Integrating art into school curriculum

KEENE – Keene Elementary School still have the opportunity to creatively express themselves, even though they no longer have an art class.

Last school year two elementary art teachers were assigned to different positions in the district as a cost-saving measure due to loss of funding from the devaluation of the American Electric Power plant in Conesville. Even though the art program was ended, personnel formed a committee to try and keep art as part of the curriculum somehow. 

This school year, Keene has received a $30,000 grant from the Ohio Arts Council for incorporating arts education into the regular day. The school is working with Anne Cornell of the Pomerene Center for the Arts as a visiting artist. Third-grade teacher Kirsten McPeck said the grant is not continuing, but they would apply for the funding again next year. 

“We didn’t really have time to do art alone, so we have to integrate and that’s what this is about,” said McPeck, a teacher for 19 years. 

Additionally, during the summer a grant from the Simpson Family Fund at the Coshocton Foundation of $3,544 allowed for a workshop with artist Susan Byrnes of Cincinnati where nine district teachers learned how to integrate art into what they were already doing. 

One example was a recent social studies lesson for third-graders where students drew Adinkra, symbols from Africa with various meanings, to tie into a discussion about different communities and characteristics of community leaders. Students created stamps, inked them and printed the stamps on shirts cut from paper divided into sections. McPeck said while making the stamp block one student commented that it was the best day ever.

“Kids learn in so many different ways. Some learn visually, some learn kinetically by doing and moving things. Many of them are artistic and love art. They might not be good at other things like reading or math, but they love being creative,” McPeck said. “You’re taking those concepts, but doing them in a way they’re more excited about than sitting and reading or worksheet type activities.”

Cornell is working on a variety of projects from kindergarten to sixth grade. McPeck said they are putting the different lessons into a Google Folder so teachers at the other elementary buildings in the district can access them and try them. Art appreciation and history will also be part of the classwork. 

“Art is the visual documentation of history,” Cornell said.

One project Cornell is doing with several grades is having students draw how they see one part of their teacher, such as an eye or arm, and then putting the pieces together like a puzzle for an abstract piece not unlike something Picasso would have created.

“Art is just a great tool for exploring everything. You have to look hard, you have to pay attention, you have to think about things. Then you get to manipulate things,” Cornell said. “It’s just not learning and looking, ‘it’s what do I do with this stuff once I’ve observed.’ So, it’s a really powerful tool for learning, creating opinions and expressing yourself.”

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com
@llayhurst
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