Another great Visual Art + Humanities + Design field trip! Students experienced abstract works by modern masters at the Speed Museum’s Picasso to Pollock exhibition. Special thanks to the Speed Museum, to PRP teachers Lee Ann Speck-Walker, Shelia Marable, Karen Coomes, Jamie Baxter, Phill Bohannon, and our parent chaperones for making this trip possible!
A huge shout out to comic artist extraordinaire Kevlen Goodner for engaging, delighting and inspiring over 250 design & visual art students with career advice and demonstrations today! Kudos to design teacher Shelia Marable for setting it up, and for inviting my art classes to attend. It was an unforgettable day!! 🙌🏽
We had an awesome “first” Visual Art field trip today to the Frazier History Museum to see student’s Edgar Allan Poe-themed artwork! We were treated to a special performance of the Raven, and celebrated PRP student Alyson Young’s first place winning artwork. Over 27 students submitted artwork which was included online exhibit, including 5 inside the galleries! Special thanks to the Frazier Museum for hosting us.
Congratulations to every student who was included in the online exhibit, and to the five PRP students’ work was included in the Frazier Museum Gallery Exhibit:
Alyson Young (12th) 1st Place
Jessica Stafford (12th) Honorable Mention
Ki Rohr (11th) Honorable Mention
Autumn Walker (10th)
Jasmine Lewis (10th)
To start off our drawing unit, ninth grade students in Basic Design class explore using line and color as they create blind contour drawings, and then add watercolor and pattern to their finish off their composition.
PRP Art + Design students were invited recently to participate in a Edgar Allan Poe-inspired art contest hosted by Louisville’s Frazier History Museum. Students in all classes participated in researching works by the writer, brainstorming for ideas, and then created their own interpretation of their favorite Poe-work, in the medium of their choice. Students were selected for a special online exhibit (click the link below); and several more were honored with awards and were included for display inside the Frazier gallery space. Congratulations to all the students whose work is highlighted in the link below, and to Alyson Young/12th grade for her Best of Show award (shown above center)!
The start of the 2018-2019 school year is bringing about some big changes.. I’m extremely excited to announce that I will be moving over to teach Visual Art this year! This decision is bittersweet, because of the students in my design classes– and also because of my deep rooted commitment to PRP’s design program. My design students have been with me throughout their time in high school, and they are dear to me! The good news is that the amazing Ms. Shelia Marable will be moving into my room in the Tech Building, and taking the reins for the design pathway. It couldn’t be in better hands! We will continue to collaborate and have many plans for combined art + design activities. An added bonus is that many of my students will continue to be in my art classes for some of their electives.
There’s never a good time to move to a different subject area; however, those who know me best should understand. I’ve been juggling my love of both art and design for my entire career. In fact, my design work always gravitated towards my passion for art. Through my design studio, Montage, I designed materials for a client base of arts groups, museums, galleries and artists. After a successful design career of over twenty years, I was ready to embrace a new challenge: teaching.
In 2009, I completed my Masters degree (to teach Art). I applied for an Art teacher position at PRP, but instead landed the most amazing job…to build a brand new design program at PRP. I’ve enjoyed the specific challenges of building and running the Apple labs, engaging students in real-world projects, helping kids find success in leadership organizations and other competitions, and connecting them to industry partners for future job opportunities. This role has taken it’s toll on me, though. Staying on top of the latest tech, staying current with industry trends and maintaining connections with industry was leaving little energy for the creative hobbies I enjoy so much. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography…as well as having time with family.
So, when PRP Visual Art teacher and colleague Cheryl Wilhoit announced her retirement in May, I realized that moving to art was an opportunity for me to step back into my creative “happy” place. It’s still a challenge because everything is different and I’m learning so many new mediums and art processes. Teaching art is messy and requires a whole different set of classroom management tools. But, it’s a labor of love for me. I already feel so much at home and plan to continue with my usual intense classroom pace…just without as much technology, and testing requirements. Messier, hands-on, more creative, and true to my creative self. See you in the Art room!
It was a busy last Friday of the school year! To wrap up the Teens Against Tobacco Campaign produced by PRP Design classes, Norton Children’s COO, Dr. Hester (and PRP Alum), stopped by to share some knowledge about youth and the effects of smoking, juuling, and e-cigs. Dr. Hester’s interest in visiting PRP was inspired by collaboration between Norton Children’s Education Department and design students’ social media campaign and marketing work. As a final piece of the campaign, students generated a trivia game based upon tobacco and vaping facts. Dr. Hester wanted to personally challenge ninth-grade health classes using the game as an educational tool. As a result of the visit, Coach Hawk’s 9th grade health class learned about smoking dangers with Norton Children’s Dr. Hester, using the student created Kahoot! Challenge. After the game, PRP’s own KET Correspondent, Edward Smith, covered the story. He interviewed Dr. Hester and Norton’s Jenita Lyons, as they weighed in on the importance of student driven content through collaboration. #NortonChildrens #AcademiesofLou #KET
“For someone who almost failed two grades, I learned how to harness my creativity to turn it into my superpower—to go on to earn 6 college degrees.” –Jacinda Walker
Ms. Jacinda Walker, designer extraordinaire and founder of designExplorr, made a very special visit to PRP’s design classes as part of her #1designgoal tour. The stop at PRP was the only public school stop while Ms. Walker was in Louisville! Jacinda spoke with 200 students about design, portfolio development, and design careers, and engaged all classes in design-thinking workshops throughout the day. Jacinda’s visit also included a presentation at Spalding University, where she facilitated a workshop with the AIGA Louisville community on Diversity and Inclusion. The visit was facilitated by PRP Graphic Design teacher, Shelia Marable.
__________________________
Jacinda Walker is a designer, entrepreneur and instructor with over 20 years of industry experience, who calls Cleveland, Ohio home. She believes that “participation is the key to success.” Her work ranges from designing publications to educational programming and event management. A graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, Ms. Walker continued to earn both her Associates of Applied Business in Commercial Art. and Bachelors of Fine Arts in graphic design with minors in drawing and computer imaging from the University of Akron. In August 2016, she obtained her M.F.A. in Design Research & Development with a minor in Nonprofit Studies from The Ohio State University. Her area of focus explored diversity in design disciplines and investigates effective strategies to expose African-American and Latino youth to design-related careers. Jacinda is a strong advocate for young people and proudly mentors several design students on portfolio presentations, professional development and career planning. Ms. Walker’s future goals are to work in a museum with design education initiatives and developing design programs for underrepresented youth.
Graphics and Media Arts students learned about career opportunities, college, and life after high school with guest speakers US Army Officers Lawson and Emman during a class visit. Lessons learned: Did you know that there are design related career opportunities in the armed forces? Students discovered the wide array of Arts and Media Affairs jobs available in the military, which cover the administration, communication and supervision of affairs for both military and civilian audiences. Jobs include broadcast technicians, graphic designers, translators, journalists and musicians, IT, video simulation/animation, photographers, technical illustrators, website designers, marketing, and social media affairs. Students learned about skills essential for admission to college, adaptability in the workforce, and some excellent tips for reducing college debt.
.
Congratulations to PRP Photography students Tiffany Hull and Hevin Ramsey who qualified in the Skills USA regionals, held in Louisville. Tiffany and Hevin advanced to state level competition, where they competed in skills-based and leadership contests.
Hevin finished with two medals in photography, and PRP finished the competition with two happy students–-prepared and career ready, with a bright future ahead. Love these smiling faces!
PRP Visual Art + Design / Ms. Webb 