:05
Andrew Cluley
Welcome to the A2 Schools Podcast. I'm your host, Andrew Cluley, Director of Communications for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. This week's podcast, we're going to be focused in on Youth Art Month, which takes place every March where downtown in Arbor, the Main Street area, turns into a sort of art gallery with student artwork from across the district posted in the stores in downtown Ann Arbor. And so, to talk about Youth Art Month. Today we have with us Windy Alseri. She's a teacher here at Bach Elementary.
:39
Windy Alseri
Hello.
:40
Andrew Cluley
We also have from Lakewood Elementary, Peggy Leonard.
:43
Peggy Leanard
Hi.
:44
Andrew Cluley
And from Main Street, Ann Arbor, Sandra Andrade.
:48
Sandra Andrade
Hello.
:49
Andrew Cluley
So, when we're talking about Youth Art Month, I first of all, just wanted to get just obviously we're celebrating this in March, but the importance of art in schools. I've got a pair of elementary art teachers here, and we're hoping that one of you can just share about how important it is to have that art in education and why it's so important for all students to get to participate.
1:12
Windy Alseri
Sure, I'll chime in. So, this tradition, I would say we've been doing with the Ann Arbor schools for about, Peggy would you say, 15 years or so. And the idea is that we connect with downtown Ann Arbor businesses through Sandra and every art teacher and school in the district encourages their students to create work that we choose to display in the windows of the businesses. So, there's restaurants and some of the bars and stores that we participate with on Main Street.
1:46
Peggy Leanard
I’ll, just chime in and say that we have an exceptional art program here in Ann Arbor. Students can take art from kindergarten right up through 12th grade. So, we really like to highlight what we do where usually we have art all of our schools, but the public doesn't really get to see it. So, this is something I'm really passionate about all of the art teachers are passionate about, and I'm going to give a shout out to all of our teachers because every school is represented and they've all taken their time.
2:13
Peggy Leanard
We all have busy schedules, but they've all taken their time to display their student work and usually they do that on their own time. And yes, the downtown becomes a mini gallery.
2:23
Andrew Cluley
And I guess just throughout the year, why is it so important that students get to practice art? Obviously, not everyone is going to be going into an artistic field, but yet it still seems like it's a very important skill that students get to, you know, experience as a student here in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
2:40
Windy Alseri
And this is a great question because every student in elementary is required to take art class with us, and it's usually about only once a week, maybe twice a week for either 30 minutes to an hour, and it flies by. And we have to make the most of our time with our students because it might be the only chance that they really get to express themselves and to feel like they don't have to fit in a certain kind of box where the expectations are right or wrong, or that they are not allowed to make mistakes.
3:14
Windy Alseri
So, we really encourage that independence and individuality that they get to express in our classrooms.
3:20
Peggy Leanard
And we've talked a lot this year about social emotional learning and it just seems like art is just a natural in that regards. I talk a lot to my students about voice and choice and so they can kind of use their voice as they're expressing themselves through their art. And for my students, we sometimes breathe when we first come in just to kind of center ourselves.
3:40
Peggy Leanard
And they find that hour’s just so relaxing to be able to create and use different materials and feel really good about what they've made.
3:49
Andrew Cluley
And I'm guessing that there's some students that that's like the best part of their week is that hour spent in art class where they just come to come to life in a way that they don't necessarily all the times in their other classes.
3:59
Peggy Leanard
I do hear that I have parents call me and say, Oh, my child is so sad. They were sick today, or they came to school sick because they didn't want to miss Art.
4:08
Windy Alseri
And I also wanted to add that when we talk about students who might make a career out of the arts versus students who maybe would never get the exposure to making things except from in our classrooms and how they might have a different type of experience, but it's still beneficial and it helps them with their academics, too.
4:31
Windy Alseri
There's a lot of research that shows that students who express themselves and have an outlet, either musically, artistically or physically with sports, that they can perform better in their academics.
4:44
Andrew Cluley
And can you guys talk a little bit about the types of artwork that students have on display right now in downtown Ann Arbor? Is it a wide variety?
4:54
Peggy Leanard
It really is a wide variety. I try to highlight a variety of different mediums that my students have used, and I try to usually pick projects maybe three or four of the same projects, so the public can kind of see how student has interpreted the lesson in their own way. So yeah, I like to see a variety of things.
5:15
Windy Alseri
Agreed. And I also think seeing the different age groups and how all the way up through 12th grade versus young fives, I know I have about four or five pieces from my five-year-olds right now, and we don't just choose pieces of art that might be, you know, spectacular as far as like this brilliant painting goes.
5:35
Windy Alseri
It might be something where we're really excited to show off a kid's hard work and dedication, and maybe they just needed that little boost of confidence to keep them going. And the kids love it. They love it so much. They are so excited when they get to see their art hung up in the public. So, we really appreciate working with Sandra for that opportunity.
5:58
Andrew Cluley
And that is going to lead me right over to Sandra. Why has Main Street Ann Arbor participated in such an important way in Youth Art Month for so long?
6:08
Sandra Andrade
I think it's huge. It's a connection between our downtown with our youth, and it creates a community which is much more than just like, you know, a business zone. So, it really connects people. And especially, I feel like walking around, whether it's your kids working or you don't have kids, I don't have kids. So, to walk around and see the youth in my community and what they've created makes me appreciate it and want to support the arts in the schools.
6:37
Sandra Andrade
That's so important. The talent is just, I mean, off the hook. I was in Avalon today and it was just the artwork in that place. I don't know what school it is, but it was incredible.
6:48
Andrew Cluley
I'm always amazed at not only the high schooler’s work, obviously, you know, that is just mind blowing. But I'm often amazed to see that the grade level of some of the younger students work where it's like, oh, you know, that's a fifth grader or sixth grader. And then you see, nope, that's a second grader. A first grader. It can be pretty impressive.
7:07
Sandra Andrade
It's crazy. Especially like I said, if you don't have it, it's insane. And it just makes me appreciate, like our youth and our teachers so much more like it's yeah, it's wonderful. Especially this time of year. It's dark and gray and you walk around downtown and it's these beautiful colors and these beautiful designs and shapes, and it just makes you want to go downtown in a slow time of year, which helps the businesses survive the winter too. So, it's just it's just such a giving and both sides thing.
7:36
Andrew Cluley
So, I know that basically anytime throughout the month, month of March, if you have the opportunity to go downtown, you can see the artwork. But I believe this coming weekend we've got some special events around Youth Art Month. Can you talk a little bit about sort of what's coming up this weekend?
7:51
Sandra Andrade
Yeah. So, March 18th, from 1 to 3, it's our official art walk. You do it on your own, but we have a map on the website showing where the schools are and what businesses they’re with. So, you can just take that map and walk around. And also it notes our pop up. So, we have pop ups for the art walk.
8:10
Sandra Andrade
So, we have one and everything is free, open to the public. Any ages, parents can join in, it’s for whoever, it's just to enjoy the spaces downtown and to be together. So anyway. So Conor O’Neills will have art rocks. Which community high students are spray painting as we speak, Rocks for us to draw on and paint on this Saturday.
8:33
Sandra Andrade
And then we have an art scavenger hunt that that just came about. CultureVerse will be putting that on and they have it's between three different businesses. And if you get all the stars, you get a prize. And it's and they're also doing this Ukrainian, incredible exhibit in their space right now. So the prizes are actually around that.
8:54
Sandra Andrade
But so yeah, so and CultureVerse which is a gallery on Main Street they are hosting a Ukrainian kids art exhibit called Healing through Art and it's this incredible group of people with Ukrainian connections that are in our community and they are part of a project in the Ukraine where they're getting supplies together for kids who are in the war zones and just giving them the ability to draw and express themselves.
9:26
Sandra Andrade
And I it's been incredible. The exhibit's called Healing Through Art, and from what I've heard, the colors tend to be brighter and more vivid than when you walk through and see the kids from our area, you know, not going through those stresses. So, it's just really interesting. I'm excited to see it. And they'll also have a pop up that day with Ukrainian egg drawing. So, and that again, is free open to anyone. And so yeah, so that'll be really neat.
9:53
Andrew Cluley
It's really exciting that for the most part this is celebrating the work of Ann Arbor Public School students. But it's also very good to be able to show the power of art and the ability for kids that are struggling in an obviously an very difficult situation right now and just shows the power of what art can do.
10:11
Sandra Andrade
And how we're all connected. I mean, to me, we're connecting downtown with our youth and also part of our downtown is connected to the Ukraine and those families. So, I just think it also shows the smallness of the world and how we are all connected and the importance of this artwork and that connection.
10:29
Andrew Cluley
For sure, and it touches back on that social emotional aspect that you talked about. Our students are still faced with not only the normal social emotional challenges that students have, but also still dealing with COVID and a lot. And so, art is just a really powerful way for them to express themselves.
10:48
Peggy Leanard
It really is. It really is. And we're happy to showcase their work.
10:53
Andrew Cluley
Do you have anything else you want to share about Youth Art Month and Main Street’s participation in it?
10:59
Sandra Andrade
Yeah. We have these incredible banners this year. Every year we choose a different piece of artwork to put on the banners on Main Street. The female’s name is Rosie. I'm going to forget her last name. But anyway, the banners are hanging on Main Street, so you can go down and see them and they're be. It's a beautiful image. It's just creative and it's just really good. So, and it's also on our website, too.
11:22
Peggy Leanard
And it's really fun because she's a student artist, so we pay her. Yes. And she gets a banner. So how exciting is that as a student to have your work showcased like that.
11:32
Andrew Cluley
And you'll be able to, she'll be able to put that on her resume. I am guessing a student that's reached that level is probably someone who's looking forward to art in college or some other way going forward. And having that experience has got to be a great chance.
11:47
Sandra Andrade
Yeah, Yeah. For her portfolio, Exactly. Getting started.
11:50
Andrew Cluley
Well, it sounds really exciting. Again, remind us when the official Youth Art Walk is going to be. Obviously, the work is out all the time downtown, but when is the big events coming up?
12:03
Sandra Andrade
It is this Saturday, March 18th, from 1 to 3.
12:07
Andrew Cluley
Alrighty. Well, very good. And speaking of things that are very good, which brings us to the good news section here on the A2 Schools Podcast. And it was a very good weekend in the pool for Pioneer High School last weekend, the boys swimming and dive team won the state championship. That was their third straight win of the Michigan Division One State Championship.
12:32
Andrew Cluley
They scored 288 points, 100, over 100 points more than the next closest team and are really an amazing swimming team that Pioneer. The seniors, they are graduating, they missed the state championship meet their freshman year because of COVID. But other than that meet that didn't take place. They won every single dual meet, every single conference meet and every single state meet that they participated in.
12:58
Andrew Cluley
So, congratulations to the Pioneer Boys Swim and dive team and coach Stefanie Kerska. And we also want to celebrate the Pioneer Girls synchronized swimming team. They were able to claim a state championship last weekend as well. They defeated Troy High School and Huron at the state finals, and that was right there at Pioneer High School. So, congratulations to them and their coach, Alice Seipelt.
13:24
Andrew Cluley
So, congratulations to Pioneer. Great weekend. Well, I want to thank you all for joining us today. So thank you very much, Sandra, for coming in.
13:33
Sandra Andrade
Thank you.
13:34
Andrew Cluley
And, Peggy, thank you very much for joining us.
13:37
Peggy Leanard
Thanks for the opportunity.
13:38
Andrew Cluley
And Windy, thank you very much for not only joining us, but hosting us here at Bach Elementary.
13:43
Windy Alseri
Thank you, Andrew. It's been fun.
13:45
Andrew Cluley
And thank you for listening to the A2 Schools Podcast. As always, if you have any questions about the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the first place to go is our website at A2schools.org. If there's a topic, you'd like us to discuss in a future episode of the A2 Schools Podcast, email me communications@a2schools.org. And thanks once more for listening to this week's edition of the A2 Schools podcast.