Cultural Council providing curriculum for art in public schools

News

by Max Marbut

Staff Writer

Regardless of what decisions may be made in Tallahassee in terms of funding Florida’s public schools, arts education is alive and well in Duval County Public Schools.

Developed by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville in cooperation with teachers and curriculum specialists, “Exploring Art in Public Places” is now part of the curriculum for more the than 60,000 K-5 students in the county’s public school system. The project was funded through $20,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs with support from the City of Jacksonville. The first edition of the lesson plan has been delivered to public elementary school media centers.

It combines art education and current science curriculum being taught by public schools. Each of the 17 lessons feature at least one work from Jacksonville’s Art in Public Places (APP) program. Created by an ordinance enacted by City Council in 1997, Art in Public Places is funded through setting aside .075 percent of every City construction and renovation project for public art installations. Since then, more than $2.5 million in public art has been added to the landscape.

The developers at the Cultural Council were led by Education Programs Manager Martha McManus, a former visual arts teacher who understands the challenges in the classroom.

“Teachers are being pushed to integrate studies,” she said. “We integrated science with art using Art in Public Places as examples.”

McManus also cited survey data that indicates art education is a priority for teachers and parents alike.

Among 1,068 adults surveyed, 48 percent said there is too little emphasis on arts and music at the elementary school level and 41 percent of those polled responded that arts integration is valuable because it educates the whole child.

Examples include a kindergarten lesson on parts of a tree that connects with “Haven Creek” — a painting by Jacksonville artist Alison Watson that is exhibited in the Maxville Branch Library. Fifth-graders can learn about the science behind the water cycle and also the work of Sarah Crooks Flaire whose mixed-media construction “Circle of Life” is installed at the Mandarin Branch Library.

Cultural Council Deputy Director Amy Crane said the version for K-5 was delivered first because, “It’s a way to educate children on the importance

of public art. We were looking for outreach that would make the City’s collection of public

art more relevant to its citizens.”

The kits containing the study materials have been delivered to the schools’ media centers because that’s where teachers obtain textbooks and other learning materials just as students do, said DCPS Supervisor for Reading, English Language Art and Library Media Specialist Rodilyn Bacho-Logdson. The media specialists in the libraries at each school can also make sure the faculty knows the curriculum is available for use in their classrooms.

“We believe visual literacy is also important and media specialists play a part in content integration,” she added.

McManus thinks the program materials could also be used in other areas including as part of the Jacksonville Journey’s after-school programs.

“It would be a way to reach our young citizens to be proud of their city. That could make them more likely to respect it and take care of it,” she said.

To download the “Exploring Art in Public Places” education program or a map of Art in Public Places locations go to www.culturalcouncil.org.

Art in Public Places locations

Westside

1. Maxville Branch Library

2. Jacksonville Equestrian Center

3. West Regional Library

4. Argyle Branch Library

5. Webb Wesconnett Branch Library

Northside

6. Police Athletic League

7. Highlands Branch Library

8. Brentwood Branch Library