by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Schoolchildren are bombarded with an array of subjects throughout their lifetime — English, history, science, math. But often neglected are the arts. Except for magnet schools targeting the arts, only the occasional school play, music concert or poetry contest must suffice for children in the public school system. Even the magnet schools separate out the creative subjects from the traditional classes.
Hoping to break the barrier between fun and fundamentals is a Jacksonville-based company called ArtLife Productions.
According to ArtLife founder and creative director Karen Sadler, ArtLife offers a comprehensive, arts-based curriculum to instruct youth in unconventional ways. Programs encompass multicultural storytelling to learn about geography and foreign language, songs to teach about the environment, puppet shows to introduce foreign cultures, video production classes to teach skills for the film industry and math-based magic shows. Other genres such as dance, painting, cartooning and theater are included as well.
Established artists, those having experience working with children, are incorporated into the learning process as well. Workbooks are provided to guide the session in an orderly fashion. Any school, group, organization, municipality or non-profit wishing to utilize the kits can tailor-make an original curriculum to fit their needs.
“I look at what their needs are, the grade levels, number of children and curriculum, then put together a proposal for them,” explained Sadler of how the process works. Most of her clients come to her by referral.
Each program is nationally certified to meet school standards but whether the children will be tested on the material for a grade depends on the individual teacher.
Due to Sadler’s involvement in the creation and development of the program, she is able to market these materials, produced by Putumayo World Music, to various entities. The feedback from focus groups and discussions with educators played a big part in the end product.
“Many schools don’t have full-time art teachers or programs,” she said. “Some schools have none. We enable schools to have art resources at a level that meets State requirements.”
In operation since 1999, ArtLife is continually introducing new materials and programs for children of all ages, pre-kindergarten through high school. The program has been the recipient of the Gold Award, the Parents’ Choice Silver Award, the ‘best of ‘ from Scholastic Parent & Child, the American Library Association Children’s Recording Award and an award from National Parenting Publications — all for three years running.
“I started it in Jacksonville after I moved from New York,” said Sadler. “My background is in film and television ads and artist [career] development. Now I do that through my company in order to bring artists to the community and the educational market.”
Sadler claims to have coached notable directors such as Brett Ratner, director of “Red Dragon” and Chuck Stone, probably best known for his Was’sup! Budweiser campaign.
How Sadler’s business began was more or less through happenstance. She was volunteering at her childrens’ school. Leveraging her know-how in the production industry, she decided to supplement the efforts of the schoolteachers by bringing in high-quality art resources.
“I found what was needed in the schools was a resource for all art disciplines,” she said. “Because I had worked with some of the top talent in New York, I felt I could bring quality to their arts program. Once I had done that at my childrens’ school, I realized many schools could benefit from it, so I created a company to address that.”
Despite their noble goals, ArtLife is not a non-profit organization. Fees for planning a tailored program can range from $150-400. Sadler maintains they assist schools in raising revenue, perhaps from Parent-Teacher Associations or corporate sponsors, if they can. Some institutions have received grants from sources such as the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville in order to participate.
Although local schools have been a large part of their client base, ArtLife also facilitates programs and special events for libraries, camps, parks and not-for-profit organizations such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs and City Kids Art Factory, an after-school community arts program.
The latest on the horizon for ArtLife has been the release of a new instructional compact disc called Latin Playground which emphasizes the Hispanic culture. This year they have also established Dance in Action, a collaboration with the dance department at Florida Community College at Jacksonville to teach choreography to students through stories.
“They’re learning how everyday things can become dance movements,” she said.
Other selections feature titles such as Jewish Odyssey, Caribbean Party, A Native American Odyssey and Africa.