Alcona kicks off art program once again
Patty RamusAlcona Community Schools students will have the chance to express their patriotic views through a locally created art program which saw higher than anticipated participation during its first year.
For the second year, students from Head Start up to high school seniors are being given the option to participate in the Head Start to High School Art Contest. The contest was created by Terry Lipscomb, a member of the Lincoln Downtown Development Authority activities committee, because she wanted to invest in Alcona schools' students by allowing them an opportunity to show off their artistic abilities.
She worked on the idea for about a year before presenting it to the DDA board for its approval. Her project has since received support from entities including the DDA, Village of Lincoln and Alcona County Library.
"Art is in everything we do. It expands the entire globe," Lipscomb said. "What this does for the student, this gives them a published tangible piece for a portfolio if they decide to go to college or to pursue an apprenticeship in the field."
Last year's theme for the contest was "Red, White, Blue and What It Means To You." A total of 253 students participated, though the program was introduced later in the school year.
The entries were judged by members of the East Shore Art Guild and the Harrisville Arts Council. First place entries received professional art kits as a goodwill incentive. Second place through honorable mention entries received certificates of excellence from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6466 in Harrisville. The art guild also provided 12 frames, 12 mattes and 241 professional mounts for the children's art.
Entries were then part of a traveling display that covered Harrisville, Mikado, Lincoln and Caledonia branches of the Alcona County Library. Selected pieces were used as a background for fliers and pamphlets pertaining to the Lincoln Memorial Day Parade, Lipscomb said.
Ron Skiba, a member of the VFW Post 6466, said he and veterans were struck by the creativity of the students and the ideas they came up with.
"We felt it was a great opportunity for the post and to let the children know the veterans do care and someone made them aware we are around," he said.
The art guild also shared Lipscomb's passion to help students reach their potential in art and got involved as a way to help children shine in art who might not in other areas, said co-chair Bernadine Blaszak.
"There's a lot of kids out there with a lot of talent," she said.
Erika Reisinger, an Alcona High School senior, was one of the participants last year. She heard of the contest from Erich Carlson, a highschool/middle school art teacher. Her first place colored pencil drawing depicts a teary eyed girl hugging a male soldier with the American flag as the backdrop.
Her idea was inspired when she heard people talking about the Iraq war and she heard someone say the number of American soldiers who died wasn't too bad.
"I figured one person would matter, matter individually. To her that one person that could have died mattered," she said of the girl in the drawing. "I re-did the girl's face three times. I wanted to make it show she really cares about the one she's hugging."
Reisinger said being in the contest has made her more aware of what's going on in the world and with the war. She now makes an effort to keep up with current events so she can be more informed.
She has plans to participate again this year and has a preliminary idea she's been working on, she said.
Carlson said the contest is a good way to get the students involved in the community. Art is one way to bridge the generational gap between younger and older people, he added.
"The kids took well to the project. We had a lot of discussion about freedom. The students that really thought about it came away with a lot of ideas," he said.
The program fits well into the art curriculum because students are applying the principles of art, involving and displaying art in the community and working with a variety of mediums. This year all of Carlson's high school and middle school classes will participate in the contest as one of their assignments, he said.
This year's theme is "Our County, Our Country and Our Freedom." Packets have already been distributed to the schools and students will have until March 13, 2009, to turn their entries in. This year the artwork will be used as backgrounds for parade fliers and displayed in the Lincoln Depot and Alcona County Library branches.
Lipscomb said she hopes the program will grow to having the ability to offer student scholarships, bringing in new art technology to the schools or participating in a global art display. She would like to expand the art displays to other venues such as Art in the Loft.
Patty Ramus can be reached via e-mail at pramus@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.
