A fun day steeped in the arts and humanities is in store for more than 130 seventh- and eighth-grade students from six Muskegon County school districts on Friday.
Follow Your Art, a collaboration of the West Michigan Symphony (WMS) and the Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA), will be part arts and humanities festival, part arts education and will feature artistic workshops, museum tours and a live orchestral concert.
Structured similar to an adult conference, the day will begin with workshops presented by practicing artists and humanities professionals at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
“We wanted the workshops to be something the students wouldn’t necessarily have access to at school, giving them new exposure to different varieties of the arts and humanities,” said Cathy Mott, MMA curator of education.
Students will choose to participate in two of a variety of 10 workshops including a Storytelling workshop with former Chronicle reporter Clayton Hardiman, Face to Face portraiture with artist/professor Jon McDonald, Stage Fighting techniques by Kirk Wahamaki of the Muskegon Civic Theatre, and Violin vs. Fiddle with Becky Bush.
See You in the Funny Pages will explore the characteristics of heroes and superheroes, Sketch Up will show the youngsters how to use a sketchbook combining drawing and writing and, in Hot Off the Press, students will craft their own prints on MMA’s printing press.
Students also will be able to select one of three morning museum tours featuring the MMA exhibition, “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.”
The day will conclude in the Beardsley Theater with a special concert presented by the West Michigan Youth Symphony, created especially for Follow Your Art participants, titled “All That Jazz: African-American Music.”
“We believe it is a nice connection for the younger students in Follow Your Art to be able to see older students pursuing their music with such enjoyment,” said Karen Vander Zanden, WMS director of education.
Of Follow Your Art, Vander Zanden said she learned about a similar program that her colleagues at the Omaha Symphony had created and she wanted to model that in Muskegon.
“I approached Cathy (Mott) and we both wanted to work together to bring a day of the arts to middle-school students,” Vander Zanden said. “We felt it was a great fit for our organizations and the close proximity that we both share in downtown Muskegon.”
The MMA submitted a grant request to fund Follow Your Art to the Michigan Humanities Council and found out in November that the $15,000 request had been approved.
Mott said both organizations were very interested in making the experience available to a wide range of students, and that they are pleased to have a great mix of urban and suburban students who will experience the day together.
“This has been a great collaboration,” Mott said. “Each student will experience historical buildings, great workshops, an art museum tour and a WMS performance in one day. We want the students to have a positive experience that will show them the great value the arts and humanities can offer them now and in the future.”
Vander Zanden is excited to offer students so much variety in a one day event.
“I hope this day sparks an interest in the arts, and an understanding and appreciation for the arts,” she said. “Hopefully, for some students, this ignites a passion for art and its opportunities for creativity and expression.”
Follow Your Art participating middle schools include Bunker, Steele, Muskegon Heights, Ravenna and Whitehall.
