Vol. 19, No. 35

July 6, 2000

Preparing for fall
Art gets a boost through summer education initiative

When you talk about education and mention the three R's, most people think about reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. But, there are many teachers would tell you that art, in all its many forms, should be added to the list. These teachers believe that art is not only personally enriching, but that it is an invaluable educational tool whose benefits extend far beyond the museum or performance setting. Helping teachers from grades K-12 experience various art forms and pass this experience on to their students is the work of the Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education (DIAE), a nonprofit agency administered through UD's College of Arts and Science. Each summer since 1983, DIAE, located in Wilmington, has been bringing together teachers and artists for a series of arts presentations in theater, music, visual arts, sculpture and dance. This week, the DIAE will present its annual summer session for teachers from July 6-14, at Arsht Hall, on UD's Wilmington Campus. During the sessions, dance, music, theater and visual arts will be presented, and all of these artistic techniques will later be made available to students in grades K-12 through the cooperation of teachers and teaching artists. The weeklong series' workshops, led by the teaching artists, provide teachers with the time to consider how they might integrate the arts into their curriculum by designing study units where the arts are the focus of the learning experience. "We bring in professional artists in each discipline to lead workshops that give teachers an in-depth look at each art form," Daren Hurley-Heyman, DIAE executive director, said. "By working with these teaching artists, educators can look at a work of art and get a feel for the creative process used by the artist." This year's artistic performances include: * Swati Bhise, who will offer Bharata Natyam, the devotional temple dances of South India that help preserve the stories of the gods and goddesses of Indian mythology; * Lenny Seidman and his Tabala Choir, part of Spoken Hand, a larger percussion group from Philadelphia that will perform music from the Rhythmic Cycles of North India; * The Hudson Vagabond Puppets, life-sized puppets that will perform the Oniroku, which included two tales set in Japan; and * The Kahurangi, a group of Maori dancers from New Zealand, that will offer a performance blending elements of martial arts with traditional songs and dances. Museum outings include visits to the Indian galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Smithsonian's Sackler and Freer Galleries in Washington, D.C.; and the Polynesian Galleries at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia. The DIAE summer session is the first step in a four-step process where teachers and their students observe, discuss, analyze and explore their individual perceptions about the art presented during the workshops and museum visits. In addition to viewing art, teachers also participate in a hands-on workshop. "This permits teachers to understand the aesthetics, the technical skill and the inspiration behind the various works of art," Heyman said. "This also gives teachers the experience of working in an art form while not having to worry about the result being judged a success or failure." Teaching artists for the summer session are selected on the basis of professional excellence and their ability to work with teachers and students. "I search for performances that have a rich content and appropriate context to be useful as collateral learning experiences for teachers and their students," Anne Oldach, DIAE artistic director said. "I also look for performances and exhibits that motivate teachers to look at the unfamiliar and to dig deeper into the art form and the way arts are used in society to communicate those deep and meaningful aspects of being human." The pairing of teaching artists with teachers during the summer session helps to establish a partnership that will bring the art experience to students throughout the school year. "A lot of bonding takes place between teachers and artists," Heyman said. "People open up with each other, and there is a lot of joy in this experience." The next step is for teachers to work in teams, using prepared ?study guides to chose repertory selections for classroom presentations based on what they have learned at the workshops. Working with DIAE staff and teaching artists, teachers develop study units and plan class visits by the various teaching artists. In the classroom implementation step, teaching artists visit the classroom to prepare students for the selected performance or exhibit they will see. "During the school year, teaching artists go out into the schools with whatever art they have decided to bring," Heyman said. "Designed in a cooperative effort, three classes are taught by the teaching artists, and three additional classes are offered by the teachers." For Oldach, the experience of watching teaching artists and teachers develop a working relationship that includes students has been a positive one. "We have found that teachers who take the plunge tend to be dedicated and open-minded, willing to go that extra mile to meet with the artist and plan their lessons," Oldach said. "These teachers are the ones who take the lessons they have learned and expand them into their own teaching styles."