Local schools showed off the projects that helped them make the grade during the ArtSplash festival Jan. 23 at the Cultural Center for the Arts. Jackson Local Schools joined three others in demonstrations and take-home projects integrating the arts and academics during the free family event.
Visitors could see selections from the Jackson School for the Arts grant project “The Fabric of Our Culture,” in its second year at the school.
“We really examine fabric from a cultural and world perspective,” said Susan Gardner, director of the Jackson School for the Arts program at Jackson Local Schools.
The $30,000 grant gave the program the chance to bring an artist in residence for the project, working on projects to bring together visual arts with an emphasis on mixing in reading.
In the recent SmArts “report card,” a test group of 6th-graders involved in the arts through the program outperformed a control group of other students who were not by 95 percent.
“What that means for us,” said Cheryl Haschak, Jackson Local Schools Superintendent, “is that our ongoing commitment to the arts makes good educational sense.”
The grant provided students with the chance to work with local artists on projects and even to do field trips that otherwise might not have been possible, such as a visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art for an exhibit on Paul Gauguin.
"That's what these grants do," said Gardner. "It allows you to expose kids to arts and experiences that you can't normally afford to do. Even in these tough economic times, the administration has believed in us."
In the last four years ArtsinStark has awarded $200,000 in SmArts grants to 55 Stark County schools, which have reached 10,000 students.
At ArtSplash, visitors to the Jackson table were able to weave words and images together, creating a fabric of combined artwork.
The ArtsinStark event showed off demonstrations from SmArts schools, as well as performances by the Canton Ballet, Canton Idol, Green School Ensemble, TENEO of Malone University, the Ananda Drum Circle and Silver Star Youth Theatre.
Along with the show, the Canton Museum of Art's latest exhibit, "Something from Nothing," was open with free admission.
For more information about ArtsinStark, visit www.artsinstark.com.
