Student Exhibition highlights achievements of Project ARTstART

(May 29, 2012) – The Claremont Museum of Art launched Project ARTstART in the Fall of 2011. Under the direction of Rich Deely, the program’s inaugural year has been enthusiastically received by over 200 Claremont students. Project ARTstART is a youth arts education program that involves older students in teaching, and younger students in learning about Claremont’s many arts and cultural attractions. An exhibition of related student artwork will be on view Wednesday, May 30 6-8pm and Thursday, May 31 10-4pm in the Claremont Heritage Ginger Elliott Exhibition Center in Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Claremont.

Sycamore Elementary Art Program collaborates with Project ARTstART to focus on PST

Using the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time celebration of post-World War II arts as a departing theme, high school students of the Claremont Museum of Art’s Project ARTstART collaborated with Sycamore arts educator Mary Town to create thematic arts activities for Sycamore School’s 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes. The plan was simple: have high school students identify themes, create activities based on local PST exhibitions, and present lessons to Sycamore students under the guidance of both Sycamore and CMA staff.

The works exhibited are a sample of projects undertaken over the course of the semester relating to the ARTstART student-devised themes for each class presentation. Inspired by works of artists from the Pomona Valley Community, ARTstARTers and their college mentors planned and presented art appreciation introductions and field trips followed by art-making projects. Field trip destinations included: Clay’s Tectonic Shift at Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Big Bugs/David Rogers installations at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and Claremont Modern: The Artists of the GI Bill, presented by the Claremont Museum of Art in collaboration with Claremont Heritage.

Claremont High School students build leadership skills through Project ARTstART

Twenty-five Claremont High School ARTstARTers met weekly throughout the Fall semester. Under the direction of museum educator Rich Deely and Claremont Colleges student mentors, they visited cultural sites to familiarize themselves with Claremont’s arts heritage and learned how to prepare and present lessons. They based simple project ideas around their trips to Claremont Heritage, the Maloof residence, the Scripps College Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, and the Pomona College Museum of Art.

In February, after much planning and preparation ARTstART Teens presented arts appreciation activities at Sycamore Elementary School for five classes of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. As students visited the Claremont Modern: The Artists of the GI Bill exhibition, ARTstARTers introduced their chosen theme through activities. Example themes included ‘Making Impressions,’ Working in the 3rd Dimension/ Sculpture’ and ‘There Are No Mistakes’ [in Art]. Once all five ARTstART teams had worked with Sycamore students, they met to compare notes and conduct a self-assessment on the success of their initial lesson. Then it was back out into the community to visit and plan other field trips at area attractions.

Project ARTstART plans to grow in 2012-13

With the tremendous success of Project ARTstART’s inaugural year, the Claremont Museum of Art plans to expand the program to include a second elementary school for the 2012-13 academic year.

The museum is actively pursuing new sources of additional funding with the intention of including all Claremont schools in the future.