speaker Marco Torres talks about the importance of thought and idea sharing and explains how the AASB blog is a perfect way to reflect on your conference experience and improve it in the future.
11-11-08 Digital Youth: Call for Submissions The George Lucas Educational Foundation has received a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to produce ten multimedia portraits of youth ages 8-18 who are deeply immersed in digital media of all kinds: blogs, social networks, virtual environments, games, media-making projects, and so on.
10-21-08 Writing, Technology and Teens Teenagers’ lives are filled with writing. All teens write for school, and 93% of teens say they write for their own pleasure. Parents believe that their children write more as teens than they did at that age. What, if anything, connects the formal writing teens do and the informal e-communication they exchange on digital screens?
9-15-08 Alaskan high school students invited to compete in poetry contest Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. During January and February, schools and students participate in classroom and school wide and regional contests.
8-04-08 Arts Events at Central and Circle, Alaska Painting, music, and culture were the focus of community visits to Central and Circle, two destinations on the Yukon Flats Spring Arts Program tour.
7-25-08 Community Arts Event in Stevens Village Stevens Village was one of the stops on the Yukon Flats Spring Arts Program. Vicki Salmon and Laverne Alexander worked with students in various arts media. Parents worked with their kids on projects too. Afterward, student art was installed throughout the school.
7-21-08 Community Arts in Beaver, Alaska A student art workshop centered on assets encouraged by the Traditional Athabascan Values established in the Gwich’in culture recently took place in Beaver, AK. The workshop culminated in a community art night that was fun and beneficial for all involved.
7-18-08 Arctic Village Community Art Night The next morning, while a snowstorm raged ouside, the school gym was transformed into an art studio. For two days basic drawing and painting skills were taught to all grade levels. Friday night was a community art night. Over 40 youth and adults gathered.
7-15-08 Community Arts Event in Venetie For several days beginning art lessons were taught to various classes. Venetie is one of the larger village schools. There were barely enough paint shirts to go around as large numbers of students visited and enjoyed experimenting with different media such as acrylic paint, colored pencils, markers, etc.
7-07-08 2008 AYEA Art In Action Training: Telling Our Stories Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) is collaborating with an innovative organization called Art in Action from Oakland, California. Art in Action is similar to AYEA, as it is a youth leadership program.
6-06-08 Glacier Valley students given increased access to the arts Glacier Valley Elementary School's Art is Elementary program continues to expand as their community partnerships grow. Glacier Valley now offers arts opportunities beyond the school day, both before and after school, in the visual arts, music, dance, and drama.
6-05-08 Active Arts Camp in Haines Nature provided the inspiration and the materials for the children attending the Active Arts Camp in Haines. With a naturalist, they studied the driftwood, shells and stones from their weekly beach walks and then used them to decorate their float for the Southeast State Fair Parade on July 28, 2007.
6-04-08 Artist TOPs in Anchorage Art teachers and artists came from all over the state to experience the stimulation, creativity and sheer joy that comes from learning how they can engage young people, creating positive relationships, and improve the community climate through the arts.
5-21-08 'Bear' ties students, community together Connections within community have become more and more apparent in and vital to Effie Kokrine Charter School’s first student theater production, “The Winter Bear,” set to open next week.
5-15-08 Creative Arts Mentoring Project in Homer Last fall, Homer Council On the Arts launched the Creative Arts Mentoring Project (CAMP), a new program to facilitate relationships between established artists and teens interested in the arts.
4-25-08 Taking Shakespeare on the Road As part of the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare for a New Generation Initiative, Cyrano’s Theatre Company of Anchorage and Edgeware Productions partnered to produce an Alaska Native adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello.
3-18-08 Sitka Fine Arts Camp wins national award Sitka Fine Arts Camp was nationally recognized as one of 18 recipients of the 2007 Coming Up Taller Awards. Youth and adult representatives of the program received the $10,000 award from First Lady Laura Bush at a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C.
2-22-08 Arts Projects in Southeast Island School District Our FY’08 Art/Assets Grant has provided our ASC youth and adults with the means to make creative choices and put talents into action. Community members are in our schools sharing their talents with students and valuing youth contributions like never before.
2-20-08 The Circle of Drums Brings Us Together Keeping hands OFF the new drumming circle is the hardest thing for young musicians at the Denali Borough School District.
2-19-08 Community Art Project in Anderson With the solid leadership of Anderson School teacher Sandra Trumbower, a community art project is taking shape – a glass mosaic in the design of the new Alaska quarter. The mosaic will be displayed in the foyer of Anderson School.
12-11-07 Peer Mentors Help Young Arts Students One hundred elementary school students unable to contain their excitement might be too daunting for most teenagers. Not for 16 special high school students, however, who served as peer mentors for the Sitka Fine Arts Mini Camp this past summer.
9-26-07 Dillingham Community Project The Dillingham community has been busy this past summer with several community service projects that cooperatively combine youth with adults. One of the projects involved dumpsters, paint, and creativity to produce powerful messages.
8-29-07 Camp Qunguyaax passes the Aleut flame Recently, the 10th annual Camp Qunguyaax was held in Humpy Cove, teaching Aleut culture to children. The 40 or so campers, in 5th-12th grade, learned traditional ways through story telling, art, dance, food, and more.
8-02-07 Beyond Heritage Youth and Elder Storytelling Mentorship Storytellers Bob Sam, Brett Dillingham, Gary Waid, and Ishmael Hope, along with respected Tlingit Elder Marie Olson, hosted a Youth and Elder retreat from June 2 – 3, 2007 at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau.
7-09-07 Sharing Assets through the Arts As a group of artists, arts educators and arts organizational leaders found out at a Training of Promoters and Storytellers (TOPS) this past April, there’s more than one way to reach out to our youth. Even small actions of support and encouragement can count big.
6-08-07 Community Mural in Dillingham The community of Dillingham recently came together to create an artful display that not only brightens the city landscape, but also speaks in support of the community’s young people
5-17-07 Room Enough for Opera Joyce Parry Moore and her educational performance art group Opera to Go! journeyed to the Arctic to share the joy and inspiration that art brings with the youth and adults of Nome and Kotzebue.
4-27-07 Too Oozhril Zhit Tsyaa Tsal Dhidii Wednesday April 11, 2007. 6pm at the Arctic Village Community Hall a crowd gathered to witness a show prepared by Arctic Village students - The Boy in the Moon - under the direction of Allan Hayton.
4-1-07 2007 Spirit of Youth Award Winners The Spirit of Youth recently held their 9th Annual Awards Banquet recognizing amazing youth and youth-friendly businesses from all across Alaska. Here are the winners for 2007!
3-29-07 Jammin' Students For weeks, a few of our boys and two of the female staff members at the Galena Interior Learning Academy continually asked to be given time in the music room to rehearse. When they got together, they rocked!
2-19-07 Strong Man highlighted in Daily News article The Anchorage Daily News recently composed an article on Strong Man, a new comic book from illustrator Dimi Macheras, and writer Ishmael Hope. This project highlights cultural values as a foundation for strength and resiliency, and took the pair two years to complete.
2-02-07 Deck the Halls We wanted to do something that brought the holidays to the community in an old fashioned way. We brainstormed about Christmas caroling, making ginger bread houses, etc. Then it came to me… Let’s “DECK THE HALLS.”
1-15-07 Dancing once again For years, the Chalkyitsik dance group had traveled within Alaska. About six years ago, that all came to a stop. This left the younger kids without any kind of traditional expression. Today Stephanie Herbert and Amanda Wright are volunteering their time to teach the kids how to dance again, upon the request of the kids.
1-12-07 Connecting with students by sharing cultural skill As two new students adjust to Stevens Village School, it's nice to know that there are adults like Debra George to welcome them, spend time to talk and listen to them, and ultimately learn from and teach them. That's what community engagement is all about.
1-11-07 Unalaska's Boy Scouts 561 show the spirit of youth CONGRATS to the Boy Scouts 561 of Unalaska! They were recently named winners of a 2007 Spirit of Youth award for their inspired work in creating an original version of Not Even Once, a short movie detailing the inherent risks involved with drugs and alcohol.
01-02-07 Young students join in the band Glacier Valley Elementary School's Art is Elementary program is creating new opportunities for its students to excel and grow. The latest initiative invoves music in the morning!
11-28-06 Culture Camp is Ketchikan's asset builder of the month This past October, PATCHWorks recognized Ketchikan Indian Community’s Culture Camp. Over the years Culture Camp has become an important means for young people to experience the outdoors and build the assets of positive identity, constructive use of time, commitment to learning and important social and cultural competencies.
11-07-2006 I wanna dance, dance, dance, my dancies out The Inupiaq dance group is a diverse group of students who meet for the sheer joy of being able to dance and celebrate their heritage.
10-27-2006 The Moon's Sister This story, created by students of Saint Paul and Saint George Schools, is the weaving of a traditional Unangan tale with historical and contemporary accounts. Listen to the radio play and read the transcript.
9-25-2006 Learning to Tell Stories Maybe you've seen them out there with note pads, microphones and cameras, talking to officials and everyday people. They're kids, and they're asking lots of questions. They want to know why things are the way they are, what needs to change, and what it all means.
7-26-2006 Jam Sessions in Delta Junction Alaska ICE and the Delta Greely School District are sponsoring a new activity in Delta Junction called "Jam Sessions," encouraging local musicians of all ages to come together to play and learn.
6-27-2006 2006 Artists' TOPS a Success ICE staff Timi Tullis, Suzie Gaffney, and Allan Hayton conducted a successful Artists’ TOPS* training in Anchorage May 9 & 10, 2006. "We had a diverse and creative group of participants who shared many different talents, interests, and experiences."
6-15-2006 PATCHWorks Poster Challenge A few months ago, Ketchikan’s PATCHWorks (Planned Approach To Community Health) issued a friendly Poster Challenge to the children of Ketchikan’s elementary schools.
4-19-2006 Conarro Theatrically Serves the Community If life's a stage, Ryan Conarro has found his part as he balances his love for theater with a sense of community service.
4-18-2006 Mad Hot Classroom At Glacier Valley Elementary School in Juneau, girls are wearing dresses, boys are clamoring to wear ties and the codes of dance-floor etiquette are trickling into everyday classroom behavior.
3-22-2006 Native Sons “Play before you go to bed at night, and the first thing when you wake up in the morning,” sage advice from Willie Fields…“the music sinks in better that way.” Willie has mentored young musicians of Fort Yukon for many years.
3-16-2006 Studying Arts Increases Kids Smarts The arts at Main Elementary go beyond construction-paper creations meant to hang on refrigerators. There are workshops on spoken word poetry, powerful visual arts, a gallery showcasing student interpretation of paintings, drama projects, dance...
2-28-2006 Opera on the Edge, My Visit to Kotzebue ...I realized that I now understood so much more about my state and its people and culture. I knew I’d been changed by this place, and would never be the same. My gratitude for this learning opportunity continues to enlighten everything I do...
2-03-2006 Alaska Junior Theatre The Alaska Junior Theatre engages young students in the Anchorage area with moral stories that the children can connect with. A wide-range of stories is shared and includes topics such as: morality, character, academics, and life.
8-23-2005 7 Up in Klawock Citizens of Klawock and visitors from all over Alaska, the Lower 48 and even a few from overseas were on hand for the raising of seven totem poles over a three-day period.
5-03-2005 Yup'ik Dance Group Visits St. Mary's On March 3rd twelve members of the Yup’ik dance group traveled to St. Mary’s for the Ayagyuat Yuraat Youth Eskimo dance and conference. Groups from all over the Alaska came...
4-30-2005 ATMI Takes Five The Alaska Teen Media Institute has received five more Alaska Press Club Awards to hang on its humble wall. Their work ranks among the most professional radio journalism in Alaska...
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