Artology

Welcome BTGs!

bridgetcarroll — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:31:50 +0000

BTG: Bridging the Gap. A connection Artology has made with Drexel’s Graduate schools. This years batch of BTGs are a group of dedicated and compassionate graduate students who have dedicated their summer to doing just that; bridging the gap and linking health and social service professionals with the provision of health-related services for underprivileged communities (http://www.med.upenn.edu/btg/).

Alongside Artology’s Co-Directors Alysia Williams and Rachel Schaffran, and the two lead Art and Science teachers Vivian Rowe and Larry Stier, the BTG’s have began to work on their material for camp. The BTGs will be leading career presentations to start off everyday of camp. Once a week the Artologists will get a presentation from a BTG or Artology Intern about a certain career pertaining to the fields of Art and Science or somewhere in between where the two connect. This year, the presentations will include goals in which the Artologist can aim to accomplish within the perimeters of camp that very day. For example, the presentation on Museum Curator, a somewhat abstract career to a group of middle schoolers. However, the presentation will empower Artologists to observe ‘artifacts’ found that day at the field study and to not only respect these findings but explore how they can preserve them, empowering them to take reasonable steps to becoming the person they hope to be one day.

It’s that time again: Artology is right around the corner!!

bridgetcarroll — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:06:46 +0000

It’s that time again, the directors and teachers of Artology have been working hard the past few months to prepare for this years camp season. We are proud to announce that this year’s theme for Artology is.. EARTH!

The art and science teachers have developed an exceptional curriculum that will encourage this year’s ‘Artologist’ to explore their neighborhoods, parks, and museums in order to learn about the earth they walk upon. Larry Stier, Artology’s science teacher, is thrilled about the many field trips planned for our Artologists, but is particularly excited about the trip to the Wissahickon creek that the children will be taking early on at camp. When asked to describe a high point when visiting the Wissahickon Larry responded, “its just being present there and absorbing the wonder of nature.” We hope our Artologist experience the same sensation on field trips in Philadelphia, as they become exposed to natural beauty and wonder on these field studies, they will then start to gain appreciation for their community and it’s natural gifts.

Along with examining and hypothesizing their scientific findings at camp they will simultaneously be responding creatively to their discoveries. The art and science curriculums are carefully interwoven so that children understand the importance of both the arts and sciences. Vivian Rowe, Artology’s art teacher, has developed lesson plans that will challenge Artologists to look at their environments with a new and creative perspective. This year, Vivian has planned to have Artologist create a Zen rock garden to learn about compassion, peacemaking and the interconnectivity between earthlings. “We are connected to the tragedies of Japan as we recreate a Japanese rock garden. As we learn about their culture we being to care about their culture and their people.”

Those are just a few insights into our Artology plans for this summer, other highlights of camp include our trips to the National Liberty Museum, Abington Art Center, and the East Falls Glass Studio. We wait in anticipation as we finish prepping for camp over the next two weeks. The first session for 6th-8th graders begins June 27th and will go untill July 15th.

The deadline for applications is this Friday (June 17th), for an application or more information please call Alysia Williams or Rachel Schaffran at (215)-842-0428.

Update: New media up

bridgetcarroll — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:38:50 +0000

We’ve added a new video as well as a new gallery from the 1st session of 2010 Artology to the Media page. Be sure to check them out!

Artology – Session I, in sum

bridgetcarroll — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:09:55 +0000

They say that all good things must come to an end; and Artology was no exception. While the first session of camp went by as quickly as it came, the memories shared and the lessons learned during those 4 weeks would surely last a lifetime.
During their Artology experience, students learned about the local watershed – the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed – and the different parts of an ecosystem; exploring both the scientific as well as the artistic aspects of nature and the environment. Through the ‘Artology approach’ to studying the environment, for example, students would begin with water testing and observation in the morning; followed by painting and other art projects inspired by what they had observed earlier that day. By taking such an approach to environmental studies, students came to see how interconnected these two seemingly polar fields (art and science) really are in nature.
Aside from the projects and experiments they did on a daily basis, the students were also charged with the task of designing and constructing their own Rain Garden – a large-scale, multipurpose art installation that would serve to both beautify the community and better the environment by aiding in the water cycle process – in a local abandoned lot in Germantown. The students spent weeks working on their individual projects – each student making about 20 ‘plants’ – and planning and prepping the garden as a group. It was a lot of hard work for everyone involved, but it all paid off in the end: the students were rewarded with an incredibly successful debut exhibition, with dozens of family, friends, and even community members in attendance; all there to admire their work.

Jamal hard at work on his plants

Work work work!

Finished products

As big as the Rain Garden installation may have seemed, even more exciting things still lie ahead for the students: various pieces of the students will be placed on display for the general public at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from August to November, with a special debut picnic by the museum for Artology alum and their families on September 5th. Public exhibitions and service projects such as the the Rain Garden installation and the Art Museum exhibit are just two examples of the impact made on the world by Artology students. The impact made by these students is a lasting one – one that will endure well after Artology is over. These students who first came to Artology merely curious kids have now left true ‘Artologists’ – armed with the knowledge and skills necessary to help make a change in society and to make the world a better place. Artology may be over, but the lessons these kids have learned and the things they will have taken away from it will always stay with them.

Session I of Artology well underway

bridgetcarroll — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:09:52 +0000

After all of the anticipation, it’s hard to believe that we are already entering our 3rd week of Artology! So far, the 6th-8th grade session has been an incredibly busy and exciting one: over the course of the first two weeks, the students have been learning about water and the local watershed (through our partnership with the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed) through various trips, lessons, and other interactive lessons; including water testing in the local creeks and a trip to the Water Treatment Plant in South Philadelphia.

The students have also been exploring water through the use of different artistic media, such as water colors and sculpture; to name a few. Our latest big project is the construction of a Rain Garden, modeled after the work of artist Stacy Levy, in a nearby vacant lot on Chew Avenue; in which the students will create their own abstract sculptures to be “planted” in the lot in an effort to aid with the capturing of rainwater runoff. The Rain Garden project will culminate with a Rain Garden Party this Friday, July 16th at 1pm for students, staff, family, and friends to all come and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Click on the link below to view the flyer for this event:

Art Garden Party

The 1st session of Artology may already be halfway over; however, we still have a lot to look forward to in these last two upcoming weeks!

BuildaBridge Artology and Discovery receive grant from Philadelphia Cultural Fund

bridgetcarroll — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:27:41 +0000

This morning a group of 9 different local arts education non-profit groups, selected out of 82 applicants, gathered at City Hall to receive the Youth Arts Enrichment Grant from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. BuildaBridge was one of the groups selected to be a recipient of this prestigious award; created to support programs that use the arts to enrich the lives of young people, aged 5 to 18, in and out of school. This grant, worth $50,000, will go towards funding BuildaBridge’s Artology and Discovery programs; enabling the two groups to continue their hard work and achieve wonderful things.

(from left) Dr. Nathan Corbitt; Dr. Vivian Nix-Early; Charlene Melhorn; Chris Gudger

Representatives of BuildaBridge present at this morning’s ceremony included BuildaBridge co-founders Dr. Nathan Corbitt and Dr. Vivian Nix-Early; Artology director Charlene Melhorn, and former Artology alum Chris Gudger (16). BuildaBridge was among two organizations to actually speak at the function, with Dr. Nix-Early introducing the organization and providing a brief description of BuildaBridge’s mission; and Chris giving a speech about his own experiences with BuildaBridge and Artology. Of all of the youths present, Chris was the only one who got the chance to speak, delivering an absolutely phenomenal heart-felt speech. We are all incredibly proud of Chris for speaking on behalf of our organization, and for having done such an incredible job doing so! It was truly a momentous day for Artology.

Chris takes center stage

Charlene with Chris at the podium

Artology and the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc.

bridgetcarroll — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:30:45 +0000

Each year, Artology focuses on a specific, environmentally-focused theme – this year at Artology, we’ll be learning about the local watershed and water health through an exciting collaboration with the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc (TTF); in order to increase students’ awareness of local environmental issues and authentically engage them in creating solutions.

TTF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the health and vitality of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Creek and its watershed. TTF acts as the crucial link connecting residents, businesses and government as neighbors and stewards of this impaired, but critically important watershed in the Philadelphia metro region. Through educational programming, community outreach, networking services, and project coordination, TTF facilitates, supports, and initiates efforts to restore the health of the watershed, and to mobilize its communities as watershed stewards. To learn more, please visit www.ttfwatershed.org.
[/caption]

Watershed clean-up initiative with local student volunteers (image courtesy of TTF Flickr)

Local students experiencing hands-on learning with TTF (image courtesy of TTF Flickr)

Artology students will participate in four to five watershed-focused field study trips lead by TTF staff. Students will experience hands-on lessons that demonstrate the importance of clean water, watershed health, and the problems facing Philadelphia’s urban water systems. Once students fully understand this foundational information, they will return to TTF as “creative consultants,” addressing real problems/projects in their local area. Among these are: 1. The transformation of an abandoned lot into a stormwater management demonstration site that will also serve the needs of neighborhood residents; 2. The creation of relevant educational signage and literature that will resonate with the community; and 3. Creative uses for invasive plant species harvested from infested sites. After student teams choose the issue they wish to address, students will brainstorm together and design original solutions. Ultimately at least one of the designs will be chosen for full implementation. Artology art and science teachers will work with TTF staff to guide students through the learning, design, and implementation processes.

This collaboration between Artology and TTF is the first initiative in what we hope will be a long-standing partnership fostering creative problem-solving, and providing quality environmental education for Philadelphia’s at-risk youth.

BuildaBridge Artology receives gift from the Sharone Lee Garvin Scholarship Fund

bridgetcarroll — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:25:24 +0000

This year, BuildaBridge Artology is fortunate enough to have received a generous $2,800 donation from the Sharone Lee Garvin Scholarship Fund; which will go towards funding this summer’s Artology program.

The Sharone Lee Garvin Scholarship Fund is a fund established by the Spoilers Men’s Golf Club, a 20-year old African American men’s golf club organization, dedicated to supporting educational and recreational programs and providing summer camp scholarships to youth in need. In the past, the “Spoilers” have provided funding and scholarships for over 300 young people in multiple cities, including Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Minneapolis, MN; Philadelphia, PA and Northern Virginia.

We are both honored and incredibly grateful to have received this gift. Here at Artology, our objective is to make the summer Artology program accessible and available to all those who wish to attend, regardless of personal income or any other circumstances. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of such donors as the Garvins, any student who wishes to attend can do so.

Charlene Melhorn (pictured right), Director of Artology, accepting the Sharone Lee Garvin Scholarship Fund gift from JD (left) and Sylvia (center) Garvin

Artology 2009 Reunion and Family Game Night

bridgetcarroll — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:19:55 +0000

On January 16th Artology warmed up the wintery night with summer thoughts and family fun. This reunion and family game night was an Artology first and attracted 45 staff, students, parents, siblings, and friends. In addition to heated Twister competitions, Taboo questions, Martin Luther King trivia, open mic poetry, and a movie; participants enjoyed a feast of pizza, pasta, salad, and snacks. Parents received information about summer 2010 and students signed up for another Artology first: a student advisory committee. Since the reunion, one parent has already requested more applications (after already taking a pile) to pass out to her neighbors. We are excited about spreading the word!