EDUCATION

Museum Making Connections

In an effort to provide educational and cultural experiences to children in the Tri-State region who have fewer opportunities to experience the arts, the Huntington Museum of Art (HMA) has developed an outreach program known as Museum Making Connections. Beginning several years ago with a small program that served rural schools without transportation to the Museum for field trips, the program has grown to include seven components:

Museum Making Connections: Tri-State Elementary, our original program, provides presentations and workshops to first and fifth grade students in their classrooms. The program travels to schools within a 75-mile radius of the Museum.

Fifth-graders are proud to show their handmade prints

First-grader with her handmade book.

Museum Making Connections: After School provides sequential, discipline-based instruction in the visual arts to children in after-school programs in rural and economically disadvantaged schools and day care centers. Exciting learning takes place as children build skills in the visual arts as well as learning problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork skills.

Visiting artist Glenn Grishkoff demonstrates sumi ink painting with his handmade brush

Young artist delights in stroking paint with her handmade brush

Museum Making Connections: ArtWorks! is an award-winning program developed in response to the problems of inner-city teens living in public housing. This program deals directly with teens who are under-served. Several of the completed ArtWorks! projects are visible throughout Huntington: Building Blocks at the foot of the Robert C. Byrd Bridge at 6th Street, the Mosaic by the Ritter Park tennis courts, Bridges on Main St in Guyandotte, Passages and Circle of Life on the museum's exterior wall and Windows on the corner of 4th Avenue and 8th Street.

The most recent project, completed this past summer, is not big, bright and colorful or installed outdoors, but it is extremely meaningful nonetheless. It is a cast paper mural located in the lobby of Huntington Banks on 5th Avenue. The impact of the project on the teens was powerful. They worked hard, they completed the task, and they can take pride in their handiwork.

Follow along with the process:

The 12 kids that were involved this summer spent the first day of their 10 days together driving around Huntington, taking digital pictures of significant and meaningful parts of town. They took hundreds of pictures: the Rose Garden, the train at Heritage Station, statues of Carter G. Woodson and Collis P. Huntington, Marshall University and the riverfront, to name a few.

The next task was to look at the images on the computer and decide which ones to use for the final mural. With the help and guidance of University of Rio Grande ’s Robin Lyles, the kids each had some time working in the museum’s digital photography studio. What a great opportunity for these kids to have some hands-on experience with technology.

With their favorite pictures selected, they pieced together an 8-foot long and 3-foot wide collage from their printed images. Next, Kevin Lyles, who was the mastermind of the project, cut the 8’x 3’ paper collage into 16 rectangles. Each participant had his/her own rectangle to work on, with a few extras that the entire group worked on together.

Then, each participant placed their paper rectangle over a slab of clay that had been smoothly pressed into a shallow wooden box, ready for tracing.

After the kids traced the image onto the clay, they removed the paper and modeled the clay with their hands and tools to make a low relief. The finished clay relief was ultimately what the paper would look like so great care was taken for accuracy and detail.

After the kids finished their clay work, they mixed up buckets of plaster and poured it into the 16 boxes, careful to thoroughly cover the clay with no air bubbles.

Once the plaster hardened, they disassembled the boxes and pulled away the clay. Then it was time to carefully and thoroughly clean the plaster because the plaster would be the mold for the cast paper.

The kids used blenders to make paper pulp from cotton and carefully placed the pulp over the plaster molds. When the paper pulp dried, the kids were able to peel off the sheet of paper and see their images. How exciting after a long and meticulous process! Finally, the kids were able to assemble all 16 pieces and see the final piece –A Journey through Huntington

Many people contributed to the success of this project:

Kevin Lyles, the facilitator, is an artist and professor at the University of Rio Grande in Gallipolis. His knowledge of materials and teaching expertise enabled him to provide an outstanding experience for the kids. Tim White, Director of the Cabell County Youth Empowerment Program, continues to be passionate about the kids, ensuring their continued participation in quality programs. A big thank you goes to Bryan Stepp from Huntington Banks for displaying A Journey through Huntington in the bank's lobby.

The project could not have taken place without funding from WSAZ Children's Charities and JP Morgan Chase.

This teen has disassembled one of the boxes, has flipped over the plaster, which is still attached to the clay, and is about to pull the clay away from the dried plaster. Notice to the left is another box with plaster in it..

Pulling the clay away from the plaster. Notice the modeling done with clay has left its reverse impression in the plaster.

Kevin is explaining the importance of thoroughly cleaning the clay out of the cracks and recesses in the plaster. Remember, the plaster will be the mold for the cast paper so it must be clean.

Working together is an important learning and thinking skill.

The kids are making paper pulp by blending cotton and then carefully placing it on the plaster rectangles.

All of the cast paper rectangles are completed. Kevin is showing the kids how to position them so the separate rectangles fit together to make one cohesive mural.

Bryan Stepp, manager from Huntington Banks, at the reception, honoring the kids who worked on the project.

Kevin explains the extensive process involved to complete A Journey through Huntington. The kids worked hard: they developed critical thinking and problem-solving skills, they worked collaboratively, they learned personal as well as social responsibility, they improved their communication skills - and there is a stunning wall mural that makes them proud!

Guests at the reception viewing A Journey through Huntington in the Huntington Banks lobby.

ArtWorks! participants in front of A Journey through Huntington

Museum Making Connections: Saturday KidsArt provides instruction on-site at the Museum to children in grades K-5, completely free of charge thanks to the sponsorship of Heiner's. Children participate in the visual arts as well as theater and movement activities.

Saturday KidsArt kids have a great time every week rolling up their sleeves and getting messy making art.

Museum Making Connections: Community Events serves to introduce large numbers -often more than 500 at an event - of children and parents to the Museum, its educational activities, and its exhibitions and programs. If you are interested in the museum being part of your community event, please contact the Education Department at 529-2701, Ext. 31.

Museum Making Connections: Middle School provides inquiry-based instruction in science and art to middle-school students. Recently the 8th grade Talented & Gifted students from Cabell County enjoyed a field trip to the museum exploring the theme, "Vessels." They learned about vessels in plant life in the museums tropical conservatory and then they made vessels out of clay by throwing pots on the potter's wheel. By integrating different disciplines, educators are able to provide a more comprehensive learning experience.

Students in the conservatory learning about vessels of survival

Students learning to "throw" on a potter's wheel

Museum Making Connections: Distance Learning, our newest program, offers virtual field trips to schools in remote locations, and makes it possible for children without physical access to the Museum to experience a live tour of the Museum.