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| Selfie with Students on the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art |
I've always believed that being respected in your field is the greatest professional honor that you could have, but when actions reflect that respect, it means even more. This year I was fortunate enough to receive a nomination from my district's Director of Art Education to participate in the Delphi Art Partners Program at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, proving to me that I am definitely doing something right in my classroom.
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Our artist-in-residence, Doris
Nogueira-Rogers, in conversation
with a student at the PMA
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Out of 300 public schools in Philadelphia, I was selected as one of 6 art teachers to participate in this fun and intensive 30-hour artist-in-residency program. Plus, of those 6 only 3 of us teach in a traditional, non-charter school! When I was given the responsibility of starting my school's art program back in 2012 I certainly didn't see this coming. From early October through the end of December 2015, one specially selected eighth grade class was able to spend a block of 90 minutes every Monday morning with our wonderful artist-in-residence, Doris Nogueira-Rogers. Using the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as inspiration, she and I brainstormed a residency plan for an engaging project that built connections between art and literacy.
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| Learning about types of treasures from different cultures and the boxes that were created to keep them safe. |
Over the next few months, our 'Treasure Boxes' project transformed my students from kids in an art class into motivated young artists. Through the generosity of the Delphi Project Foundation, we were able to bring 20 eighth graders on two trips to the PMA and we were given an amazing budget to buy the types of supplies that us art teachers only dream of ordering- things like binding tape and polymer clay. The icing on this cake was seeing my students' work is on display in the Education Gallery of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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| Inspired by the work of Dave, a slave from the American South, we experimented with introducing writing into our artwork. |
Disclaimer: Normally I don't show any student faces in my articles due to privacy and legal considerations. These students all signed waivers allowing for their images to be used.
Special thanks to the following people for their part in making this project possible: Lisa Bowe (8th grade teacher), Dr. Andrea Coleman-Hill (School Principal), Deb Klose (Director of Art Education, School District of Philadelphia), Doris Nogueira-Rogers (Artist-in-residence), Teyona Jackson (PMA Delphi Coordinator), Marc Rowell (CityYear Corps Member), Rebecca Hoenig (PMA Museum Educator), and -of course- Tammy Salvadore (Executive Director, Delphi Project Foundation).
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