Around the Corner–Participating School Luther North College Prep

26 Apr Around the Corner–Participating School Luther North College Prep

Art students–a room full of them–are working on “the dream project.”

Some students are expressing their personal, individual dreams in drawings of a guitar (musician), the number 34 and a football (running back like Walter Payton), a person with a microphone and headset (podcaster), ocean and land with a recycling icon and the words “Go Green” (saving the environment), and other images. One artist drew several things because he has multiple dreams for his future, including becoming involved in politics. One of the more puzzling drawings was a sketch of what looked like puffy clouds but turned out to be a graffiti design because the student wants to be a graffiti artist.

They sketch their design on scratch paper and then copy it onto good paper and add media of their choice such as paint, colored pencils, even cellophane.

Sometimes they show frustration. “This isn’t good enough.” The teacher responds, “How can you make this better?” and then gives them ideas.

A group of students are working on a large paper figure, like a lifesize reclining human figure—a universal figure identifiable by neither gender nor race. They call it the Dreamer. It will be a collage of photos of diverse people from diverse cultures. Some students are poring over magazines (old “National Geographic” magazines are an ideal source of images), while others are bent over the figure pasting on photos. When the figure is completed, it will be modge-podged and possibly affixed to foam board to maintain its shape.

Later in the afternoon some advanced students are coming in for a painting class, and some of their paintings will be in the Around the Corner exhibit. One painter has already finished a 30” x 40” piece. The teacher is hoping it will fit into her car so she can transport it to the exhibit.

The teachers do a lot of work for the Around the Corner exhibit–transporting student works to and from the gallery is only one small part. Instructor Linda Galek is willing to put in the work so her students have the experience of participating in an art show. Luther North has art shows at the school, but it is mostly relatives who attend. Linda likes her students to be exposed to the outside world—so other people can enjoy what she and the students see every day, and on the flip side, because seeing people look at their work and hearing them comment on it “has a big impact on kids.”

Luther North participated in last year’s Around the Corner, and afterwards Linda commented, “It really does mean a lot to the students and their parents. Schools need the support of these outside organizations and the feedback was just great from both parents and students.”