For the entire month of August, everyone is invited to visit Animas Chocolate Company, enjoy local artisan chocolate, hot chocolate, and a variety of coffee drinks while viewing a large selection of the art contributed to Common Threads.
Day 3: Similar to other school outreach, Allison will visit the 4th grade at Needham Elementary. The discussion will be about the importance of art in the community and a lesson about symbols and silhouettes that represent Durango. Durango High School interns will possibly join here as well to assist the kids and gain some instruction experience themselves.
I am so excited about this project. Miss Shannon Cruise of Big Picture High School wanted her students to dig a little deeper with this project so they will take over our job, and reach out to community members who volunteered to participate, but who would leave the artwork up to the students. These students will contact and interview the volunteers on what Durango means to them. Just like a professional artist, they are tasked with creating a symbol for their “client” after an interview and then classroom discussion of creative brainstorming. Community members were gathered all year from our workshops, online submissions and pop-ups. Obviously not everyone wants to make art, but everyone has an idea for this project, so these students will help bring those ideas to fruition.
I am so impressed with Durango’s art teachers. Both high schools we are attending have asked to be more involved, so not only are they submitting designs, but these classes will learn about the public art application process, how we have made a career out of being artists, and how that path lead us to this project. On the second day with this class, we will have a tutorial on how to use Illustrator to change their drawings into vectors designs.
Day 2: Similar to other school outreach, Allison will visit the 4th grade at Needham Elementary. The discussion will be about the importance of art in the community and a lesson about symbols and silhouettes that represent Durango. Durango High School interns will possibly join here as well to assist the kids and gain some instruction experience themselves.
Similar to other school outreach, Allison will visit the 4th grade at Needham Elementary. The discussion will be about the importance of art in the community and a lesson about symbols and silhouettes that represent Durango. Durango High School interns will possibly join here as well to assist the kids and gain some instruction experience themselves.
The same classes that learned about public art and why it is important will now participate in an art project lead by Durango High School interns. In the past, Allison would give a presentation as mentioned in past event, and then the teachers would lead an art class to produce icons for Common Threads. So this is the first time Allison is leading the art class at a school. Instead she is handing over the leadership to 3 or 4 high schoolers from Durango High School to come up with the lesson and lead the 4th graders to create cut-out stencil-like shapes we can translate into computer graphics for pattern making and laser cutting.
Durango teachers John Burnite, Roxanne Mitchell, and Florida Mesa 4th grade teacher Andie Huml made this cross educational opportunity happen. Our Durango teachers are amazing.
The same classes that learned about public art and why it is important will now participate in an art project lead by Durango High School interns. In the past, Allison would give a presentation as mentioned in past event, and then the teachers would lead an art class to produce icons for Common Threads. So this is the first time Allison is leading the art class at a school. Instead she is handing over the leadership to 3 or 4 high schoolers from Durango High School to come up with the lesson and lead the 4th graders to create cut-out stencil-like shapes we can translate into computer graphics for pattern making and laser cutting.
Durango teachers John Burnite, Roxanne Mitchell, and Florida Mesa 4th grade teacher Andie Huml made this cross educational opportunity happen. Our Durango teachers are amazing.
The same classes that learned about public art and why it is important will now participate in an art project lead by Durango High School interns. In the past, Allison would give a presentation as mentioned in past event, and then the teachers would lead an art class to produce icons for Common Threads. So this is the first time Allison is leading the art class at a school. Instead she is handing over the leadership to 3 or 4 high schoolers from Durango High School to come up with the lesson and lead the 4th graders to create cut-out stencil-like shapes we can translate into computer graphics for pattern making and laser cutting.
Durango teachers John Burnite, Roxanne Mitchell, and Florida Mesa 4th grade teacher Andie Huml made this cross educational opportunity happen. Our Durango teachers are amazing.
Allison meets with 3 Interns who are interested in assistant teaching. The high schoolers thought they would observe classes but instead, they are going to teach and lead the students; actively working with them after they did the project and created the lesson on their own time.
”I am really excited about this. It’s a real challenge to create a lesson, be a public speaker, teacher, and an artist all at once. And that’s what these young ladies are doing. And to cross the public art experience with high school and 4th graders feels like a wonderful achievement.” - Allison Smith
Allison heads out for day 3 at FME to share Common Threads with approximately 60 4th graders. There are three 4th grade classes, and Allison is attending each class twice. The first visit will be a discussion of what public art is, why it is important, and how the kids will contribute to this particular project. The kids will spend 20 minutes brainstorming and writing what symbol they would like to create to represent what they love about our community. During the second visit, Durango High School interns will help lead a creative class where the kids draw and cut out their symbols from colorful construction paper, similar to how the actual project will be cut from steel.
Allison heads out for her second day at FME to share Common Threads with approximately 60 4th graders. There are three 4th grade classes, and Allison is attending each class twice. The first visit will be a discussion of what public art is, why it is important, and how the kids will contribute to this particular project. The kids will spend 20 minutes brainstorming and writing what symbol they would like to create to represent what they love about our community. During the second visit, Durango High School interns will help lead a creative class where the kids draw and cut out their symbols from colorful construction paper, similar to how the actual project will be cut from steel.
Allison heads out to FME to share Common Threads with approximately 60 4th graders. There are three 4th grade classes, and Allison is attending each class twice. The first visit will be a discussion of what public art is, why it is important and how the kids will contribute to this project. The kids will spend 20 minutes brainstorming and writing what symbol they would like to create to represent what they love about our community. During the second visit, Durango High School interns will help lead a creative class where the kids draw and cut out their symbols, similar to how the actual project will be cut from steel.
Today we met with a few high school students who have offered their time and talent above a collaborating art class. These students wrote in offering to assist in art classes for the younger grades. A couple offered their artistic talents and are designing art for submitted ideas and photos, as well as refining art from younger kids whose doodles need to be transformed into cuttable symbols. A couple high schoolers are even going to help turn the symbols into vectorized files that will be transferred directly to the lasers. If you or someone you know would like an opportunity to be more involved, please shoot us an email.
Meet, greet, and discuss our community project together in person. Please stop by The City of Durango’s booth and share with us what inspires you about Durango. We want to incorporate your love of our town into our art piece. Our website will remain up and continue to accept ideas through December, but we’d love to meet you in person! See you at the Farmer’s Market!
Lead Artists Allison Leigh Smith & Bryce Pettit attended art classes with “Miss B” (Jessie Byrnes) and shared the project Common Threads with 6th-8th grade elective art students. They discussed symbolism, writing a story about Durango that showed community and a sense of home, and in later classes, Miss B will lead art classes that turn their short story of Durango into a symbol for Common Threads.
Allison Leigh Smith met with Durango School’s Elementary Art Teachers to explain Common Threads and offer to come to art classes before the new year to include each school in the making of this public art project.
“Teachers have been the most responsive and excited about this project. They collectively cheer community involvement and immediately come up with ways to make the project better and participation stronger. I’m so grateful for them!” ~Allison
3rd day of 5th Grade Outreach at Park. Same as pervious day’s description, with new class of kids.
2nd day of 5th Grade Outreach at Park. Same as pervious day’s description, with new class of kids.
Outreach to our local school has begun! Lead artist Allison Leigh Smith is visiting Deb Jackson’s 5th grade classes to discuss the importance of public art, this project specifically, and how they can contribute with their own artistic symbol of what Durango means to them. We’ll discuss symbolism, positive and negative shapes, and silhouettes. aWe’ll talk about creating a personal emblem for their community. Ms. Jackson is having her students cut their symbols out of black paper and hold them up to the window so they can see how their chosen graphic will look if it is cut from metal screens, just like Common Threads.
Another chance at this fun new event to stock up on fresh produce, flowers, have a beer and share with us what you love about Durango. We had such a great time last week, that we are showing up with little notice this week. We just want to be here. Hope to see you there!
We'll be hanging out at Animas City Farmers Market to hear what you love about this town. We want to turn your ideas into art. Stop by to support your local farmers and artists. We’ll bring our sketchbooks and you bring your stories. Let’s make some art from the heart for Durango... by Durango.
Lead Artists Allison Leigh Smith will be at Meltdown on the Mesa, set up under an umbrella to chat for a moment and hear what you love about Durango. Your idea could be integrated with others' and cut from steel to go on permanent display in the median of 550/160. Stop by for a couple minutes while enjoying the great Meltdown!
Come meet us at one of our favorite downtown joints and share with us what you love about this town. We want to turn your ideas into art. Stop by for drinks, food, and good conversation. We’ll bring our sketchbooks and you bring your stories. Let’s make some art from the heart for Durango... by Durango.
Join lead artists Allison Smith and Bryce Pettit at a fun workshop for Community Members to contribute to the 550/160 median project. Attendants will discuss what makes Durango special, learn how to turn ideas into simple drawings, and then create a stamp with a linocutting technique that can be used to create single or patterned prints. While great for most ages, this class will be using tools with a blade and adults may need to assist children under 12. The class will be using permanent ink, so please wear art-making clothes. The class is drop-in and generally takes 45 min - 75 min.
Join lead artists Allison Smith and Bryce Pettit at a fun workshop for Community Members to contribute to the 550/160 median project. Attendants will discuss what makes Durango special, learn how to turn ideas into simple drawings, and then create a stamp with a linocutting technique that can be used to create single or patterned prints. While great for most ages, this class will be using tools with a blade and adults may need to assist children under 12. The class will be using permanent ink, so please wear art-making clothes.
Please note this is first come first serve, with 20 spaces available at a time.
