Spring 2013 edition - Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND ARTS & HUMANITIES COUNCIL
ARTS MENToRSHIp pRogRAM
SpREADS NEW WINgS
By Kristin Tollefson, Education Director, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
As a parent of two kids navigating their teenage years, I spend a lot
of time thinking about the quality of this transitional time. Are they
happy? Are they acquiring skills that will help them in the world
they are entering? Are they discovering their passions?
Our island community places us in a fortunate position to witness
and help our young adults as they emerge. There is a great effort
within the school district to ensure that students who are inclined
toward college are ready for that challenge, academically robust.
But is there guidance for those who elect to follow different paths,
including students who are drawn to the arts?
One answer lies in the Arts Mentorship Program initiative being fostered through the Arts in
Education Program at the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council. First, a little history: in
2005, Bonnie Showers, then Program Manager of what is now the Arts in Education program, and
Catherine Camp, then Principal at Eagle Harbor High School, crafted a pilot program designed to
match arts-inclined students with working artists. Bonnie summarized the program’s poignant
potential here:
“For some students, this opportunity will inspire them through personal contact with a professional
artist who can advise them on life and job skills for 'making it' professionally. For some students, it
will be a life-saving link to a gifted adult who understands their passion for art and their deep need
to express themselves through their art. For other students, it will be a chance to learn art skills from
a masterful professional in an area new to them. And for some very troubled teens, this work in the
arts with a caring, understanding mentor will allow them time and an outlet for personal expression
as well as a chance to build success and self-esteem.”
This inspiring potential remains as the Arts Mentorship Program spreads new wings, unfolding this
year at Eagle Harbor High School. In close collaboration with Trish Corsetti, Eagle Harbor’s Contract
Studies Manager, students will develop independent courses of study that will include opportunities
to work on these projects with practicing artists. The Arts & Humanities Council will support the
effort with a quality roster of potential mentors in a variety of arts fields, as well as work to back the
efforts through outside funding. Program partnerships also offer promise: Winslow Art Center and
the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art have expressed early interest in offering opportunities for
teens to experience additional facets of professional art practice.
As Wendy Orville, island printmaker, teacher and mentor offered, one of the many unique strengths
of this program is its transparency: mentorships allow students to witness an artist at work, to learn
from their process, and to find their own way. This, she advocates, promotes the “perfect conditions
for learning. It allows a young person to be curious, to deepen their creativity and to learn how to
pull the best parts out of themselves. That’s huge.”
Nationally renowned architect Johnpaul Jones
and retired Bainbridge Island head librarian,
Cynthia “Cindy” Harrison were honored as 2013
Island Treasures on February 23 for their unique
contributions to our community and inspiring
bodies of work in their chosen fields.
As head librarian from 1991-2007, Cindy led
the way to making the Library more than a
repository for books – she made it the heart of our
community. Her vision pioneered vital areas of
growth, incorporating new technologies, special
services, art exhibitions and thought-provoking
programming including the cozy enclave for
teens, the Library Speaker Series, and Field’s End.
The New York Times recognized Cindy as “the Best
of the Best” with its Librarian Award. She is also
widely recognized for her ability to inspire others
to become involved and generously share their
talents. Cindy now volunteers with the Bainbridge
Island library, helping to organize the Living Library
project and overseeing the archive committee.
Architect Johnpaul Jones, a Bainbridge resident for
over 43 years, credits his Native American heritage
for influencing his design philosophy -- creating
public places that tell a story.
On Bainbridge, Johnpaul began his design of the
Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Wall by
listening to the stories of those affected by the
forced exodus of Nisei Islanders during World War
II. His most recent local contribution is the probono
design of The Waypoint, a much anticipated
new point of entry and departure for ferry travelers
on the corner of Winslow Way and Highway 305.
If
ARTS & HUMANITIES COUNCIL
If freckles were lovely, and day was night,
And measles were nice and a lie warn’t a lie,
Life would be delight,—
But things couldn’t go right
For in such a sad plight
I wouldn’t be I.
If earth was heaven and now was hence,
And past was present, and false was true,
There might be some sense
But I’d be in suspense
For on such a pretense
You wouldn’t be you.
If fear was plucky, and globes were square,
And dirt was cleanly and tears were glee
Things would seem fair,—
Yet they’d all despair,
For if here was there
We wouldn’t be we.
e.e. cummings
2013 Poetry Corners Preview
Local poets found inspiration in both
likely and unlikely places, as they worked
on submissions for this year’s Poetry
Corners theme of “Mischief!” Selections for
this juried competition will be displayed
on Bainbridge throughout April in
celebration of National Poetry Month.
They will also be posted on the Arts &
Humanities website and published on
Facebook. Poets will have a chance to
share their work at a celebratory reading
to be held on April 25th at 7:00 p.m. at the
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
New this year – a separate Student Poetry
category for grades K-12. Who better to
talk about mischief? Look for the poems
in Bainbridge Island business windows
in April!
CoNGRATULATIoNS CYNTHIA HARRISoN AND JoHNPAUL JoNES 2013 ISLAND TREASURE AwARD wINNERS
Johnpaul’s notable career also includes the design
of the National Museum of the American Indian in
Washington, D.C., and he received the American
Institute of Architects Seattle Medal in 2006 for his
work advancing public consciousness of Native
American heritage.
We are grateful to have these outstanding
individuals in our midst. Congratulations Cindy
and Johnpaul!
Island Treasure Awards are presented annually by
the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council
to two islanders who have made outstanding
contributions to our community in the arts
and humanities. The process is based on the
MacArthur Genius Award anonymous nomination
and jury model.
CURRENTS SPRING 2013 3