The returns are in, and they\u2019ve been in for decades: Children benefit exponentially, probably in ways we can\u2019t imagine, from exposure to the arts. Critical thinking, cellular development, capacity for everyday problem solving: All are touched in one way or another amid a session or two with a paintbrush or a dowdy ol\u2019 keyboard, and all are markedly enhanced throughout the student\u2019s life. Yet cuts in California\u2019s school arts programs are legendary as the state struggles year after year to find new sources of revenue. The New Children\u2019s Museum, which opened May 4 with educational collaboration its stated purpose, has instituted a program designed to shore up some of the backlash from local arts education funding cuts. But while the program\u2019s intent is no different from scores of others across the state, its creators are aware that a key component could spell its success or failure. Friday, Oct. 10, marks the last day of a three-week pilot program in which students from Downtown\u2019s Washington Elementary School will have spent three weeks at the museum, taking their regular classes in the facility\u2019s Arts Education Center. The 50 third-graders participated in a curriculum designed to enhance creativity through examination of objects in new ways, with their own empowerment as artists the goal. In addition, students from Downtown\u2019s Monarch School will participate in after-school arts enrichment programs throughout the schoolyear. “There is an amazing creativity in every child,” said museum director Rachel Teagle. “What becomes an issue is accessibility and how often children really get the opportunity to tap into that creativity. I\u2019m just so happy that Washington Elementary and Monarch School have made such real efforts.” “We are thrilled to be participating in this valuable program with The New Children\u2019s Museum, which is providing much-needed access to arts programming,”?explained Washington principal Janie Wardlow in a statement. “Our students would not otherwise be exposed to the visual arts or have these kinds of meaningful learning experiences.” Teagle cautioned, however, that exposure to the arts is one thing and that guidance is something else. Even the most well-intentioned volunteer may not always be compatible with such a program due to lack of disciplinary or teaching skills. Mark Schwarz, who teaches the Washington third-graders, is aware of this — and unless the museum carefully cultivates its volunteers, future programs may breed the potential for harm. “We as teachers and [museum staff] have results we\u2019d like to see,” he said. “Those are based on standards for arts education in the state of California. But this is also kind of a cutting-edge thing. We\u2019re pushing the envelope in arts instruction, and we\u2019re wanting to see kids grow in that way. That\u2019s probably not something you can do in a two-hour volunteer training session. “It would be like a volunteer coming in and reading with the kid without knowing what the purpose of the reading is. It\u2019s not unhelpful, but it\u2019s not as powerful as it could be, and in some cases it could be detrimental.” Lauren Popp, the museum\u2019s volunteer coordinator, said the facility anticipates the need for guidance among those who seek to donate their time. “We haven\u2019t met yet with any of those who\u2019ve asked to volunteer,”?Popp said, “but when we do, I want them to be able to share what they can about the program with visitors. I?want them to be able to help the kids engage with the artwork safely. “I also want them to be aware of our mission, what\u2019s important to us here at the museum as well.” Since opening to the public, the museum has hosted more than 80 school tours and visits from nonprofit educational groups. Close to 4,000 students have experienced “childsplay,”?the museum\u2019s opening exhibit, and the venue\u2019s hands-on studios. Many young artists have participated in a variety of arts-based camps and workshops, while moms and toddlers have been enjoying weekly music and movement classes. Museum sets fundraiser to benefit education unit On Oct. 11, the museum will hold its first gala fundraiser, with proceeds going toward proper outfitting of the Arts Education Center. “We\u2019re still using folding tables,”?Teagle said. “We\u2019d like to have proper classroom furniture. We\u2019d like to have computers. We\u2019d like to have books on the shelves. We hope we\u2019re going to have a really successful gala that will help us do that.” Tickets range from $75 to $500. Teagle said the museum can seat 400 for dinner and accommodate 400 for the party afterward. Rock legend Pat Benatar and her husband, acclaimed guitarist Neil Giraldo, are slated to perform. The museum is located at 200 W. Island Ave. More information about the fundraiser and the museum\u2019s programs is available at 233-8792 or www.thinkplaycreate.org.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The returns are in, and they\u2019ve been in for decades: Children benefit exponentially, probably in ways we can\u2019t imagine, from exposure to the arts. Critical thinking, cellular development, capacity for everyday problem solving: All are touched in one way or another amid a session or two with a paintbrush or a dowdy ol\u2019 keyboard, and […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11556","_seopress_titles_title":"New Children's Museum: Class is now in session","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11556,11551,11593],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-299801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-downtown-news","category-news","category-no-images"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299801\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}