Bringing Art to Area Students

November 2007

Part of Fleming Markel’s job is bringing groups into the Lee Gallery on campus, and part of Angela Eckhoff’s job is researching issues in childhood education. What would happen if the two put their heads together and combined Clemson art with the education of local school children?

The result would be the Clemson Art Outreach Project.

Fleming and Angela first began brainstorming ways to bring art to public school kids beyond field trips. “Its just so expensive to pay for field trips these days and to get time off for the field trips,” Angela explained, adding, however, the value of “authentic art experiences” for students. As an alternative to bringing the students to the art, the women wondered about bringing the art to the students.

So when a couple dozen Pickens County art teachers planned a trip to see the exhibition Thresholds at Clemson’s Lee Gallery during an in-service day earlier this semester, it seemed the perfect time to get the ball rolling – and to get some feedback on their outreach ideas.

“We told them our idea that day,” Fleming said. “We didn’t have a clue if that was something they would use or like – it was just our idea.”

As it turned out, the teachers were interested in outreach alternatives to field trips. Matching curriculum (which might be on chalk drawings) to exhibits at the gallery (which might be on clay sculptures that same month) has proved too tricky. And, as Fleming pointing out, there are too many variables to simply bringing students to an art show hosted by someone else, namely that teachers would not have control over what their students viewed.

Fleming used Thresholds as an example, which contained adult themes. “They never would have brought them to Thresholds,” she said.

But, with this outreach program, teachers can sit down with Fleming and Angela to design a lesson that works around the teacher’s particular goals. For example, while working with an Advanced Placement art teacher, the teacher explained a class project on artists working in series. So, the women designed a lesson using the work of two Clemson artists who work in series.  

So far, the program has been successful, using art from seven current or retired Clemson professors to visit four classes in November and December. It is easy on the teachers, it makes a big impact on the students and the Clemson artists feel connected to the community.

“One thing that really surprised me is the students’ reactions, well everybody’s really,” said Fleming. “The artists have been so excited to see us move into the schools.”

The pair is working on grant proposals to obtain funds to grow the program. You can learn more about the Lee Gallery at www.clemson.edu/caah/leegallery.