Community Collaboration: Expansion of the Traveling Art Trailer
The Mower County Traveling Art trailer is staffed with a teaching artist and teaching assistant that would visit the library communities, and would offer separate programs to children which would be taught at the library. The traveling art studio would be stationed at each location for a week in each community with all supplies. A teaching artist, accompanied by a teaching assistant, would come each day of the week to the location of the art trailer to teach. The librarian would choose the medium and class level at the location they feel would work best during that week. Each day of that week would have a different teaching artist and medium so that the children may learn different art mediums throughout the summer. Each library visitation site supports the idea and will coordinate with the art teacher time and help set up the location site for each scheduled event.
1192 participated
Participants build skills, explore new materials, and learn a variety of art-making techniques.
Art fosters sensory perception, provides the opportunity to represent and symbolize experiences, offers children a chance to experiment, create, and build, strengthens children’s ability to think and make decisions, and helps children make sense of the world around them.
The librarian and teaching assistant will conduct verbal interview surveys with participants at each class. The librarian at each location will also be in charge of collecting photographs of each class. Typically the class is successful when you hear feedback from a child that has learned something new and enjoyed socializing with other children in the community while attending the program.
Story's Collected by the Mower County Traveling Art Center Staff
'Diane Wangsness attended the class with three of her grandchildren and agreed it introduced the kids to unique materials. “They’ve never used this kind of clay before,” she said. Wangsness came across the class by chance when she brought her grandchildren, who were visiting from St. Paul, to the library for a visit. She thinks the experience is a good opportunity because they can learn something new. “It opens them up to new ideas for creativity,” she said.
Ten-year-old Caden Strampe was a repeat participant of the studio. He attended Hamilton’s painting class last year, although he was excited to try a different kind of art. “I’m a big fan of molding,” he said. Caden already has hopes that the program will return again next year. “This class is really fun and I hope to go to it next summer,” he said.
The feedback from attendees did match the proposal of outcomes. We want children to learn something new about art.
The initial grant proposal program was estimated to serve 1600 children through out South Eastern Libraries the final number of children served was 1192 which was still a success since this was the first time we have expanded the program to outside of the Mower County libraries.
Austin Public Library, Lake City Public Library, Riverland Community College, Austin Public Schools, Wabasha Public Library, Lyle Public Schools, Brownsdale Public Library, Grand Meadow Public Library, Austin Commission for the Arts, SELCO