9 minute read
Art for All
At eight in the morning it was already 92 degrees… and raining. What sun there was on this midsummer morning made the air sticky and uncomfortable. But none of that would stop local artist Isaac Escarcega from setting up his shade canopy, which on this day doubled as an umbrella, next to the playground at Rancho Gabriela Elementary School, and breaking out his paints. He had a job to do and not even the unpredictable weather would slow him down.
Months earlier, Isaac, a current college student, had dedicated his summer break to designing and painting what are known as sensory paths for three elementary schools in the Dysart Unified School District. Rancho Gabriela Elementary School, Cimarron Springs Middle School, and Kingswood Elementary School would all be the lucky recipients of these colorful additions. His goal was to complete the paths at all three campuses before the start of school on August 1st, which was coming up fast.
Isaac’s desire to complete the task on time was driven by more than just his strong work ethic. This job was something special. This was a passion project for Isaac because he was no stranger to Dysart Schools. A proud graduate of Shadow Ridge High School (Class of 2021), he’s also a Mountain View School alumnus. There was no way to have known it back then, but his natural artistic talent would someday allow him to give back to his childhood community in a very unique way.
Practically born with a brush in his hand, Isaac has been painting and drawing as far back as he can remember. It’s as instinctive and as necessary to him as breathing. Even as a kid, creating daily works of art was one of his favorite pastimes.
“I’m always the guy that’s drawing this or that,” he shared. “I paint on my own time everyday. It’s just what I do. Art’s my life.”
It was no surprise that by high school his artistic abilities were already well-established. It was at that time that the self-taught artist availed himself of the exceptional visual arts program at Shadow Ridge High School. He credits his teachers for constantly encouraging him and giving him opportunities to move ahead in class. Going beyond a canvas, Isaac was even introduced to graphic art programs in high school.
Isaac found the arts program to be more of a community than a traditional classroom. There, he collaborated with other talented student artists who helped to add new techniques to his skill-set, and vice-versa.
After high school, Isaac made a name for himself as a canvas and mural artist, painting beautiful scenes both for and on people’s homes. It was that respected reputation that got his foot in the door at Canyon Ridge School a while back. At the time, the school was looking to do some campus beautification, but didn’t know where to start. Luckily, Sheryl Masowdi, a Canyon Ridge parent and PTA President, knew just who to ask. She and Isaac attended the same church and Sheryl had heard that his work came highly recommended. The young artist was ecstatic to take up the task.
“They just let me do whatever,” he recalled with an exuberant smile. Joined by Lizzie Standlee, his long-term girlfriend, painting assistant, and fellow Shadow Ridge and Mountain View alumni, he went to work.
“I’ve always been helping him with all his projects,” Lizzie said. “I’m not a good painter obviously,” she joked. “But I help in all the other ways like getting the paint ready and making sure we’re not messing things up!”
Isaac admiringly adds that she braves the bad weather and early mornings without complaint, and he concedes that he couldn’t do it without her.
So with Lizzie by his side, Isaac took full advantage of the freedom to be creative and reinvigorate the school’s playground in his own way. Ultimately, Isaac painted a vibrant hopscotch board with confidence-boosting affirmations, winding pathways, obstacle-course style challenges, and also refreshed all the playground equipment.
While Canyon Ridge was getting a makeover, Dysart Special Education Parent Teacher Student Association (SEPTSA) was making plans to take playground renovations throughout the district a step further as part of their Accessible Playground Initiative. “We weren’t involved (with Isaac) at that point,” recalls Sara Rivera, President of Dysart SEPTSA.
“Because we’re a districtwide PTA, we look at special education across the district, and one of the biggest needs that we found was the accessibility features of the playgrounds, and there not being a lot of them.”
An effective option for developing inclusive and accessible playgrounds at a minimal cost is to use preexisting paved surfaces to create sensory paths. Growing in popularity in recent years, sensory paths utilize bright colors, geometric shapes, letters and numbers, among other imagery to encourage children of all abilities to play together. For students with mobility challenges, using flat surfaces literally levels the playing field, allowing them to physically play alongside their peers.
Encouraging open-ended play is another advantage of sensory paths. While something like hopscotch or an obstacle course are done mostly the same way every time, images like a giant keyboard or number blocks encourage kids to invent their own games with their own rules and goals. Kids benefit not only from the physical activity they get while jumping on letters to spell their name, for example, but the stimulating colors and shapes provide sensory input that can aid in cognitive development and focus.
Sara admits the SEPTSA doesn’t want to stop there. “Our big goal is that every school playground would be covered in rubberized surfacing, which helps kids with mobility challenges. But starting here, it’s really easy to get some paint and an amazing painter like Isaac and his partner Lizzie. So that’s where we’re starting.”
But how did SEPTSA get connected with Issac, exactly? That’s where fate lent a hand.
“Canyon Ridge is my childrens’ school,” explained Sara. As it turned out, the eye-catching work Isaac had done to makeover the Cougar’s campus served as quite the resume.
Knowing what SEPTSA had envisioned for the sensory paths, Sara thought whoever did this bold and brilliant artwork at her own kids’ school would be perfect for this very special task. “Those were great designs, and so beautifully done,” she said.
Sara went straight to the school’s PTA, and inquired about this mystery artist. Sheryl, who also happens to be a SEPTSA member, was more than happy to once again recommend Isaac.
“Yeah, that was a great phone call,” Isaac recalled. “It was so out of nowhere, I was just at home and they were telling me, ‘All the schools want you,’ and I’m thinking, ‘What? Is this real?’”
While Isaac is admittedly excited for any project that involves paint, there was something special about this enterprise. Given that the end goal was to eliminate barriers and bring kids together made this an art project with a purpose, and neither the heat, rain, nor the early mornings could temper his enthusiasm.
His eagerness to have the students enjoy the paths is evident in his designs. He solicited input from the schools as to what their students would enjoy. Each image was then carefully crafted to incorporate the school’s colors, mascot, and design preferences. Rancho Gabriela, for example, has cartoonish orange rattlesnakes that appear to scoot across the oversized number board. Kingswood Elementary School has its brilliant purple and silver on prominent display. Cimarron Springs Middle School opted for a video game theme that immerses students in life-sized scenes. This extra touch is just another way to make it meaningful for students.
“Anything for the kids,” Isaac said. “The bright colors, all of it. I just want them to have fun and play.”
It’s that play that is so crucial to the cause. “Recess is a huge part of growing up,” Sara points out. “There are a lot of kids that don’t get that opportunity, they get to watch other kids get that opportunity.”
Isaac echoed that sentiment with an added bit of nostalgia. “I remember being at my school, and I remember the playground. Even if it’s in the back of my head I still remember it, and I just want that for the kids.”
While the goal is to eventually paint sensory paths at all the elementary and middle schools in the district, Isacc playfully called out one in particular. “I’m waiting for Mountain View to get one! That’s my elementary school!”
Currently, six other Dysart schools have abandoned their plans of using run-of-the-mill stencils, and have instead booked Isaac, which is just fine by him. It would seem that school campuses, especially in the Dysart District, are one of his favorite places to work. He calls it a “good environment” where the focus is always on providing positive messages.
Isaac’s future is undoubtedly as bright as his artwork. Currently, he is majoring in Fine Arts at Estrella Mountain Community College, where he draws upon both his collaboration experience from his high school years and his practical experience that he gained this summer. While he has returned to Estrella Mountain Community College for the fall semester, his next step is to apply to Huntington University Arizona where he plans to study animation.
As for the Dysart SEPTSA, their work also continues this fall. Sara emphasizes that being a member of SEPTSA is not meant to take away from an individual school’s parent organization. Being a member of both actually serves to magnify the positive impact on the community. It was that networking, after all, that allowed a talented young artist to come full-circle and make recess in his childhood school district as memorable for today’s students as it was for him.
To learn more about the Accessible Playground Initiative and other special education events, please visit DysartSEPTSA.org.
