PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, x6
SCHOOLSCULPTURES PROJECT PRESENTED AT ALBERTA AND UNIVERSITY PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
(Tuscaloosa, Ala.) Fourth and Fifth grade students at Alberta and University Place Elementary Schools are enjoying a week of both creativity and education under the guidance of artist Kevin Reese in the SchoolSculptures residency March 23 – 27, 2015. A joint project between The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa City Schools, the week-long workshop will involve art, math, physics and teamwork in the production of permanent moving sculptures (mobiles) for the schools.
Prior to the residency, Reese connected with the principals of each school to discuss placement and size of the sculptures. With the support of the teachers, students then drew their own designs for the sculpture on paper. He then created a model, inspired by the students’ drawings, of the mobile and shared it with the students on the first day of the residency.
Over a five-day period, the students help Reese measure, cut, sand and assemble the mobile. It is then taken apart in preparation for painting. The students decide together what colors to use and how those colors will be applied to the mobile. The mobile gets a coat of exterior primer and two coats of exterior latex paint. On the final day, the students participate in the final assembly and unveiling of the mobile for the entire school community. Options include either an interior or exterior sculpture. The mobiles being created in this residency are those for the interior of the schools.
The residency will conclude on Friday, March 27 with a performance by the artist at Alberta Elementary and the installation of the sculptures at both schools on Friday afternoon.
Kevin Reese is based in Washington, D.C. but has presented the workshop to children from the East Coast and Southeastern U.S. to the upper Midwest since 2001. Visit www.schoolsculptures.com for more information about the artist and the project.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
For more information about The Arts Council, patrons should LIKE the Facebook page “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” and follow tuscarts on Twitter. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.
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