ARTEFFECTS Teacher Ambassadorship Brings Project-Based Learning to PRP Visual Art Classes

 I’m thrilled to share that I have been selected as an @arteffectlmc 2024-2025 ARTEFFECT Ambassador! I have guided students through the ARTEffects competition for the past two years, and decided to apply to be an ambassador for this school year. It’s been a wonderful experience to collaborate and learn new teaching strategies from the cohort of amazing ARTEffects educators.

ARTEFFECT Ambassadors is an online fellowship for educators working directly with students in grades 6-12 to foster the visual arts. Ambassadors learn from and alongside other high-level practitioners through visual-arts-based learning about the inspiring and diverse stories of Unsung Heroes from history. During the school year, the Ambassadors cohort participates in virtual professional development sessions and completes an innovative capstone project that engages their classrooms and communities.

As an ARTEffects Ambassador, I have developed a Capstone Project highlighting students’ Unsung Heroes artwork and impact statements. The ARTEffects project was launched in my Art 2/Art3/Art 4 classes in January 2025, and students have been working diligently to create narrative art that tells the story of their chosen hero. They have conducted extensive research, gathered reference images, collaborated in groups as they’ve developed their ideas and their artwork, and are now writing Impact statements. The Southwest Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library will host an ARTEffects Exhibit this summer, featuring the work my students have created. A special section for ARTEffects will be featured in the Spring/2025 issue of the PRP Pulse. Artworks will be spotlighted with an online gallery and displayed in a school-wide exhibit. Stay tuned…I will begin posting artwork in an online gallery (here) in the coming weeks.

I’m excited to embark on my journey sharing the inspiring stories of history’s #UnsungHeroes through #visualarts education and #artsintegration.

#arteffect, #unsungheroes, #arteducation, #visualart, #middleschool, #highschool, #artteachers, #artsintegration, #PBL, #artfellowship, #art #jcps

Support PRP Visual Art–Vote Daily for Your Favorite Crosley!

Please support PRP Visual Art Students in the Crosley Custom Cruiser Contest! Public voting is open now. You may vote once per day until voting closes on November 11, 2024. We hope to finish in the top five schools and earn $$ for our Visual Art Program! You can help by voting daily and sharing:-)

VOTE for your Fave Here: https://www.crosleyradio.com/cruiser-contest

Kudos to all the students who participated in this year’s contest, and to Grace J. and Sydney D. who created the final entry shown here:-)

Participating in the Crosley Custom Cruiser Contest has been an honor, and winning the contest would mean more opportunities for students in PRP’s Art Program, such as field trips, artist’s workshops, or special art supplies that we wouldn’t usually be able to afford. Being selected to participate in the contest made us feel like winners already! Any cash prizes that result from our participation would benefit our entire visual art department.

From the student artists: “We tried to fit the theme of “Sounds of Kentucky” by including commonly used bluegrass instruments like the banjo on the front of the case, and the mandolin, fiddle, and banjo on the inside. On the front of the case, we painted a skeleton in a rocking chair in front of the blue moon of Kentucky. We did this to represent Southern Nights and our state’s reputation for bluegrass and the color blue. On the inside, we painted the instruments in a river of bourbon because Kentucky is world-famous for bourbon. On the bottom of the case, we painted a stage to further represent music and our local Kentucky music scene and added horses and a horseshoe on the stage because Kentucky is very famous for horses. We added boxing gloves to the decor around the stage to represent Muhammad Ali and used red, white, and blue to represent Kentucky’s patriotism. On the sides, we tried to subtly emulate a quilted pattern because when we think of Kentucky we think of warmth, and southern old-fashioned quilts embody that.”

“This project was so much fun to work on and inspired a mini-competition in the classroom. We loved listening to the albums by Kentucky artists (provided by Crosley) and were inspired by the amazing music and artwork. This was our first time working on a project this large (as a team) and having to turn it around on a fairly tight deadline. It was also our first time painting with acrylic paints. October was a very busy month at school, with Fall break, homecoming, and other school activities. We had to learn to budget our time in class and work on the project at night and on the weekends to finish on time. We had to reflect on the theme, revise our designs and seek input from others throughout the project. We still have much to learn, and still see imperfections, but we have grown as artists as a result of the project.”,
–Grace J. & Sydney D. (Student Team / Crosley Custom Cruiser Contest)

Thank you, Crosley, for the opportunity to participate!

St. Jude Dream House Community Exhibit

I’m honored to have had four paintings (of my own) in the 2024 St. Jude Dream House Community Art Exhibit in LaGrange, KY. The best part about the show was getting a sneak peek at the Dream House, meeting St. Jude’s amazing Ventara Massey, who facilitated the event, and the other talented artists whose work was included. St. Jude has always been one of my favorite charities, and I enjoyed painting two pieces specifically for this exhibit, to reflect the themes of “hope” and “healing”. This is a major role reversal for me, as I am usually much better at promoting student work than I am at promoting my own work. However, I’ve found that allowing students to see my art journey (both the celebrations and the sting of rejection) helps prepare them for their own journey in life. I hope they see that not trying is a missed opportunity and that finding success is something that you must sometimes work toward your whole life. Anyway, this was such a fun opportunity, for such a noble cause.