Imansioneering

I've long told the story of how my dream job was to become a Disney Imagineer...you know, the folks who theme out the cool venues and attractions at the Walt Disney Theme Parks? Well, life happened and I never left home to make that dream happen. Recently I have had the opportunity to work alongside the curator and volunteers at the Howard County Historical Society's Seiberling Mansion Museum. They have allowed me a contributing voice in the visual experience provided at the museum and challenged my creativity with the revisualization of existing exhibit displays. I could do this type of work everyday. I may never be an Imagineer, but I do get to be an Imansioneer!

First exhibit case re-do completed Spring 2015.

Recently I designed an exhibit case topper that could be mounted to the tops of the existing exhibit cases to allow for clearer title headers on the exhibit and allow for more room for artifact and archive content inside the case. I used it on the Seiberling family case re-do currently located on the second floor of the mansion in the northeast corner bedroom. The structure is made of Masonite, wallpaper, thin decorative trim (painted), and reclaimed 2x4. Ryan Newby helped me with the construction of these signs. This spring, he supplied me with the materials to build frames and also cut mats. He's teaching me how to do both. I think this will be a valuable skill to use for the museum.

Three toppers pre-title. The titles are cut using a die-cutter machine and my computer.

Christmas at the Seiberling

My first experience volunteering regularly in the community was with the Howard County Historical Society. Nine years ago I assisted the museum groundskeeper at the bank I work for. I told him about my interest in volunteering and the first event I got to help with was Christmas at the Seiberling. I helped take money for pictures with Santa during opening night and created a gingerbread house making event and competition. It was a great experience and one that allowed an outlet for my arts education.

Through the year the Seiberling Mansion serves as the Howard County Museum, but no doubt in December this museum becomes a Christmas show home for local artists and sponsors to decorate and advertise. For the first time this year, I was invited to decorate a room at the mansion. I was assigned the Glass Room, formerly living quarters, located at the rear of the house on the second floor. On display in this room are examples of glass products made in Howard County. As a current member of the Exhibits and Collections Management committees, it was important to me to not cover up or alter the displays of the museum. Instead I created my vignettes around existing features in the room.

I am a collector and designer of themed Christmas trees. It was HCHS's chair who invited me to be a decorator after she viewed pictures of my pirate themed 2014 home tree. I own a dozen trees of different sizes and colors. My current tree decoration collection themes include: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Pirates, Indiana Jones, Victorian Vampires, Kitty Cats, Teal Vintage, and Indiana University. But by far my largest and most prized tree decoration collection is my Star Wars themed collection. I have every Hallmark Star Wars ornament since 1996.

This year was the perfect year to show my Star Wars collection at the museum. I had enough ornaments to fill a 12' tree, a 7 1/2' tree, a 6' tree, and two 4' trees. In addition to the galactic decorations I assembled for the Glass Room, I created an "Imagine" handout for kids that invited them to imagine if "A Long Time Ago.." were 1890 here on Earth. It talks about natural gas and the growth of the art glass industry in Howard County using Star Wars characters and scenarios.

On December 18th volunteers and I will host a Christmas Kid's Art Night in the Elliott House next door to the museum. We will have four make stations and refreshments ready to host families looking for something inexpensive and creative to do with their kids. The event coincides with a sponsored free admission evening at the museum.

I was going to post pictures of my trees, but hey! Go to the mansion and see them...you won't be sorry! It's Amazing! 

Kokomo Perspective Mural...Coming Soon!

In early November the volunteers and I closed up our outdoor on-location shop for the winter. We were able to reach our goal of completing the under layer of the downstairs half before the temperature fell below 50 degrees. The progress so far is very eye-catching, and I cannot wait for everyone to see the final product this spring.

Volunteers paint primer on to mural during the United Way Day of Caring.

The volunteers and I will now move on to painting nine huge marine board panels for the upstairs half of the mural. The panels are cut to fit over the bricked up window forms visible on the building. Last week we moved 6 of the 9 panels from the third floor of Artworks downtown to my garage studio at home so that we may have more freedom with paint time and continue working on them this winter. The Perspective will buy the other three panels when we are ready for them. As soon as the weather breaks, we will have the finished upstairs panels hung and paint the final shading layer on the downstairs. Weather permitting, I look for this one to be finished early 2016! Big thank you for the continued support given by Dana Osburn from STAR Financial Bank, Jenni Adams and Beth Rattray from the Howard County United Way, Chad McCarter from the Kokomo Perspective, and the Kokomo Art Association. 

You can see the upstairs windows that will soon have painted panels on them here. 

That's all Folks! Finished underlayer complete just in time. See you next spring! 

Moving On: Murals, Museum, Midterms, and Mickey

It's been a while since I posted last and much has happened. Over the summer, I completed the first of three murals begun with my late mural partner, Beth Notaro. With the help of volunteers and friends, we finished and dedicated the Wonderland Garden mural located at Carver Community Center. Shortly after, Sami Soutar finished the second phase of the History of Music mural located on Rhum Academy's west side. The Rhum murals were the first project I worked on with Beth, so it was lovely to see that mural completed as well. At the beginning of the semester, I began work on the last of the three murals I started with Beth, located at the Kokomo Perspective on Main St., Downtown Kokomo. I have a new mural partner, Dana Osburn, who worked with me at STAR bank. Dana shares my enthusiasm for volunteer work in the community and says the experience has rekindled her passion for art.

This semester I was given the opportunity to complete independent study in lieu of a seminar course I need to finish my master's degree. My instructor and I agreed reporting on the community activities I have at hand would be the most practical direction. I hope to include some new learning, but the mural and the museum will be my primary focus, just as it was in the spring.

At the museum I will assist with the ongoing Mansion Makeover project which involves rearranging and creating new exhibits to better align with our newly composed interpretive plan. I meet once a month with both the exhibits and collections management committees where we discuss ideas. So far I have been able to provide art direction for two exhibit cases, built three new exhibit title signs, and come December, will be finishing the firefighter exhibit for the third floor gallery.

I continue to assist with events planning at the museum. I recently co-chaired the candle dipping activity booth at the Koh-Koh-Mah Living History event. Along side long-time chair Mary Ellen Harnish, and fellow volunteer Melanie Waggoner, we organized volunteers and materials for the most popular children's activity booth at this annual event. In November and December I will assist with the museum's signature event, Christmas at the Seiberling, decorating parts of the mansion and leading art activities for children.

It's safe to say I have my work cut out for me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to submit this work for school credit. This week I have a midterm exam in my other class and I leave Friday for a long-planned (and poorly timed) mini-vacation taking a little girl to Disney World for the first time. My friends and family have taken a backseat to my ambitious community service all year long, so a couple days away couldn't be denied! December will come and it will be so rewarding to see all of the hard work done, Beth's mural visions realized, and my degree finished. Let's do this!

Watch here for updates and pictures of progress. :) ~ and Happy Halloween!! ~

Remembering Beth

Well, this post is quite late, but I needed time to sort out what I wanted to say. Tuesday, March 24th I arrived at the museum to learn my friend, co-volunteer, and mentor for 3 credits of my in-progress practicum work, had passed away. It really didn't seem real to me at the time I heard the news. I was set to begin another week of practicum work and had just discussed my progress with her a few days prior. She had been battling off and on sickness for about three weeks, but so had a lot of other people, it had been going around. As the day went on it did eventually sink in that Beth was really gone. I'm selfishly disappointed that we won't get to do all of the wonderful art projects and classes we discussed together. I'm also somewhat overwhelmed when I consider the hole that she left, not just in our hearts, but in the community. Beth was a go-getter and touched many lives. She left us unexpectedly and far too soon.

I hope that I can honor Beth's legacy by helping the Art Association and the Carver Community Center continue to offer and grow the programs Beth was so committed to recently. She had plans, dreams, sometimes it seemed like limitless ideas about what to create next with her students and fiber art friends. We were mid-progress on planning a more efficient public mural completion program. I will finish documenting our program idea and work alongside other members of the Art Association to see it through. I have requested the mural program be named the Beth Notaro Community Mural Camp. Following approval of the program from KAA, I will share the details and how to participate.

Barbara and I have welcomed a couple members of Beth's family into her Carver Center classroom who hope to assist for a while in keeping the Wednesday night art program going. I have volunteered to provide instruction through at least May, but will stay longer if needed to keep Beth's classroom there alive with art.

We love and miss you, Beth. It's on us now to step up and serve!

**If you would like to volunteer or donate to support these programs with us, please contact the Carver Community Center at 765-457-9318 or the Kokomo Art Association 765-459-4579 or leave a comment with contact information here.**

Winter Woolen Workshop 2015

The Winter Woolen Workshop is a two-day event showcasing fiber artists and fiber art vendors. Beth Notaro of Beth's Main Street Folk Art (and my contact for practicum with Kokomo Art Association) designed the event in collaboration with the Howard County Historical Society. The event includes a variety of demonstrations and instructional classes on wool preparation, spinning, knitting, crochet, rug hooking, Oxford punch, needle punch, felting, and quilting. It takes place on the Seiberling Mansion museum campus, occupying all three floors of the Mansion and two floors of the Elliott House. The artists and vendors carry-in food and the Historical Society provides volunteers to man the entrances and take money for tickets.

I have an ironic relationship with fiber arts. Most of the creative women in my family are fiber artists. My family has a long history of quilters in particular. I have quite a collection of heirloom quilts! But I never picked it up. It It's funny that here at the end of my college education I am attempting to strengthen my abilities in an area of art I have had access to my entire life! Regardless, I do feel my weakest area of art talent lies in fiber arts and I was able to take two classes that I feel I could now teach if needed.

The two classes I took were Oxford punch and Wool Felting. A six-year old girl attended the classes with us and, with the assistance of her father, was able to complete both projects with ease. I observed she was able to complete an exercise on spinning wool as well. The workshop provides an excellent opportunity for the novice of any age to explore fiber mediums and experiment with the products it is capable of making. I feel more confident in my own ability now, and feel I could repeat similar lessons on Oxford punch or wool felting in my own classroom. I recommend the event to anyone interested in learning or sharpening their fiber arts abilities! It is held ever February in Kokomo. VisitBeth's Main Street Folk Art to receive updates on the 2016 workshop.

Springing Forward

The past couple weeks have been very busy! So far I love the work I am getting to do for both the organizations I chose to complete Practicum at. The busy two weeks ended on a somewhat sad note, though, as I found out there is one more class I have to take to graduate. Looks like the party will be in December, not May! My sadness is only half-hearted as I still have work to do for the K-12 in the Fall anyhow, but still...Boo!

I have been assisting Beth Notaro and Barbara Heffernan from KAA with their Wednesday evening art class at Carver Community Center. I led an instruction both weeks to a group of 10-12 students of varied ages in constructing pinch pots. Many of the students had never experienced making something from clay. Only one teenage student claimed to have experience making a pot. I invited him to help me teach the others, which went over very well! He did indeed know how to do it and I could tell he felt good getting to help his much younger peers. Since recognizing how much the older students like to help, we have been involving them more often as peer teachers. The best way to learn something is to teach it! Plus, pressure is on not to exaggerate on ability...old Ms. Heather might make you prove it!

We also rearranged the classroom a bit to allow more storage and space for the varied ages to spread out but still be involved in the class. That involved turning open coat lockers on end to create book shelving, making two separate workstations, moving the Lego table to the center of the classroom, and adding a demo and teacher's tables. I am adding artwork to the classroom walls at the request of "Ms. Beth." So far, that includes a Pinterest-found quote "Believe there is good in the world" cleverly positioned in a corner and painted two colors to define "Be the good;" and a whimsical tree of my own design, also positioned in a corner, with branches flowing up onto the ceiling. We are planning lessons for the students to make leaves and other objects to install onto the tree mural. The students are also helping with the painting of the new murals.

At the museum I have began re-work of an exhibit case in the Indiana room (2nd floor bedroom) that displays the Seiberling family members. It's hard for me to stay focused on just that case as there are two other cases in there that need a little love as well. I've communicated some ideas and learned a lot about what is involved in creating small museum exhibitions. Stew, the curator, shared this video with me and I am sharing it here for my peers (also to save it for my own later use!). I think it's a great resource and it wasn't hard to recognize the art and design elements at work in the examples the video discusses.

I am also creating new education program binders for the museum. Dave, the director, shared the files with me and my hope is to organize program content neatly into binders, list the visual art standards that the programs meet, and research how to better promote the programs. There is also a past scout program in the education files, so I am going to learn about scouts!

I have saddled myself with quite a bit of work this semester, but so far I am not as overwhelmed as I have been in semesters past. I think it is because my "after school" work is now my regular work, which is allowing me more time to wind down in the evenings before bed. Here's hoping that trend continues and helps me feel healthier! I'm no longer a strung-out on caffeine graduate student!