(Community Matters 184) Celebrating Youth Art with the Battle Creek Optimist Club

Kay Parker and Marsha Heath from the Battle Creek Optimist Club discuss how their Optimist Excellence in Art Competition grew into a 900-student showcase across Calhoun County. They talk to Community Matters about  how the judging works, what students and schools can win, and why seeing youth artwork on public display changes how a community values creativity. 

The Optimist Club Excellence in Art Competition will be at Lakeview Square Mall in the store front next to Barnes & Noble starting Sunday, April 19 through Friday, April 24. Awards will be given out on Friday, April 24 starting at 5:15 PM. The event is free to the public. 

Episode Resources

Battle Creek Optimist Club Facebook Page 

ABOUT COMMUNITY MATTERS
Former WBCK Morning Show host Richard Piet (2014-2017) returns to host Community Matters, an interview program focused on community leaders and newsmakers in and around Battle Creek. Community Matters is heard Saturdays, 8:00 AM Eastern on WBCK-FM (95.3) and anytime at battlecreekpodcast.com.

Community Matters is sponsored by Lakeview Ford Lincoln and produced by Livemic Communications.

Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

Richard Piet 0:02

Thanks for finding us, making us part of your routine for community matters. This is our Calhoun County Voices discussion that happens on Saturdays at 95.3 FM. Maybe you're hearing us there. Thanks for that. Or at Battle Creek Podcast.com to anytime, whenever you want. We'll be there. In our episodes, we'll be there. You're welcome to share them. For example, if you want to talk about the uh Battle Creek Optimus Club art competition, then uh this is the right one to be listening to. And you can find this at Battle Creekpodcast.com and then share it on your socials, as they say, and maybe spread the word about it. It's all made possible by our presenting sponsor, Lakeview Ford Lincoln. Yes, from the Battle Creek Optimist Club now, Kay Parker and Marsha Heath are here to talk about this terrific art competition for young people that culminates next week in an awards event that is pretty exciting as well. And we're going to find out about it right now. Welcome to you both.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Thank

Why The Competition Started

SPEAKER_02 1:10

you.

Richard Piet 1:10

So this particular event, the Optimist Excellence in Art Competition, focuses on young people and tries to uh get those interested in participating to do so. Talk a little bit about the intent of it, if you would.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

So we had started this back in 2018 when uh one of our members discovered who had school-age children that it felt like some budget cuts were impacting athletics, music, art programs. And so we were trying to find a way that we could support that. And so we decided to hold an art competition for school-aged youth, primarily started in Battle Creek, just because we weren't sure if there was even going to be any interest. And there was, and it kind of grew from there. And so every year we try and add more. So now we've covered Calhoun County and get as many districts, classrooms, art programs as we can involved.

Richard Piet 2:09

So okay, what does that mean? You get quite a few participants. What are we talking about here?

SPEAKER_02 2:15

This year we have 900 students that have registered. Wow. Some of that we have it divided into collaborations, which is two to five students, group artwork, which is six or more, and then we have individual students, and they can be pre-K, elementary, uh, middle school, high school, and we have homeschool groups that participate. We have uh 19 schools and 21 art educators or mentors that are involved in this.

Richard Piet 2:53

Boy, Marsha. Well, we didn't know if anybody would be interested in this. Holy mackerel, 900 students, 21 educators, and now all kinds of considerations that you have to undertake by age. And as as uh Kay pointed out, now you're you're sort of coordinating maybe a group project. There was a lot to consider here.

Display, Judges, And Awards Night

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yes, and as we got bigger and bigger, we also realized we needed a space, and we thought it was really important that the public get a chance to see all this amazing artwork. So we leased space at Lakeview Square Mall, the uh the big storefront beside Barnes and Noble, and we collect the artwork uh over a couple days' time period, and then we start figuring out how to display it so it makes sense. We do bring judges in from Kendall School of Art and Design up with Fair Estate and Kellogg Community College's art program. So we have a very um they know what they're talking about, these judges. And uh, so they walk around and they pick their winners, and then the Friday night awards on April 24th is when we share that information and it's a secret up until that point. So we have people come in, the students don't know if they want or not till they get there.

Richard Piet 4:16

Wow, the winning information has to be guarded by Pinkerton Security or something. Man, this is pretty serious. K. This has evolved in a short amount of time. I mean, 2018 seems like just yesterday, but this has taken off to the extent now that there's a massive coordination going on here.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

We start working on it in September or October.

Richard Piet 4:43

I'll bet.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

And we have sometimes a monthly meeting just to see, you know, what we need to take care of, and then in March we start kicking it into gear and um go full blast at it. Part of the judging we have for each age group, we have a first place winner and a second place winner and a third place winner for the individual students. And then we have a collaboration and a group winner for each of the age groups, and then we have one student that will be chosen as the overall winner.

Richard Piet 5:28

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

They the artwork is it's amazing. It is absolutely amazing. Kendall School of Art and Design offers scholarships to students. Last year they offered six scholarships that students can take advantage of if they choose to do that. So our judges take this very seriously as well.

Richard Piet 5:55

I was gonna ask what do the winners get? So they get scholarships. Incredible.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

There are also cash prizes for pre-K all the way through high school, and including the overall winner. There are cash prizes for the winners in each of those categories.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

Yeah, I was gonna say, so the individual winners, that money goes directly to the student. The collaboration, which is the small group and the large group, those go back to the school to help with the art programs within the school.

Richard Piet 6:27

Yeah, so it covers all of those bases. And uh, I keep hearing cash is as good as money, so uh they probably welcome that. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

We also have two awards for teachers. One of them, Marcia has sent notes to the principals and said, give us a recommendation on your art teacher. And she got eight back this year from principals. Yep. And so our optimist group selects from the essays basically that the principals have turned in, and that is the Optimist Excellence in Art Teacher of the Year award. And then we have another one that is the Art of the Optimist Award, and our club looks at all of the teachers that have participated, and we choose which one we feel like really stands out, and they get a cash award plus engraved plaque.

Richard Piet 7:29

My goodness. No pressure, by the way, to evaluate that. Marsha,

Sponsorships, Grants, And Costs

Richard Piet 7:34

how do you support this? How do you make this happen? I heard you use the keyword lease space at Lakeview Square Mall. So there's got to be a few bucks circulating to support this, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Yes, there are. We contact local businesses, organizations, family friends, anybody though that we can think of who would like to sponsor this event. And we have different levels of sponsorship. We'll take any amount of money, however. We also we write grants every year on the Battle Creek Community Foundation supports us every year. They have a arts cultural fund that we usually get some money from them. And uh, so we that that's where we that's how we make our enough money to uh to cover all of our expenses and the student award money that we give out. We also try to give each classroom at the end we kind of see where things balance out a um a donation so that they can continue to not have to use money maybe out of their pockets for what supplies and equipment they need to run their programs.

The Pride Of Seeing Your Art

Richard Piet 8:43

Wow. So I want to give uh either or each of you a chance to talk about the effect that this has had on all of the aforementioned folks, the young people, the educators, etc. What have you seen as a result of this event that has impressed you?

SPEAKER_01 9:03

So we set up the artwork and have it on display for a week. So that's Sunday, April 19th through Friday the 24th. And the best thing ever is for when a student comes in with a parent or a grandparent or a sibling or friend or whatever, and they'll say, I have some art here. Do you know where it is? And you know, we we we kind of get an idea of their what school they're from, what age, whatever, and we take them to their artwork and it's displayed on the wall or on a table or hanging, however, whatever it is. And the look on their faces of just how proud they are, and and that's mine. And it's fantastic. It it's like the best feel ever, goes right to your heart. You know, the teachers, I think they look forward to it every year. They know it's coming now. They all, you know, they they they kind of know how we run it, and they all seem like they want to continue. The other part that impresses me is I we mentioned the judges, which doesn't seem like that big a deal, but we've had the same three judges now for the past three or four years. They want to come back, they want to keep judging it. They they get what Calhoun County has to offer. And the parents, you know, they come in awards night, we'll get four to five hundred people coming in, you know, different times. We kind of do age categories at different times, so we don't have everybody there at the same time, but you know, elementary first, then middle and then high school.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

So um, yeah, it's just it's just that feel good moment for our club members and people from the community that don't necessarily have a student involved. This is a highlight of our year for our club members. And we all are excited about it. It is amazing to see the artwork. It just blows me away every year when I look at things and think a student did this. I'm good if I can draw a stick figure. Same here. But the community is wonderful in support of it, and we appreciate everything that everybody does. We have a wish tree that is part of the program where the art educators send in a list of different art supplies that they could use, and we make up tags and have what the item is and how much the cost is for that. The teachers have to tell us what the cost would be, and then we have them actually on a Christmas tree, and people can take the tags off and pay the amount that goes for that item, and then we will give that money to the teachers. The tree will be set up starting Sunday, and people can pay with cash or checks Sunday through Friday, and then Friday it we will accept credit cards as well. But this is just another way to be able to, like Marcia had said, have teachers not have to take things out of their pocket to be able to have the supplies that they need for their students.

Richard Piet 12:23

And we know that they've probably been in the habit of doing that.

Optimist Mission And Youth Impact

Richard Piet 12:27

Talk about just for a second, before we talk about times and locations and things, how this connects with the mission of the Battle Creek Optimus.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Our club is part of a much bigger organization called Optimist International, which is a worldwide group. But each club is responsible in its own community, you know, for to create or uh plan programs, events that would be appropriate. Basically, Optimus International originated with their mission was to be a friend of youth. So they've changed the wording a little bit on that now, but it's basically to support the youth in the area through community and through ourselves. And so we feel like every student that we can reach through this art competition, we are supporting them. You know, a lot of the students we know are doing it just because they they have they enjoy it. It's fun to do whatever art project. And a lot of them probably do them in their art classes. And the teachers submit it, and that is wonderful. But I think it also maybe shows some of them what potential they possibly have. And maybe they can make art as part of their career or a side hustle, or but just I just think it's another great, well-rounded activity for the youth to be able to have.

Richard Piet 13:48

Well, sure. I can remember similar opportunities, and it is true. You have opportunities like this, and you come away from it saying, Oh, maybe I can do this. Maybe this is something I should consider. These are the check steps that help young people realize what their potential is.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

It seems like every year we have students that come in and say, I hadn't heard about this, and we'll say, Talk to your art teacher at your school. So we are thrilled every year that we can add another school, another art educator to the process. It just highlights the ability and the talent of the students.

Richard Piet 14:32

Well, congratulations on um the effects that you've managed to have in what I would say is a relatively short amount of time, 2018 until now, 900 young people participating in this in Calhoun County. All

Dates, Times, Location, And How To Help

Richard Piet 14:47

right. So when and where, let's repeat that, can we see this work?

SPEAKER_01 14:53

So it is at Lakeview Square Mall in the storefront beside Barnes and Noble. We will start showing it for public display on Sunday, April the 19th. That whole week up through Friday the 24th. And then that Friday night, we have the awards, and the pre-canned elementary awards will be given out at 5:15. The junior high will be given out at 545, and the high school uh 615.

Richard Piet 15:25

Okay. Yeah, very tight ship. So the awards moves quickly. All right. Are folks able to attend that too?

SPEAKER_01 15:33

Yes. Yeah. There's uh no charge. Come in and enjoy it. And you know, the fun thing about being at the mall, we we're so grateful that we have that space is you know, a lot of mall walkers in uh Calhoun County and Battle Creek. And so we get people that you know don't have any maybe somebody in the school system, but they love to come in and look at this artwork. And it's it's kind of it's a thing now. I mean, I think they they they know we're coming in the spring, so it's it's just fun to see it grow.

Richard Piet 16:01

Well, congratulations, and uh, we'll put a link in the show notes for this episode at battlecreekpodcast.com so you can click through and look at the optimist website, certainly, and then uh more information there about this event. But it's coming up this week at Lakeview Square Mall next to Barnes and Noble, where the Optimist Excellence and Art competition will be taking place. And of course, if folks would like to support the Optimist Club, I imagine they could click through when they're looking at your website and figure out a way to do that, couldn't they? Would love that. Kate Parker, Marsha Heath from the Battle Creek Optimist Club, the Optimus Excellent in Art competition is happening in Battle Creek very soon. Thanks to you both.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Thank you so much.