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Artists in Residence - "Drawing on Artists"
WASHINGTON, CT (September, 2003) - Kids love having an exception to following rules. Andrew, age six stands in front of the classroom and presents his version of an alien. Andrew's alien stands tall constructed from wood, feathers, paint and marbles while he describes his ornate artwork. Susan Rosano, one of many visiting artists from Devereux Glenholme School, encourages youngsters through expressive arts to loosen up on the rules and find a way to "have fun and let them do their own thing creatively", states Rosano. The arts and the Artists in Residence program provide students the opportunity to view and experience the world through a different lens, which assists with Glenhome's learning tradition.
The Glenholme School's program is designed to increase and highlight the arts in education by bringing in a variety of artists: dancers, musicians, visual artists and performers with hands-on activities for the children. Rosano, an expressive arts therapist from Cromwell Connecticut spent five consecutive weeks at The Glenholme School. Each week, she created a new theme and held expressive art workshops for the younger students revolving around dance and movement. By using creative movements to engage students in physical problem solving, as Rosano encourages, there is an increased understanding of educational concepts and art forms.
This Artist in Residence program continues to be gratefully 100% grant supported, since 1998. With the continued support of past donors such as ASCAP (American Society of Composer, Authors and Publishers), and administration, The Arts Coordinator at the Glenholme School schedules artists in residence from two main sources: The Connecticut Commission of the Arts - Directory of Performing Artists and Master Teaching Artists and Young Audiences of Connecticut. Each Artist in Residence works with Glenholme's Arts Coordinator and teachers to choose the specific focus and instructional activity best suited to the grade level selected and the school's curricula.
Location is a key instrument when considering the success of Glenholme's Artist in Residence Program since 1998. Located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, Glenholme is surrounded with professional artists. On average, the school schedules five artists from local areas to visit the students throughout the year. Past highlights included JoAnn Moran's "Davinci Designs" specializing in mural making and mosaics, David Darling's renowned cellist talents from Goshen and John Marshall's excellence in percussion music education.
Glenholme's upcoming Artist in Residence, Reggie Marra, is a Master Teaching Artist specializing in poetry and writing and will be on campus from September 30 through early October. Being an award winning poet and author with 27 years of teaching experience fosters a lifelong enthusiasm for the love of art and education. "We will work to help students develop a true awareness of who and how they are so they may better accept themselves and others, and learn to address both inner and outer conflict through peaceful, nonviolent, and potentially transformational means," states Reggie Marra. Marra's residency will provide The Glenholme School's children with an introduction to poetry and tap into their hidden talents and build self-confidence.
Devereux Glenholme is a specialized boarding school that provides therapeutic programs for boys and girls ages 5 - 18. The consistent and controlled learning environment that Glenholme provides promotes the academic, social and individual development of each child. The Arts program blends a fusion of therapeutic modality and hands-on activities to each educational piece in order to uniquely further the developmental needs of the children.
Glenholme strongly believes in the power of the arts and the tremendous impact it has on children with behavioral, emotional and / or learning disabilities. A first year study was conducted and showed that when the students were engaged in creative arts activities, they demonstrated more consistent, on task behavior. The frequency of disruptive behaviors was reduced, as well as, the need for negative or correctional behavior techniques (additional information regarding this study is available). This particular study, in addition to daily improvements of the children enrolled at Glenholme, continues to drive the Arts Program forward each year.