Van Buren Elementary School students will have another opportunity to work with a local artist this school year thanks to a grant from the state.
The elementary school and the Brown County Art Guild have been awarded about $12,000 from the Indiana Arts Commission’s PACE program. The program began in 2014 to establish long-term, in-depth and sustainable partnerships between artists and elementary schools.
Last school year, the groups received a $10,000 grant. Van Buren is one of five schools in Indiana to receive grant funding this year.
At the end of this month, first- and second-graders will begin working with local artist Amanda Mathis. Last year, only first-graders participated in the art lessons.
The goal is to expand the program to third grade as well to see how students progress, second-grade teacher Cynthia Baughman said. Baughman taught one of the first-grade classes last year.
This year’s PACE grant program is getting a later start than last year’s. This means students will have art activities once a week each week instead of every other week.
Lessons will take place an hour before regular art class. “That way, then, if the artist was doing something that they needed more time, then we could carry over into the art class if we needed to,” Baughman said.
“It was so neat (last year) on those weeks they know they were coming. They were like, ‘Are they coming today?’ They were just so excited about having them come in. The artists were amazing.”
The program’s start was delayed this year because the Brown County Art Guild — which receives the PACE funding — had trouble finding an artist to teach the lessons, Principal Gavin Steele said.
Baughman reached out to Mathis and she agreed to help again. Mathis also taught last year, along with Cheri Platter.
This year, Mathis will be assisted by Roberta Chirko and Rachel DiGregorio with the art guild.
The students’ first project will be self portraits, Baughman said.
The program will conclude in April with a family night at Van Buren. In May, at least four or five projects from students will be on display at the guild downtown.
“It’s nice to have that community tie with our kids,” Steele said.
“I think that’s the kind of the direction I love to see this program going: Getting kids interested in what’s going on downtown, getting them comfortable going into art galleries and seeing what our local artists are doing. … It’s safe to say the majority of our kids have never been to the art guild. We had this great spot, seven or 10 minutes away, that they’ve never experienced.”
Baughman said it’s gratifying to see how students appreciate art as the year goes on.
“At the beginning of the year when they walked in to the art guild, for example, they were just a little squirrely and kind of running around, not real sure of what it was all about,” she said.
“Then to see them at the end of the year and to watch their faces, and just them when they go up to a portrait — just like (saying), ‘Look at this line in the portrait,’ or, ‘Look at how this one is painted’ — just to see that growth and the understanding from the beginning to end (was neat).”
