The Emeryville Connection: A news magazine published by the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce
CITY NEWS
Youth Art Month In Emeryville
Schools in Emeryville will be artistic this month.
The Emery Unified School District is celebrating “Art is Education” month in March with a parade, a conference, a musical fund-raiser and a community-wide photography project.
The goal is to show the arts aren’t just elective classes. They are a major contributor to a child’s overall development.
“It’s really basic. The arts are an integral part of education,” said Sharon Wilchar, community liaison for the 45th Street Artists Cooperative, one of the organizer of the events. “The arts provide a child a means of expressing themselves.”
Louise Music, the director of the Alameda County Office of Education Arts Programming, says the arts benefit children in a myriad of ways.
She says music, painting, sculpture and drawing teach youngsters how to create new ideas and how to observe things around them.
“All of these skills and thinking structures are a very big part of art,” she said.
Music also says the arts are important in a community such as Emeryville where 30 percent of teen-agers don’t graduate from high school. Classes in music and poetry can engage students, expand their knowledge and simply keep them interested in school.
“Art provides a place for every kid to be successful,” she said.
Wanda Stewart, public information officer for the Emery school district, agrees.
“The arts are an incredible way to inspire learning with our kids,” she said. “Kids learn in a variety of ways. The arts can hook students into something they love.”
There are four major events that highlight “Art is Education” month.
*On Tuesday, March 4, the annual arts education parade will march down San Pablo Avenue from 47th Street to Park Avenue to City Hall. The parade begins at 3:30 p.m. There is also an arts showcase inside the city offices.
*On Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8, Emery school officials will participate in a conference on arts learning. Emery Secondary will host the Friday evening reception. On Saturday, school officials from across Alameda County will share their ideas on arts education at Malcolm X School in Berkeley.
*On Thursday, March 13, the district’s annual Music Fun-raiser will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Ex’pression College for Digital Arts. The event will feature The Emery Secondary School jazz band and other special guests.
*On Saturday, March 15, the “Faces of Emeryville” photography project will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Emery Secondary. A professional photographer will take pictures of educators, students and community members in both candid and portrait shots. The goal is to capture the spirit of the Emeryville community. Participants will receive a complimentary print of their photograph. Some of the work will eventually be hung in galleries and municipal facilities.
David Mills is a writer for The Emeryville
Connection. If you have a question or comment, please contact him at ecocnews@gmail.com
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