Chemung River School Project

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Riverfest 2010!

Below are some samples of projects Chemung River School Project students created during the artist, Annemarie Zwack's residency in January. Fourth graders from Chemung Elementary School in Waverly, NY and Center Street and Big Flats Schools in Horseheads created miniature books in which they imagined themselves as water droplets in the water cycle. Students both wrote and illustrated these very imaginative adventures! Students at Diven Elementary School created beautiful posters with environmental themes using collage, cut paper and mixed media. Riverfest! is on display until June 22nd at the Arnot Art Museum.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cornell Cooperative Extension at Diven School

Students at Diven Elementary School were treated to a program presented by Toni Gardner and Anne Hughes from the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Toni and Anne talked to children about the water cycle, water usage and water conservation. Students were given much fascinating and surprising, information designed to impress upon them the need to preserve our precious resources. The video and photos below tell the story!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Covering Big Flats

Students in Danielle Aepelbacher's class recently refined the book covers they made during Annemarie Zwack's residency in January.

Annemarie Zwack worked with CRSP students on making handmade books. She first read her own book entitled "Color Me Earth" outloud to the class and noted the illustrations she made with cloth and paint. As "Color Me Earth" is told from the point of view of the Earth, she then asked students if they knew who was speaking in the book, and asked them about the cycles that they may have noticed (the water cycle, and the decomposition of a tree that in turn feeds the earth).

Students also discussed "What is an Artist" and talked about how an artist can find inspiration. Zwack draws inspiration from topics she feels strongly about, and even materials that support her ideas are all sources of inspiration for me.

The Chemung River, of course, was the topic for this project. Annemarie wanted students to think about the role the Chemung River (or water) plays in our lives? "Will we always have access to free clean drinking water? Does anything threaten our clean water supply? Does everyone on the planet have clean water to drink? Why? What do you think it will be like in the future? Is there any substitute for water?"

Students then made their own books which will be on display in May at the Arnot Art Museum!

The stated purpose of the project was to 1) increase awareness of the work of contemporary artists, 2) to enhance students' understanding of the role artists play in the larger socio-political cultural sphere, 3) to increase awareness of the importance of research in the work of many contemporary artists, 3) 5o enhance students' understanding of water conservation 4) to enhance critical thinking skills 5) o introduce the concept of collaboration and community in making art 6) o introduce to students basic graphic design skills 7) to introduce to students the many ways in which the arts intersect with other areas of the curriculum, 8) to demonstrate to students the common threads linking art made in the past with contemporary art.

Annemarie noted that contemporary artists find inspiration in the world around them, just as the Hudson River School of painters was inspired by water and their environment.

A Visit to the Arnot Art Museum in February

A visit to the Arnot Art Museum in November

Friday, November 13, 2009

Introducing Rhonda Morton in December!

In December, Rhonda Morton will be visiting the schools to introduce Chemung River School students to haiku poetry and to discuss seasonable changes. Students will refer to their journals full of notes taken during the autumn riverwalks with Tanglewood Nature Center educators and the poet, Sue Heavenrich. (See the post below).

Rhonda is new to CRSP, but she brings lots of experience as a writer, poet and improvizational performance artist to the program. She has taught children and adults of all ages. Check out the link to an educational children's television program - Move it! - on which she recently appeared!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP5K2cZfelA

http://rhondamorton.com/collegeresidencies.html

Rhonda Morton is a poet, performance artist, dancer and singer with a particular interest in improvisation in all those roles. In 2005, Rhonda formed Alligator Mouth Improv, a four-person ensemble that draws on theatre, movement, vocals, music and storytelling, all created in the moment, often from audience input and interaction. Rhonda is the author of two books of poetry -- Woman Seeking Water (FootHills Publishing, 1997) and Breathing In, Breathing Out (FootHills Publishing, 2001) -- as well as a book of short-short stories, She Opens the Suitcase (FootHills Publishing, 2009). She is a poet of the stage as well as the page, and has been the featured reader at venues throughout the Northeast since her first performance on the Centerway Bridge in Corning, NY, in 1992.

Rhonda is also a skilled workshop facilitator and has worked with groups of every type -- from pre-schoolers to trust bankers -- to open up the potential and harness the creativity in individuals and groups.

In addition, she is certified as a leader of InterPlay, an improvisation-based approach to personal and organizational effectiveness practiced around the world, and she conducts creative writing workshops for adults and teens. In 1997, she founded GirlSmarts®, a series of workshops and retreats that use the arts to help teenage girls understand who they are and what they want out of their lives. In 2005, Rhonda was awarded the Arts Partnership Award from The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes for "tirelessly supporting others in their artistic endeavors, for encouraging young poets and musicians, and mentoring young women with her passion for and commitment to the arts."

Teachers, mentors and major creative influencers include Chemung River School Project poet, Michael Czarnecki, Martin Keogh, Bonnie McCubbin, Phil Porter, Rhiannon, Owen Walker, Sarah Williams, and Cynthia Winton-Henry.

Native American Arts and Crafts at the Chemung Valley History Museum

Karen Gilpin assisted in presenting the Native American program at the Chemung Valley History Museum in November. She offered crafts instruction to 4th grade students. Boys made dream catchers whilst girls made dolls. Many parents were on hand to assist!

Meanwhile, Joan Neece introduced the children to the music and legends of the Native Americans who lived in this region.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Diven Students visit the Tanglewood Nature Center

Tanglewood Nature Center naturalist and educator, Ian McLaughlin, gives Diven Elementary School students a tour of the grounds at Tanglewood Nature Center. More pictures and a video to come later!

CRSP at the Wyncoop Creek!

Sue Smith Heavenrich with 4th grade students from Chemung Elementary School as they "listen intently for nature's sounds." To learn more about Sue and her program, see the October 6, 2008 post entitled

RIVERWALKS - SCIENCE AND LANGUAGE ARTS BY THE RIVER!

The students are eager to pay attention to the environment with all their senses. They will write about their experiences in their journals.

Their teacher, Jeanne Gridley, actively engages her students in the presentation.

Many parents are also present as they chaperone the class.

Jean Schultz poses with her daughter, Ashley who says the riverwalk is "really fun!"

J.D. displays a "baby banana slug" she found.

Lisa LaRock stands with her sons, Michael and Matt. Matt was happy to report that he was learning about "a whole bunch of creatures and creeks!"

Carrie Parker and Marcella B. spot something in the water

CRSP naturalist and artist, Sue Heavenrich, points out a water strider to Vinnie.

Mrs. Talada with her son, Dewain.

Jeanne Gridley, Mrs. Talada and Mrs. Schultz discuss the many merits of the riverwalks with the Chemung River School Project.

THE CHEMUNG RIVER SCHOOL PROJECT

The exciting and innovative program known as the Chemung River School Project - or CRSP - was initiated in 1994 by museum educators at the Arnot Art Museum. The program offers 4th grade students from the region a full school year of a rich and diverse range of experiences which take place in area museums, classrooms and outdoors by the river itself. This nine-month multidisciplinary collaborative program combines fourth grade science, natural and social history, and ecology curricula with writing, literature, performing and visual arts. Artists and museum educators employ methods of teaching which address the whole child – his or her cognitive, affective and physical being. Visual, audio, tactile and kinesthetic learning is intrinsic to arts education and research has proven that multi-sensory stimulation enhances learning and retention in every way.

CRSP has been nationally recognized by the NY State Council on the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Arts. Our educators and presenters are HIGHLY educated and qualified to teach and are willing to work with your teachers to tailor their curriculum to the needs of regional schools. Many of them have received awards for their art and/or their teaching. Our visual artists have hailed from the big cities to our own backyards and have exhibited their artwork in galleries, museums and universities throughout the nation. One of our teaching artists - Damali Abrams - was granted a very prestigious fellowship with the A.I.R. Gallery in New York City. Janna Keser brings not only her education and experience in art education to her teaching, but her travels around the world. Her lesson plans are always fully integrated with social studies and the humanities. Annemarie Zwack and Diedra Krieger each continue to exhibit their work in national venues and receive awards for their work. Kaye Newbury is the featured poet this year for the Festival of Women in the Arts at the Steele Memorial Library and has had years of experience teaching children. Our museum educators at the Arnot Art Museum and the staff at Tanglewood Nature Center, Chemung Valley History Museum and the Cornell Cooperative Extension are, without exception, highly educated, experienced and passionate about their work. The cost of bringing these talented artists and educators into your classroom on an individual basis would be prohibitive, but is an excellent value through CRSP.

NY State Learning Standards in Social Studies, Language Arts, Science and the Arts are met and exceeded in a myriad of ways.

The Chemung River School Project integrates the various aspects of the curriculum into a thematic whole with the river at the center and the arts as the vehicle used for expression of information learned. Part of the program places emphasis on the environmental concerns of the Hudson River School, a group of 19th Century landscape painters, and how this relates to the future of our own Chemung River. Later on, in keeping with the Arnot Art Museum's slogan ART NOW, students are introduced to contemporary artists - some who work in non-traditional media - for whom water and environmental concerns are recurring themes.

Students have the opportunity to recognize the balance which exists between local history, ecological communities, and the dynamic impact of past and living artists on society. Students use the arts as a vehicle to express their understanding of nature, especially as it relates to the Chemung River.

Following the culmination of the project year, in May, a student exhibition featuring visual art and writing is exhibited at the Arnot Art Museum and the Chemung Valley History Museum.

This nationally recognized program has been the recipient of the following grants: New York State Council on the Arts, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Arnot Art Museum works with the Chemung County Historical Society, Tanglewood Nature Center, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, and the following school districts: Elmira, Horseheads, and Waverly. Poets, visual artists, musicians, historians, naturalists and water environmentalists serve as instructors.

Instructors for the 2010/11 School Year:

Writer/Poet
1 Kaye Newbury

Visual Artists
· Georgianna Keser
· Annemarie Zwack

Native American artists

Mike DeMunn

Organizations:
· Arnot Art Museum
· Tanglewood Nature Center
· Chemung County Historical Society
· Cornell University Cooperative Extension

Participating School Districts:
· Horseheads Central School District: Center Street and Big Flats Elementary Schools
· Waverly Central School District: Chemung Elementary

Students enrolled in the Chemung River School Project have educational experiences that cannot be duplicated within the confines of the classroom. In 2010/11, students experienced new methods of learning new content each month.
In September, students met by the river with a poet and science/nature writer and representatives from Tanglewood Nature Center for an introduction to journal writing and the ecosystem of the river and surrounding meadows. Students learned to pay close attention to their sensory impressions of the environment and how to write without inhibition in their journals. They also collected organisms from the water and insects from the field. They constructed a food web and showed the various niches filled by the organisms collected that correlate to human counterparts. Plant specimens were also collected and pressed.

These on-site experiences were followed up with their teachers in the classroom and a couple weeks later as the poet and naturalists visited their classrooms.

In October, students met at the Chemung Valley History Museum with Native American artist and author, Mike DeMunn, for learning about Native American culture through his very own children's book, history, stories and legends. Students then went with CVHM museum educator, Kerry Lippincott for hands-on learning about Indian culture through touching artifacts from the museum's holdings and then playing authentic games and crafts. It was a highly interactive experience involving listening skills and numerous opportunities for creative participation playing authentic musical instruments and making jewelry or utilitarian objects to take with them. Students developed an appreciation for the many inventions and contributions of Native Americans to the agriculture, language and culture of the civilizations that developed along the shores of the Chemung River.

In November, students visited the Arnot Art Museum with Janna Keser and Maria Driscoll McMahon for an introduction to the Arnot Art Museum’s picture gallery and its collection of Hudson River School artists. Students learned that looking at art is a multi-sensory process that also involves critical thinking.

They came away with a new awareness of the environment and of American history by studying the artists of the past as well as contemporary artists. They learned how artists can effect social and environmental change.

The teaching artist, Janna Keser, offered a hands-on activity - the making of fabric collages - for the students for a large portion of the workshop.

In December, the poet from the Riverwalks, Kaye Newbury returned to the classroom to follow up and discuss seasonal changes to the environment. Students reflected on the journal writing they had done in the fall and practiced the art of paying attention with all their senses. Students were introduced to writing haiku poetry which further nurtured a love for literature and language and an appreciation for the natural environment.

In January, artist Annemarie Zwack visited the classrooms to work on the creation of ceramic tiles.

In February, students returned to the Arnot Art Museum for a tour of the Scholastics Art Show and the Chemung Valley History Museum for tours of two of their main exhibitions. The Scholastics Art Show has a long history at the Arnot Art Museum and students learned how many well-known artists got their start through this competition – some right here in Elmira. Because the artwork on display is created by people just a few years older than the students themselves, children are amazed and inspired. Comparisons are made between scholastics art and the art they remembered from the picture gallery or by the Hudson River School artists they saw in November. By this time, students are beginning to acquire some fluency in the language used in the analysis and interpretation of visual art. This tour includes hands-on activities created by museum educators.

At the Chemung Valley History Museum, students immerse themselves in a stimulating environment to learn about life in the past. They complete “exhibit encounter” packets as they move through museum exhibits focusing on two local celebrities, Mark Twain and Floyd Woodhull.

In April representatives from the Cornell Cooperative Extension - Antoinette Gardner and visit the classroom introducing students to the dirty job of keeping water clean. Students will be introduced to the water cycle and asked to ponder why water is so important. Emphasis will be on conservation and students become more conscientious about the water we all consume and pollute daily. Hands-on activities follow a school-yard hike.

In May, students will return to the Chemung River to observe seasonal changes and their impact on the environment. Students have honed writing skills and will learn what it means to be ‘adapted” to an area and/or certain environmental conditions. They will gain an idea of what an introduced species is and the effect that such species can have on natives. Concepts of adaptability will be addressed and students will be asked to reflect on the implications of environmental change as it relates to the life and health of organisms adapted to a given ecosystem.

Also in May, The Arnot Art Museum will sponsor a Riverfest featuring the arts and crafts of regional artists. Students who had participated in the Chemung River School Project will have work they created throughout the year on display at the Arnot Art Museum and the Chemung Valley History Museum for a wonderful culmination to an exciting year inside and outside the classroom.

As always, the Chemung River will continue to be the pivot around which the program revolves and the inspiration for these artists and naturalists. Preservation of the river and the waters of the world will continue to be part of the mission of CRSP. We at the Arnot Art Museum remain as dedicated as ever to educating young people about the Chemung River – and all areas of the curriculum – through the arts.

For more information, please contact:
Maria Driscoll McMahon,
Director of Education for the Chemung River School Project
607-330-5742 (home)
Arnot Art Museum
235 Lake StreetElmira, NY
14901
http://www.arnotartmuseum.org/