Celebrating Arts Alive
By Ashley Baerwaldt, 2007-2008 Community Manager
Arts Alive has left impressions on the hearts of many teaching artists, students, volunteers and Junior League members. This year we celebrate the impact and success of this incredible community project as we say good-bye by sunsetting Arts Alive. Arts Alive has been in existence since May of 2003 and provided a hands-on opportunity for our members to work with teenagers through art. Arts Alive was inspired in part by Dee Dickinson, Junior League Sustainer, Dorothy Stimson Bullitt winner and long-time philanthropist. Her idea that helping students in an after-school art program could build increased self-confidence, better communication and let students learn of their own creativity and unique talents led to the community project we call Arts Alive.
Arts Alive’s partnership with Arts Corps allowed the Junior League to assist teaching artists with creative art lessons in a classroom setting. One of the first goals of Arts Alive was to help Arts Corps capture how art affected students in the classroom. Over the past five years here are a few ways we achieved that and many other goals. Junior League members observed kids throughout the course of a year and documented their changes, purchased video equipment to assist in the assessment process, acted as classroom assistants and from year to year the committee members remained consistent role models and teachers in the lives of the students during their year of classes. The information we helped provide, in addition to our volunteer experiences, contributed to sustaining Arts Corps as a non-profit as they earned grants and further recognition for their work.
It’s estimated that up to 60% of Seattle public elementary schools no longer offer a visual arts program, and schools that cater to low-income households often suffer the largest cuts. The mission of Arts Corps’ is not just about teaching art. Arts Corps “provides and inspires arts education programs that develop creative habits of mind to enable young people to realize their full potential.”
One of the main differences between school classes and Arts Corps is that these students are voluntarily taking the class. In addition, they have ownership over their own work and a tremendous amount of support from like-minded students. When students are engaged in their class work, learning is easier and more powerful. As one student said, “Usually teachers make everyone do the same thing, but my Arts Corps teacher was creative and let us do our own thing.”
Current board member and previous chair of Arts Alive 2004-05, Laura Fowler sums up her experience with Arts Corps. “It was an amazing experience to see the evolution of students in the classroom. There was a very shy girl who did the best she could just to be at her dance class. I remember being so inspired by her at the end of the year as she danced and turned cartwheels across the stage exuding self-confidence. She had such a sense of accomplishment and pride. To know the Junior League had a hand in her personal growth felt good.”
We would like to honor the committee members and leaders of Arts Alive from the years 2003-2008 for their diligent efforts, compassion year after year and of course voluntarism. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Dee Dickinson, Sue Georgulas, Laura Fowler, Amy Roberts, Tracey Couvillion and Kelly McLaughlin as well as all former Arts Alive committee members. We are appreciative of such a wonderful working relationship with Arts Corps over the past several years and know their success will continue with leaps and bounds.
