Visual Arts Newsletter

We are excited to announce that we held a "Student Visual Arts Leadership Interest Meeting" on September 17th. Students that were interested in hearing about ways they can become involved as VA student leaders showed up and shared great thoughts and ideas about the VA program. It was the first of many opportunities for students to collaborate with the parent liaisons so we could hear ideas from the student's perspectives. We talked about what students loved about the VA program, what they wished could be different, and what their "dream" VA program would look like, sound like, and feel like.

If any student missed the opportunity to be involved and would like to find out more, please join us on Wednesday, October 8th from 8:00am-8:50am on the dance floor. We are pleased to announce that several student-led committees have been formed as a result of our first meeting. Check out the list of committees below, and pictures of the great work that happened through collaboration!

New Student Committees: Newsletter Team, Fundraising Team, Social Media Team, Service Learning Team, Social Committee, and VA Staff Appreciation Team.

Next month students will be digging into committee work by creating committee "slogans", discussing the mission/vision of their committee, and brainstorming "first steps" as they begin work to bring about growth and positive change. We are looking forward to a great year with this amazing group of student leaders.

As always, feel free to reach out to us if you need anything.

Kristi Bachtell: kristib71@hotmail.com

Stacy Morris: rasberrypetal1@gmail.com

VA Parent Liaisons

You should have already received a permission slip and returned it for your student to participate in the NYC trip on October 16th. If you have not turned that back in, please do so ASAP along with any money that is owed to attend the trip. Student cost is now $69 due to the support of the Chipotle fundraiser, so THANK YOU. We raised $278. Chaperone cost is $58. Some students wrote grants to cover all or some of the cost of their trip, while others chose to use their yearly grant for materials or supplies. Chaperones, the same goes for you... please make sure your paperwork and money for museum entry has been turned into the front office.

You will receive detailed information soon, but in the meantime here are important times:

We are departing from BISFA promptly at 6:00am

We are scheduled to be back to BISFA at approximately 11:45pm. Please make sure you are there and waiting to pick up your student.

Students will need money to purchase lunch AND dinner.

It may be cold in NY, so make sure students bring a coat and wear comfortable walking shoes!

Wow... the senior VA seniors have been hard at work as we have moved into fall! We are excited to share with you what has been happening as they continue the tradition of making the "big heads" for the Mummers Parade. Check these out!

A big congratulations to Joyce Liu and Malaika Thiomiano for winning the Bester Community of Hope Mural Interactive Art Project! They facilitated the collaborative experience in Hagerstown's City Park on Saturday, September 20th.

🤑🤑 MONEY 💰💰

Did that get your attention? We asked and we heard you loud and clear about your choice for our BIG fundraiser for the fall. The most popular fundraiser option that was selected by you... parents... was the "Non-Fundraiser Fundraiser". The 2nd most popular was the "dinners out" so you don't have to cook that evening, and the 3rd most popular choice was basket raffles.

This is exciting news because that means that the visual arts department will get 100% of the money that we are able to raise from your top choice for a fundraiser, the "Non-Fundraiser" Fundraiser! The expenses for daily student materials and equipment, along with field trips, add up very quickly. For instance, the field trip to NYC that is coming up will cost around $9,000 to take 61 students, and you know the cost of classroom supplies that are consumable like paper, paint, brushes, markers, cleaners, clay and pottery materials, photography film and solutions, etc, etc, etc.

SO WE NEED YOU to help make all these great opportunities happen. The best way to make this fundraiser a HUGE success is to start asking your family members and family friends to help support your child's amazing opportunity to be in the VA program at BISFA and have an amazing trip to NYC museums. Even if they can only give $5 or $10 dollars to you, that adds up! It would be absolutely incredible if every one of our visual arts students/families could raise or donate $100. That would give us $6,000 from ONE fundraiser!

That is our big goal. Of course, the more you can raise the more of an impact you will make, but we understand if you are unable to hit the $100 mark. All we ask is for you to do your best. Every dollar counts. The grade level that raises the most money will get to celebrate with a pizza party! Thank you all so much for your fundraising feedback and for participating in this big fall Non-Fundraiser Fundraiser. We can't wait to see the impact you, your family, and your friends can make for the students in the VA program! Below is the form you can submit with your donation for the Non-Fundraiser Fundraiser. Remember that 100% of every donation we receive goes directly to support your student's visual arts experience! If you are writing a check, please make it out to Barbara Ingram AND put VA fundraiser in the memo line of the check.

NON-FUNDRAISER FORM

Another GREAT Supporter of BISFA:

The Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation provides resources, connections and funding to support both the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts public high school and local community. Funding is allocated across eight disciplines to facilitate: master classes, guest artists, performance opportunities, field trips, college visits and state-of-the-art instructional materials and technology. They offer two grant programs to the students (one of which some students are using a portion of to put towards their cost of the NYC field trip) and one grant to the discipline teachers. Last year, the Foundation gave out close to $60,000! That is amazing!

News from Mr. Geiman:

Grade 9 - Foundations of Art: Students have been engaged in a series of introductory activities focusing on collaboration within groups and individual sharing exercises. Beginning the week of Sept. 16th, students began a unit on aesthetics, exploring and questioning what and how art is defined within our culture.

Grade 10 - 3D Studio II: Students are finishing up a bas relief subtractive tile sculpture. The low fire clay tiles are being fired in the kiln and students are free to choose the surface color and finish decoration. Next, students will be working on honing their wheel throwing skills by creating a set of 10 stoneware bowls that could, if the student desires, be donated to the CFC for their annual Potter’s Bowl. After the bowls, students will be creating a gargoyle type sculpture to decorate the front window in the BISFA Galley

Grade 10 - Portfolio: The course's main focus is to support Art History and allow student time to work on portfolio materials. Students are using class time to complete Art History homework. Currently students are working through chapter 3 in the Discovering Art History textbook

Grade 12 - 3D Studio IV: Students are working on character heads for the spring musical Hatiestown. Students will wear the heads in the Mummer’s Parade on Saturday Oct. 25.

Donations requested by Mr. Geiman for the senior art exhibition: We are in need of picture frame donations to display the senior's art for their senior show. Any and all frames are appreciated!

Some of the VA students participated in the 19th "Annual Art for the Animals" fundraiser competition. Ms. Merchant selected 5 pieces of artwork to submit to the auction. Congratulations to the following students: Amelia Scolaro, Aaron Hanson, Cody Bachtell, Brielle Thames & Annabelle Bozeman. Ms. Merchant would like to thank everyone that participated this year and is encouraging students and families to go to Howard's Art and Frames on the Dual Highway to bid on your favorite paintings. The opening reception was September 20th and the Silent Auction runs daily until 7:30 pm at the Tail-End Reception on October 11th. Check out their paintings below.

Donations requested for Ms. Merchant's classroom:

Picture or painting frames (any condition or size), white towels used for oil painting (can be stained but clean), house paint brushes any size, spray paint (any color even partially used cans)

Click the orange link button above to find out all about the upcoming art contests and student service learning hour opportunities. There are many things happening this time of year!