Sonic Corp. 300 Johnny Bench Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73104 United States
To the SONIC Corporation Grant Committee, Artspace at Untitled believes art improves lives and communities, and that youth education is key for a future of innovative art in Oklahoma City. Our Mentorship Program exists to transform Oklahoma students’ lives through art and to prepare them for a dynamic academic and professional future. A detailed description of the program is outlined in the following documents. An additional one-week summer camp for our high school youth would connect students across all nine Oklahoma City participating schools, creating bonds to last beyond the camp. We are aware of SONIC’s strong educational priorities, and its generosity to schools and educational organizations in Oklahoma. As our student size has grown dramatically in the past year, this is a fruitful time to partner with Artspace in our efforts to enable local high school students to create, innovate, and connect to a world of resources in OKC. With SONIC’s support, students can enjoy a free, innovative summer camp led by professional artists in a community-oriented space. Our program empowers students to bring the art of today into their lives, forming meaningful connections with a larger community of innovative thinkers. Thank you for your consideration of our project. Sincerely,
Laura Warriner Founder and Creative Director ARTSPACE at Untitled
1 NE 3rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
405.815.9995
1ne3.org
Mentorship Summer Camp: A Project Inspiring Student Collaboration through Art
Submitted To: SONIC Corporation May 23, 2018 Created by: Laura Warriner, Founder/Creative Director 405-834-6086 | laura@1ne3.org Jessica Williams, Development Coordinator 405-815-9995 | development@1ne3.org Alexa Healey, Education Director 405-815-9995 | press@1ne3.org
Artspace at Untitled 1 NE 3rd St. OKC, OK 73104 405-815-9995 | www.1ne3.org
Mentorship Summer Camp: A Project Inspiring Student Collaboration through Art ABSTRACT Artspace at Untitled seeks SONIC’s support to implement the first summer camp under the Mentorship Program for high schools. SONIC’s support would propel our efforts in providing a free summer camp for 15 students from nine different Oklahoma City Public Schools. Students will collaborate on three large-scale projects with local artists and exhibit their works to the public. Funding of $6,250 would purchase camp supplies, supply daily meals for students, and provide three teaching artists with daily stipends for the week. PROJECT PURPOSE AND ACTIVITIES Free summer art camps are limited for high school students. While many college preparatory programs and art camps exist for this age group, many students cannot afford costly tuition fees. Artspace’s first free summer camp for Mentorship students will occur June 18-23, 2018. For the first time in the program’s seven-year history, this one-week session invites 15 students from all participating high schools to collaborate on three large-scale works in Artspace's indoor and outdoor facilities. Because funding is limited, we have had to restrict the camp number to 15 this year. In the future, we hope to include more students through multiple camp sessions. Mentorship Program schools include Astec Charter School, Douglass High School, Emerson Alternative Education North and South, Grant High School, Mission Academy, Northwest Classen High School, Santa Fe South High School, and Southeast High School. Three local artists and five assistant artists will guide student teams in the development and creation of a hanging mobile, a free-standing sculpture, and a 3-D wall-mounted sculpture. Sculptures will transform throughout the week, but their metal frames will be fabricated before the camp starts. Student teams will add onto frames with different materials such as found objects, sheet metal, cardboard, wood pieces, and wire. All three projects use found and recycled materials, teaching students problem-solving, resourcefulness and collaboration. The week ends with an exhibition showcasing students' works to the public. The three main artists leading this summer camp have expertise in various mediums and technologies, including design, architecture, sculpture, and digital art. These artists include Kenny McCage, George Wilson and Dan Garrett. Creating meaningful artworks from discarded items repurposes seemingly useless materials into profound statements of innovation, instilling a sense of sustainability that students can apply to all facets of their lives.
1
ABOUT THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Each month of the school year, Oklahoma City Public School students visit Artspace’s studio to create, learn and experiment with art. With the help of our Education Director and local artists who serve as program mentors, this free program prepares Oklahoma students for a future of possibilities through interdisciplinary arts curriculum. Growing from four schools to nine in 2018, 106 students currently work with and as artists in a professional studio, producing a works from original prints to digital art. The Mentorship Program does not replace the classroom. Started as an outreach effort to schools to provide students an experience beyond traditional academia, we connect young minds to a flourishing art community in Oklahoma City and beyond through classes, speakers, studio time and field trips to local museums and galleries. Entirely free to students and teachers, this program is funded through Artspace’s resources and generous community support. Local artists who serve as mentors make this program interdisciplinary. We incorporate art history, theory, and contemporary art trends into the curriculum, prioritizing an active dialogue and participatory atmosphere. Each month encompasses a different theme, with activities like printmaking, woodblock carving, digital media, and preparing art works for the annual Mentorship Exhibition and Steamroller Print Festival. These two events provide extraordinary exposure for students, connecting them to a larger art community. The Mentorship Exhibition during Youth Arts Month in March showcases exemplary works from students with a formal exhibition in all Artspace’s galleries. Students learn to frame, hang, light, and write about their works, receiving vital exposure in a juried exhibition. Over 250
2
guests visited 2018’s All School Exhibition reception, encouraging students to push their work to new heights and giving them a true sense of accomplishment. The Steamroller Print Festival each spring features the printing of student and local artists’ largescale wood block works. This festival is a community block party in collaboration with downtown Oklahoma City businesses. April 28, 2018 marked our second festival, during which Mentorship students interact with art professors, college students, and professional artists while helping in the printmaking process.
Artist Kiki Smith leads students in discussion (November 2017)
TARGET POPULATION Our mission is not to serve the most talented students, but those showing the most desire to learn. The Mentorship Program serves students from all walks of life: students who cannot afford extracurricular art classes or supplies, have been incarcerated or have experienced lifedebilitating circumstances, or are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction use this program to forge a new path. Students spend many hours of spring and winter breaks to continue work on their art, intern, work in Artspace’s Hive shop, and to volunteer their time maintaining the print studio. These extra hours build professional demeanor, a sense of purpose, and endless curiosity. To continue these positive results, Artspace feels an immense responsibility to provide a creative, collaborative outlet during the summer break. Upon entering this program, most students do not recognize their potential. Our impetus for this program is to help students dream the impossible, and to inspire their dreams into action.
3
PROJECT GOALS + OUTCOMES This Summer Camp lengthens our educational efforts beyond the school year by offering an innovative art incubator for students who might not be able to create art in a structured yet creative environment during the summer. A free, collaborative summer camp opportunity guided by professional artists simply does not exist in our community. The camp involves 15 students and each student receives a minimum of 35 hours of hands-on instruction in sculpture planning and building techniques. Three major goals outline this project: Goal 1: Collaboration Innovative art happens through collaboration, and this camp will integrate students from all Mentorship Program schools for the first time. We want this experience to motivate our students to explore new ideas by working with their peers, learning from our artists, and working with new materials and supplies. Goal 2: Sustainable Art A second goal for this camp is to teach students to navigate a modern disposable culture, learning the true value of objects and recycling them to create profound meaning. Art in this form teaches sustainable lifestyles – students will learn to apply resourcefulness to their artistic endeavors. Throughout the week, we will challenge students to think outside the box in terms of how found objects (materials collected from the environment) can be employed to create art. Goal 3: School Year Preparedness Inspired by contemporary artists like Elizabeth Murray whose works pushed printmaking beyond two-dimensional art, our artists will explore sculpture’s three-dimensional qualities with summer camp students. This sculpture-building process will prepare students for the following fall semester, where we study three-dimensional printmaking. Students this fall will create original designs on iPads, send them to our Epson SureColor printer, and print their designs to create installation art. SUMMER CAMP BUDGET: $6,250 HOW SONIC’S FUNDS WILL BE USED SONIC’s support of this camp will impact 15 students through daily meals for students and supplies. The following outlines how we will implement SONIC’s funding of $6,250: • Daily meals (lunch, beverages and snacks) for students: $850 • Supplies: $3,000 o Metal frames, steel, pinewood, individual supplies for students • Teaching stipends for 3 artists: $1,500 ($100/day per artist)
PROJECT IMPACT 2011 marked the first year of the Mentorship Program, bringing four high school students from Geary, Oklahoma to Artspace each week to learn the printmaking process. Upon entering the program, all twelve students had no expectation of graduating high school – teachers from
4
the school had little hope that their students would advance to university educations or professional development programs. After the program, one student was accepted to the Islamic Studies at OU, one was accepted to the architecture program at OSU, and two more joined the armed forces to pay for a college education. Geary students transformed from dysfunctional students to high-achieving, thriving individuals, all from being exposed to the arts. Knowing just one student succeeds makes the Mentorship Program worth it to Artspace. As the program grows, Artspace seeks new ways to include more students. This summer camp will encourage students to take an active role in their community, whether it’s collaborating in more community art projects, donating their time to initiatives like recycling, and simply forging new friendships with peers and mentors. EVALUATION PLAN: 1. A Student Evaluation Form will be distributed to each student at the end of the camp week, asking him or her to reflect on their experience of the program. 2. A Mentor Evaluation Form will measure the impact and efficacy of our program through a series of detailed questions and areas for suggestions for how to better serve Oklahoma artists in this program. TIMELINE Planning and supply purchases: May 2018 Camp Session: June 18 – June 22, 2018 Exhibition Reception: June 23 from 3-6 p.m. PROMOTIONAL PLANS FOR SONIC For each opening reception, Artspace staff send press releases to all major news stations and outlets in Oklahoma county, and includes acknowledgements to all sponsors. We also create multiple posts on social media sites including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, all of which include sponsor logos. Artspace distributes posters and flyers to businesses around the downtown OKC area, and creates brochures for all events and opening receptions. Finally, Artspace sends invite emails to everyone listed in our address book, which lists sponsors and donors. This summer camp will create t-shirts for students and mentors, displaying sponsor and donor names on each shirt.
5
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION ARTSPACE at Untitled Legal Name: Untitled Art Space Inc. 1 NE 3rd St. OKC, OK 73104 Website: www.1ne3.org 405-815-9995 MISSION Artspace at Untitled is an environment designed to stimulate creative thought and new ideas through contemporary art. We are committed to providing access to quality exhibitions, education programs, performances, publications, and to engaging the community in collaborative outreach efforts. HISTORY Founded by artist Laura Warriner, Artspace at Untitled is an all-encompassing art center in the Deep Deuce district of downtown Oklahoma City. Before Warriner’s 1995 purchase and renovation, the building sat vacant for over 30 years. 1997 marked Artspace’s first major exhibition by American sculptor Jesús Bautista Moroles. It has since exhibited notable artists like Kiki Smith, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and El Anatsui. Since its not-for-profit incorporation in 2003, Artspace has provided free programming including live music, artist forums and discussions, films screenings, community networking events. With over 20 years in Oklahoma City, Artspace continues to serve students, teachers, artists and the public with contemporary art and innovative programming. STAFF Laura Warriner | Founder, Creative Director Alexa Healey | Education & Print Studio Holly Hodge | Operations & PR Jessica Williams | Development Ellie Haynie | Registrar Rosella McDonald | Finances BOARD OF TRUSTEES Laura Warriner | Founder Lissa Shaw | President Robert Angelo Jennifer Arlan Barbara Crandall Emily Nash Kitch Vera Mann Chuck Peel Patrick Reynolds Matthew Shepherd
ADVISORY BOARD Riccarda de Eccher Bill Goldston Clint Stone Mike Wimmer
PARTNERS 21c Museum Hotel BIG INK Oklahoma State University Individual Artists of Oklahoma Oklahoma City Public Schools University of Central Oklahoma OkSessions OKC Film Society Black Liberated Arts Center Visionary Oklahoma Women Oklahoma City Museum of Art Science Museum Oklahoma F.A.C.T – OKC Police Department
PROGRAMS The Gallery: Exhibiting quality, contemporary art from local, national, and international artists. The Press: Multi-disciplinary print studio providing workshops, education, and artistic collaboration. The Hive: Shop featuring hand-made, artful objects by local artists and makers.
6
Programs: Inciting community engagement through discussion, film screenings, art forums, artist in residence opportunities, and special events. Education: Inspiring collaboration between students, teachers and artists with the Mentorship Program, internships, and archival resources.
CONCLUSION We hope that this proposal provides a comprehensive representation of the Mentorship Program at Artspace, and the ways in which we plan to continue this education opportunity with a summer camp. Whatever program students do after high school, they will have learned vital problem solving skills and collaboration skills to carry them through any trade, skill, or profession. Although the arts in our education system may seem limited, SONIC can play an integral role in facilitating a productive partnership between Artspace and local Oklahoma City Public Schools during the summer break. To summarize, SONIC’s funds would help fund the Mentorship Summer Camp through: • Supplies for three sculptures and their display • Daily meals for students • Stipends for three primary teaching artists We are diligent in our fundraising and development efforts from a variety of sources, and SONIC’s investment of $6,250 is a direct investment in our local students and artists. Our staff and board members look to the future of this camp with optimism, knowing that local students in the program will have more opportunities for art education and innovation. Artspace invites SONIC employees to visit our building soon to see this program in action. We truly appreciate SONIC’s consideration of this proposal, and hope to be in contact shortly. Sincerely, Jessica Williams, Development Coordinator Artspace at Untitled development@1ne3.org 405-815-9995 1 NE 3rd Street Oklahoma City, OK 73104 405.815.9995 1ne3.org
7