Alice Carlson youngsters collaborate with TCU students on art lessons

The first Alice Carlson Artist Night took place April 19

Fort Worth, Texas

5/16/2011

By Jennifer Retter

The first Alice Carlson Artist Night, held in mid-April, celebrated a meeting of minds.

Genifer Best, art teacher at Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center, organized the event with TCU adjunct art education professor Lauren Kolesar-Eatinger. It was the culmination of a joint study program they developed between first year art education majors at TCU and third through fifth graders at Alice Carlson.

“It’s two levels of students learning the same material,” Best said. “We corresponded with a shared sketchbook. Our students would pass notes to TCU and they would share back with us.”

Both groups of students studied the same six artists for eight weeks, and then worked on projects for each artist.

Lauren Kolesar-Eatinger has worked with Best in the past, but this was their first collaboration between elementary and college. Her TCU students provided the framework for Artist Night.

“We came up with a style of each artist and a five- to 10-minute activity for the kids to walk around and do,” Kolesar-Eatinger said. “I’m elated that 18 students came here and gave up their night to volunteer.”

She said she believes the program simultaneously improves both schools of art.<

“Helping a friend make her program even stronger is great, and vice versa,” Kolesar-Eatinger said. “They opened their doors to us.”

Alice Carlson third graders made brochures filled with fun facts about the artists, banners to hang from the ceiling, and the artists’ “bodies.” Fourth and fifth graders worked on individual art projects inspired by the artists.

Best said she thinks that events like Artist Night teach children how to talk intelligently about art.

“It’s neat when they can go to a museum and talk about the art and what they think, not just recognize the part,” Best said. “We planned this event to share our knowledge with our families.”

Lillian Haslett attended Artist Night with her parents. Eight-year-old Haslett worked with her third grade class to create a banner for the artist Albrecht Durer.

“My favorite part was painting the background,” Lillian Haslett said. “I was excited to see how my poster turned out.”

Her graphic designer father and artist mother said they were excited to come out and see their daughter’s work.

“I really like the art history,” said Danny Haslett, Lillian’s father. “It’s good for the kids’ self-esteem for them to get some exposure.”

Working with the TCU students did more than inspire the elementary school children to create art -- Best said it made her students want to attend TCU.<

“All the kids here want to go to TCU,” Best said. “I had to ban creating TCU logos in class.”