Grants

Artist Residency with Wing Young Huie

Wing Young Huie spent a full week with South Ridge School 7-12th grade art students learning to identify and discuss implicit bias through photography. Below see Chalk Talk images.

Culture

How Do Photographs Form Us?
Wing’s dynamic slide show lecture confronts many divisive social issues, such as cultural bias, immigration, religion, and social disconnection. While sharing anecdotes and insights into his creative process—and his abilities to intimately interact with thousands of strangers—he also discusses the personal and professional challenges in his 35-year journey of becoming a accomplished artist.

What Do You See? Through a Zine published by Mr. Huie, students participate in a discussion of their impressions, bias and ideas concerning what they see in the photograph image. These discussion are able to be translated into real life interactions between stranger, friends and family.

A “Chalk Talk” workshop is where participants engage each other with by asking a series of open-ended questions. Working in pairs each student then chooses only one of the answers from each person, which that person writes on a chalkboard. How would you answer these questions?

What are you?
How do you think others see you? What don’t they see?
What advice would you give to a stranger?
What is your favorite word?
Describe an incident that changed you.
How have you been affected by race?
Workshop participants pair with someone in the room they are unfamiliar with, ask each other these questions, choose each others’ answer, and and then write that answer down on black construction paper with white chalk. (Option: participants can then photograph each other with their chalkboards.) This intimate and non-confrontational interaction addresses issues of bias, challenging preconceptions of the other and one’s self.

Contrasting points of views are engaged when Wing presents his photographs that are open to interpretation and asks participants, “What do you see?” He then facilitates a dialogue before revealing the stories behind the photographs that furthers the complexities of cultural and personal perceptions, creating a challenging yet safe environment for deep discussion.

How are we impacted by the daily consumption of countless images created by marketing forces, the media, and popular entertainment? How can we differentiate our authentic selves from idealized realities? Do we become what we see? In other words: How do photographs form us?

Shifting Identities  How do you present yourself in different setting? with different people?

Culture  What is your culture? What makes your life unique to your family, land, community?

https://www.wingyounghuie.com/

McKnight Names Wing Young Huie as Distinguished Artist 2018   “With his powerful photography and compelling public art projects, Wing Young Huie has been documenting Minnesota’s changing cultural landscape for more than 30 years in images that ask us to focus on people and places that are often overlooked,” says Kate Wolford, president of McKnight. “Whether he’s talking to a class of college students or turning entire city blocks into a public gallery space, Wing has a rare gift for challenging assumptions and inviting conversation through his unique artistic vision. We couldn’t be more delighted by the selection committee’s decision to honor a photographer who really has transformed our image of what being Minnesotan means.”

This opportunity made possible through the generous donations of the Northland Foundations and Teaching Tolerance/Southern Poverty Law. Check out Teaching Tolerance website for more information

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/understanding-implicit-bias-through-photography

GSA Smoke Free Banner

A banner was created by South Ridge School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) with the support of Fond du Lac Reservation (FDL), South Ridge Art Dept., Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) and Clear Way of MN.

South Ridge GSA works together to educate youth by raising awareness – learning how to be personally healthy, promoting healthy attitudes and choices in life. We support a safe and supportive community for all – whether a person is straight or gay, bi-sexual or transgender, queer or intersex – however students define themselves is supported.  Students are encouraged to be who they are – embrace love – not hate, embrace diversity and inclusiveness.

Students participate is a number of activities throughout the school year to share with their community what they are learning in GSA. We often focus on life choices. Studies show that queer and American Indian kids choose to smoke because of the added stresses these kids live with each day. They are more susceptible to substance abuse.  To preempt this South Ridge GSA and Fond du Lac’s SHIP joined together providing an opportunity to promote healthy lifestyle choice – to live smoke free.

Using a technique taught by Duluth artist Kirsten Aune, students cut words out of freezer paper creating stencils. Additional patterns and designs were again cut out of the letters and the stencils were ironed down on to a large sheet of muslin. Textile inks were then painted on top of the fabric. Areas where the original fabric remained were protected by the stencils.

Students worked for about a month to complete the banner which was unveiled Feb 28th when SHIP representatives visited school. They brought healthy snacks and shared simple breathing and stretching exercises (Yoga) students could do to relieve stress.

The stress of living in a society that is hostile to the people of color and LGBTQAI communities creates social stress that makes many of these young people at greater risk for substance use. Teaching students to be aware of this in their own life choices will better prepare them for a healthy future.

 

Quillwork on Birch Bark

     
     

HS Sculpture students worked with guest artists, Juanita Blackhawk and Kim Bollig, to create a piece of quill work. Porcupine quills were sorted by dismeter (not length). Then each quill was warmed in water and attached to birch bark using an awl and tweezers. Designs were chosen to go on either earrings, medallions, pins or barrettes.
Special thank to ISD 2142 American Indian Student Services – JOM parents, South Ridge Art Club and Essentia Health for the their support.

Printmaking, Digital Arts and Graphic Design Students Visit Local Businesses

     
     

Two local businesses welcomed South Ridge art students to participate in real life work for artists.

Community Printing in Cloquet taught students how to print a three color design on a T-shirt (designed by our own Marriah J..!!) Students were able to position the shirt, flood and pull the ink across the silkscreen – printing the shirt. The bee art was created in Printmaking class last Fall. We studied the Bee Colony Collapse Disorder and created images of the various bees in MN that are affected by this disorder. The study (and ultimately prints and T-shirts) bring public awareness to the serious issue of bee population decline.

MakerSpace in Duluth is a cooperative work space for those interested in learning how to use a variety of tools as well as learning new skills. From CNC cutters to 3D printers, industrial sewing machines and lapidary skills, local crafts people and artists are working together to provide a collective space to work.

Thanks to Target for their generous support of the South Ridge School through their Field Trip grant.

MSAB Art Learning grant Fall/Winter performance 2016

Great performance by South Ridge 3-4th graders and 7th grade!! Special thanks to MSAB, NEA, Legacy Amendment, Northland Foundation, Essentia Health, ISD 2142 American Indian Student Services and the Northland Learning Center.

Minnesota State Arts Board arts Learning grant with Frank Theatre at South Ridge School – Fall/Winter 2016 from Carolyn Olson on Vimeo.

Minnesota State Arts Board Awards Arts Learning grant to South Ridge School

We are thrilled to have again received the MSAB Arts learning grant for 2016-2017. This grant provides funding to support for programming in the 3-4th gra classrooms, afterschoolSTEAM (3-7th) and 7th grade art class. Students retell traditional stories through theatre. Writing activities and theatre games provide skills towards a successful theatre production. Additional support is provided through the National Endowment for the Arts, the Legacy Fund of Minnesota, American Indian Student Services and the Northland Learning Center. Additional support is still needed.

It is a wonderful experience to work with other students and staff in a creative effort such as this. If your child is in these grades please watch for information coming home early in the Fall on how your child can participate.IMG_0004 IMG_0005 IMG_1568

Jonathan Thunder Artist Residency Teaches Animation in Digital Art and Media Art

IMG_0849Media and Digital Arts students were able to learn from one of the areas best animators, Jonathan Thunder. Through a grant from ISD 709, Duluth/Perpich Center, Mpls. area teachers came to South Ridge to learn with the Media Art students how to use Adobe After Effects. Staff Development  such as this for art teachers are not often available. This was a great time for students and staff to work together learning.

This time provides valuable information for teachers to not only learn what to do in their own classroom but learn with our students in a meaningful way.

Walking in the Hallway

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