EPHRAIM, WI – On Tuesday, November 4, Gibraltar High School students were enthralled in a myriad of creative hands-on workshops offered in collaboration with the Hardy, Friends of Gibraltar (FOG) and Gibraltar High School through the Exposure To Creativity (ETC) program.
The Exposure to Creativity (ETC) program was launched during the 2007-8 school year. The goal of the program is to provide all high-school aged students, not just those currently enrolled in school art programs, with the opportunity to develop their creative interests and to understand the value of creativity across the spectrum of all educational and career pursuits.
ETC provides our youth with access to the ample and diverse creative resources of our local arts community, and at a time—during the school day and year—when they are in school. While Saturday or summer art classes are valuable and accessible to many, any program which is embedded within the school day provides the benefit of reaching each and every student, not just those with the parental encouragement, free time and financial resources for private classes or training. The ETC program consists of two primary components: hands-on workshops that enhance the school curriculum and an arts mentor program that offers more in-depth exposure and adult guidance.
“By giving these students the opportunity to physically engage in a multitude of creative processes, we are seeing them emerge from the experience with a renewed self confidence, said Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, Executive Director. “The direct impact of the experiences on these students’ lives will be far-reaching.”
Students will participate in the second session of half-day workshops on Tuesday, November 18. This year, a total of 26 workshops will be presented in a variety of creative fields that include painting (pastels, oils and watercolors), fibers, photography (digital and black and white), dance (jazz and ballet), theater, poetry, sculpture, music-recording, filmmaking and fashion design.
ETC offers students the opportunity to expand their personal horizons, strengthen their academic success, and increase their potential career directions and productivity as members of a future creative workforce. It empowers young people to develop creative practices they can sustain throughout all facets of their lives.
Support for the 2008-09 program comes from the following community sponsors: Azure Menswear, the Blacksmith Inn, Chelsea Antiques, Dan Carlson & Associates, Great Lakes Yacht Services, Hide Side Corner Store, Liberty Square and Nathan Nichols & Co. Additional support has been provided in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin, Gibraltar Schools, Friends of Gibraltar, the Door County Community Foundation and private donors with in-kind support provided by the Peninsula Art School.
For more information about this and other Hardy programs, call (920) 854-2210, send e-mail to info@thehardy.org or visit www.thehardy.org.
The Francis Hardy Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote awareness, understanding and appreciation of the arts through education and outreach programs, events, and exhibits.
