Student photos. Emerson Middle School Art Department.
Teacher boxes. Emerson Middle School Art Department.
Imagine the Possibilities is an ongoing collaboration between the Emerson Middle School Art Department and the Park Ridge Cultural Arts Council. It supports the District Strategic Plan to integrate service learning into the curriculum. PRCAC is a local arts organization whose mission is to promote, develop, and support the performing, visual, and literary arts in Park Ridge. This is done through an annual grant program, events sponsored to promote connections and collaboration between local arts organizations and the community and benefits to raise funds for the grants and events.
Over Thanksgiving weekend PRCAC had its first Winterfest Gift Gallery fundraising event. Several 8th grade photography students from the fall trimester committed extra time in the darkroom to create photographs for the sale: Mike Chrisos, Anna Campbell, Claire DeRosa, Isabel Diaz, Megan Senf, Jake Roppel, Alicia Gubarev and Olivia Vela. Many student images were identified by the teacher as “having excellent saleable qualities,” such as globally appealing subject matter and excellent composition. Students that decided to volunteer their work for the Council recognized that their work had to be printed with excellent contrast and craftsmanship, otherwise it would not sell. Students mounted the photographs to mat board and they were placed into a plastic slip cover for the sale…very professional! Several prints were sold and those that were not will be retained and sold at future fundraising events.
Students enrolled in Photography classes at Emerson will continue to have the opportunity to create black and white silver prints, beyond what is required for their regular class work, and donate them to PRCAC. Through this process, students will discover the potential of their own artistic abilities and outreach as artists in their community.
In addition, a primary part of the fundraiser was an invitation from the Arts Council to local artists to paint wooden boxes with unique surface designs and donate them for the sale, proceeds to benefit the Council. Emerson art teachers Sonja Dziedzic and Cindy Davies both painted boxes that were sold during the Winterfest fundraiser. Davies and Dziedzic also volunteered their time to paint an attractive window dressing to attract shoppers to the sale. It was a great opportunity to help out in our community and support the arts!
This article provided by Mrs. Dziedzic and Mrs. Davies, PREA members at Emerson Middle School. Mrs. Dziedzic is an Art teacher and Curriculum Specialist in District 64. Mrs. Davies is an Art teacher.
