GROWING WITH THE ARTS

This Artist in Action Celebration was the final event in a series of educational opportunities designed for the community to interact with artists and participate in visual art classes and demonstrations by local and regional artists.  Students, young and old, participated in activities starting in October of 2013 and continuing throughout the winter and spring of 2014. 

Artists demonstrated a variety of handmade processes. A unique highlight of the day is the Garden of 1000 flowers created by school children at Beaverdam Elementary and South Ann Elementary Schools in Western Hanover along with community members in workshops under the direction of art educators and ceramic artists: David Camden, Nancy Cozart and Jen Stackpole. This outdoor ceramic garden was in place as a temporary garden installation until early June.

Growing with the Arts Project
Classes included:
Glassblowing  with Ryan Gothrup
Raku with Nancy Cozart
Stoneware with David Camden
Woodblock & Printing with Dennis Winston
Printing with Jason Taylor

"Garden #5" by Sheep Jones

The Montpelier Center for Arts & Education is the proud recipient of a challenge grant of $10,000.00 from the National Endowment for the Arts, "ArtWorks", Grant program.  Deba Leach, Arts Education Counselor at the National Endowment for the Arts commented, "...the program partners and the art forms you included in your application make for a refreshingly unique menu of options in your community."
Grant funds were used for a project titled Growing with the Arts, a series of visual art classes and demonstrations in a variety of different mediums explored by the community and the students in western Hanover Public Schools. Visual Art events ran from October 2013 through May of 2014.
Students, young and old, created and interacted with artists, as well as participated in a temporary public art installation from concept to completion.
Mediums chosen for classes were 

•  glassblowing,
  
•  ceramics through raku and stoneware, 
  
•  woodblock with printing, 
  
•  metal-smithing. 
  

The temporary garden-themed community public art work, created from glass and ceramic workshops held at the schools and the Montpelier Center, was unveiled on the Artists in Action on May 3, 2014. 1000 flowers were created from the students at South Anna and Beaverdam Elementary along with the community.

Later that evening, Celebration of the Arts showcased the art work made by the students at the schools and the community, the South Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition and Flower Art designed by David Pippin and his students earlier that day.


Besides classes, funding was raised for a permanent public art work. If funding goals are met, timeline will be: Request for Proposal out to artists in January 2014, an artist decision in March 2014, with design, creation and installation by December 2014.

Growing with the Arts will engage, enrich, and educate over 1,700 Hanover County public school students and others in this region through a variety of events, artistic experiences and cultural opportunities.