10/07/2016
THANK YOU again to all of our Art On A Limb participants, sponsors and volunteers! Here is a sweet note from our Community Outreach Director, Nancy Raia, about how much everyone's sponsorships and votes help with her work:
"I can't thank you enough for the creativity and teamwork that you all put in to making this a project many are still talking about. You helped bring a spotlight onto our town in a most favorable way, showing that art matters and can bring people together in wonderful ways. Whether creating, sponsoring, hanging the show, viewing, cheering, photographing, and yes even voting for it, people were gathering and enjoying the whole process.
( I think even the trees got into spirit of it!)
I would like to share with each and every one of you where your funding of this project is going, and how many varied populations will share from it.
The Community Outreach serves to reach out into our community to those not normally served. This means getting art sessions to the William F. Green Veterans Home in Bay Minette, we even had some of the veterans come here last year to work with students from area schools on the poppy project! We have built an art program at the Regional School for the Deaf and Blind for more than 7 years now. Last year we hosted the first ever Family Art Night at the school, where the parents and siblings of the students got to create art together, enjoy music and food and view the art show the students were so excited to share.
We work with various groups that choose to come here for a field trip, but need assistance or smaller classes, such as those with physical, emotional or differing abilities. We customize classes based on their needs and interest, including many teachers of gifted programs wanting a day of immersion in the arts.
One project that has become a pilot program is Senior to Senior, where I take students from Fairhope High School to work with senior citizens in assisted living. The students get art service hours, the residents get an art class and new friendships with the younger generation, and both sides love it. I have taught this on a state level, which spawned two new programs (I actually visited two other cities to teach it, Decatur and Auburn) at public schools. This past March I presented to the National Art Education Association conference (in Chicago)on the Senior to Senior program and will be presenting on the topic this Sunday at the Fairhope Unitarian Church.
It is a privilege to be asked often to guest in college level classes at the College of Education and the Deparment of Recreational Therapy at University of South Alabama, and bringing them here for classes often.
This way we can impact the future educators and those serving in so many different ways.
I can't forget our classes each summer with Fairhope Rotary Youth Club and also teaching Squeaker Sneakers at Weeks Bay, taking students into the environment and then remembering it with making art as a response to the new learning. Building future stewards of our environment is our goal.
Our Community Outreach is sponsored by grants. Thanks to the funding from you, the wild knitters/artists of this successful Art on a Limb, we will be able to say "yes" much more often!
Thanks again to Gaye Lindsey and Phillip Webb for leading this project, Hannah Lyle and Adrienne Clow of our staff for all of their hard work, and always to Kate Fisher, our director for seeing the potential of this project!"
- Nancy Raia
