Viewpoint; View from the Classroom »
By Shelby Bennett, Art Ed Club Co-President, BA Art Education »
The National Art Education Association Pre-Service Chapter, known as Art Ed Club on campus, has been busy planning events for club members and to create community during the fall of 2020.
Art education students in the Art Education Practicum course, all future school art teachers, planned and led an engaging morning of fall art making at Laurel Park for area home school students.
On September 30th from 7:00-9:00pm, a handful of art education club members volunteered to create clay acorns at McAlister 311. The evening first began with a socially distanced bring-your-own-picnic supper out on the lawn in front of the Student Center. These clay acorns were for the Suffragette Centennial Project, an event that Associate Dean Gayle Seymour of the College of Art, Humanities, and Social Services has organized and led for the university community, along with Dr. Liz Smith who is Associate Chair of the Department of Art and Design coordinating the Acorn Project. As NAEA Pre-Service Chapter (Art Ed Club) co-president, I met with Olivia Henderson (co-president) and Dr. Jeff Young and Dr. Trina Harlow (advisors) to plan this art making event. Art Ed Club members were able to get about 75 acorns made for the Suffragette Centennial event’s public art installation that ultimately was about 3000 clay acorns. During this Art Ed Club acorn making evening, a mini competition was held with prizes for everyone in order to boost morale and bring in some friendly competition.
Kayla Nosser, UCA art education student, taught her Art in the Park participants how to say words essential to the art project in Spanish.
October 7th from 5:00-6:00pm, a small group of Art Ed Club members and leaders met up at Laurel Park with a local Conway art teacher and UCA art education graduate, Crystal Certain. The event’s purpose is the exact name of the event – Dinner with an Art Teacher. Attendees brought their own picnic supper, lawn chair, and blankets and had dinner with and talked to an experienced art teacher. Mrs. Certain explained a service learning project she leads at Conway High School – a food pantry for high school students – and discussed all the various ways the school family and community support the pantry. Mrs. Certain also explained how this act of service learning has created community among her art students.
Home-schooled students who attended Art in the Park made three different fall art project, including this fall leaf banner, as well as pinecone pumpkins and acorn collages.
With fall in the air and seeking alternative ways for art education students to teach art to school-aged children during this social distancing time period, Art Ed Club co-hosted Art in the Park with the art education practicum course. At this event held at Laurel Park, about 20 students whose families are members of the Faulkner County Home School Association enjoyed making three fall art projects, along with the guidance and help from art education students and Art Ed Club members. Acorns, leaves, and pinecones were the inspired materials for this event. Each practicum student and art ed club member worked with a group of 2-3 children in making the projects, with parents sitting off in the distance. Smiles and fun were seen everywhere. This event was funded by a Service Learning Grant from the UCA Division of Outreach and Community Engagement.
At the Art Ed Club’s September meeting, Sarah Marr and other club members made clay acorns for the College of Art, Humanities, and Social Sciences Suffragette Centennial Ceremony and art installation led by Dr. Liz Smith of the Department of Art and Design.
In an effort to provide meaningful experiences for UCA art education students outside of the classroom experience, these fall events provided unique opportunities for art education students and others through club activities.
