ArtsBridge

ArtsBridge Claymation Video: Small Frogs Big Journey

ArtsBridge Claymation Video: Journey to the Center of the Body

CAM ArtsBridge Claymation: A Time to Remember

College of Arts & Media, University of Colorado Denver

August 2009-2012

CAM’s ArtsBridge program enhanced the visibility and reputation of the college, supported arts education in K12 programs, and provided CAM students with opportunities to become teaching artists while receiving tuition scholarships for their work. Teams of students, supported by faculty mentors, worked directly with K12 teachers to develop art projects as a means of enhancing discipline-specific knowledge and classroom outcomes. Projects centered on a variety of creative disciplines such as photography, film-making, song writing, theatre, graphic design, and claymation. ArtsBridge projects resulted in public presentations, exhibitions and performances of student work accomplished within their respective K12 schools. Activities of this position included leading partnership development with area schools, budget oversight, recruiting and selecting faculty and students for projects, designing and delivering ArtsBridge training workshops for faculty and students, leading culminating events associated with project presentations, trouble-shooting challenges, and strategic planning. In addition to Directing the program, I developed and launched an ArtsBridge program at Children’s Hospital. Seventeen children participated and I lead a team of four students. The project centered on digital photography.

From August 2009-2012 I was the ArtsBridge Director in the College of Arts & Media. CAM’s ArtsBridge program was designed to enhance the visibility and reputation of the college, support arts education in K12 programs, and provide CAM students with opportunities to become teaching artists while receiving tuition scholarships for their work. Teams of students, supported by faculty mentors, worked with K12 teachers and students to develop art projects as a means of enhancing discipline-specific knowledge and classroom outcomes. Through ArtsBridge creative works of art and performances became the vehicle for students to learn about history, science, poetry, architecture, creative writing, and literature. Every project was presented in a culminating event which included exhibitions that celebrated the creative process and showcased project artifacts and public performances with audiences of 100-200 parents, students and teachers in attendance.

• 500 3rd grade-8th grade students were involved in ArtsBridge Projects
• Twenty-two projects were created and presented to large audiences of parents, students and teachers.
• Forty-eight CAM students from all areas of the college (visual arts, music, recording arts, film and theatre) became teaching artists (ArtsBridge Scholars).
• Eight CAM faculty mentored projects.
• Projects included a Claymation film, hip hop and dance drama performances, photographic projects, original singer songwriter compositions, creation of a soundscape using recording arts technology, costumes built from found objects, sculptures created through bronze casting, digital design pieces and filmmaking.
• Artwork reflected content in courses and modules centered on American history, Colorado history, poetry, creative writing, architecture, chemistry, children’s literature, science and more.

As Director I cultivated and secured partnerships with K12 schools, principles and teachers, managed project budgets, managed student scholarship awards, recruited and selected faculty and student for projects, designed and delivered ArtsBridge workshops for faculty and students, supported the development and presentation of culminating events, engaged in fund raising efforts to support ArtsBridge, and developed strategic plans and a vision for CAM’s ArtBridge program. In May 2010, Assistant Professor Michelle Carpenter and I presented CAM’s ArtsBridge projects at the National ArtsBridge Conference in California.