Fuel: Successful Arts Education Model

Giving youth the power to succeed

fuel

Giving youth the power to succeed

MARWEN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Founded in 1987 as a model for arts education and youth development

Š 2004 by Marwen All Rights Reserved Printed in U.S.A.

CONTENTS > > > iv iv viii viii

MAKING THE JOURNEY TO MARWEN

A typical day for Mayra, a Chicago high school student who comes to Marwen after school and on weekends to explore her passion for art

FOREWORD

by Antonia Contro, Marwen Marwen’s mission, what this book is about, and the people who made it possible

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ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

by Philip Yenawine, VUE (Visual Understanding in Education)

An essay on Marwen’s philosophy and practice, including the organization’s focus, student body, artist-teachers, and pedagogy, and an assessment of the organization’s success

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EXPERIENCING THE DEVELOPMENTAL BENEFITS OF MARWEN

by Andrea Kayne Kaufman, DePaul University How Marwen fuels adolescent development — emotionally, socially, and academically — by building self-esteem, fostering relationships, and encouraging both creative and cognitive learning

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ANSWERING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT MARWEN

by Cyd Engel, Marwen Answers to frequently asked questions about Marwen and its practices, policies, and structure

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IN THE MARWEN STUDIOS

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LOOKING FORWARD

Including courses, artist-teachers, staff, and board of directors

2:50 PM, CURIE METROPOLITAN HIGH SCHOOL

2:55 PM, ARCHER AVENUE AND PULASKI ROAD

At last! School’s out. When that bell rings, though, it feels like a new day is just starting for me. In 40 minutes I catch my train downtown to Marwen.

It’s a long ride, 90 minutes roundtrip, but it’s worth it.

Curie is located in Archer Heights, a neighborhood on Chicago’s far Southwest Side. My school’s not that bad. There are a lot of kids — more than 3,000 actually — and a lot of different kinds of students. It’s pretty diverse.

Since I was really little I’ve always wanted to be an artist — art is my passion.

And at Marwen, I feel like I’m surrounded by kids and adults who are just as passionate about art as I am. That alone motivates me to go there twice, sometimes even three times, every week for classes.

I hang out with my friends after school, usually across the street in front of the train station. My friends are great — a few of them go to Marwen, too.

Like me, they’re creative and want to go to art school after Curie. It’s inspiring to share your dreams with your friends.

3:15 PM, RICOBENE’S

3:50 PM, THE ORANGE LINE

We are always hungry after school. Today, we’re going for pizza a few blocks from school. I won’t get home until eight o’clock, so I need some food to keep me going. I’m finishing a figure painting in my Marwen class tonight, and I want to put maximum energy into my final touches — I want it to be perfect.

As my train heads to the Loop — I transfer to another train downtown — I put my headphones on and stare out the windows. The train passes through some really interesting neighborhoods, like Bridgeport and Chinatown, and the skyline keeps growing larger and larger in front of me the whole time.

This is the last time I’ll see my friends today, so we catch up on everything and try to make each other laugh. They really help me relax after a day of just sitting in classrooms.

4:00 PM, ADAMS STREET EL PLATFORM

4:15 PM, CHICAGO AVENUE EL STOP

My train ride to Marwen never gets old. There’s too much going on, always something to look at. A lot of what’s in my art comes from my life. Not just what’s happening to me, but also what’s around me. I think every artist does that, because if you’re not feeling or seeing anything, then how are you going to create something?

All the students know this is the Marwen stop. The moment I step off the train I see these big, colorful self-portrait murals that Marwen kids have painted. It’s inspiring to see this artwork every time I come here and to realize that thousands of people look at them every week.

4:16 PM, HEADING DOWN TO STREET LEVEL

4:20 PM, MARWEN

This neighborhood — Marwen’s just north of the Loop in River North — is totally different from my school’s. Instead of car lots or shopping centers, there are art stores and galleries. It seems like there’s artwork in every window front.

I could spend hours in these places, but not today. I’ve got to get to class.

At last — I’m here. Every time I walk into Marwen, something clicks inside of me. I feel energized here. I think it’s because the teachers really care. They want to know what you’re thinking — not just how you’re creating something, but why you’re creating it. I think it’s because I have a lot more freedom to do what I want here, too.

Yesterday I worked on a digital photo project. Today I’m studying the human figure, and tomorrow I’ll finish a landscape design. And all in this one building. It’s like I tell everyone: Marwen is amazing.

...our arts-based model harnesses the natural inclination of adolescents to focus and learn, act with creativity and conviction, and relate in socially productive ways.

FOREWORD

What fuels young people? What are the conditions under which kids grow and prosper? How do we build institutions that inspire youth to learn, encourage creativity, and nurture ambition and potential?

educational paradigm. Most important, our arts-based model harnesses the natural inclination of adolescents to focus and learn, act with creativity and conviction, and relate in socially productive ways.

Through 17 years of working with adolescents and art, we at Marwen have discovered some answers to these questions. In this book, we intend to share our insights with colleagues, policy makers, and advocates. Our goal is to enlarge the pool of knowledge about education, the arts, and youth development. In the process, perhaps we can also articulate a vision of what it takes to teach young people effectively and what an ideal teaching environment looks like.

For this publication, we invited art educator Philip Yenawine to analyze Marwen’s method and to describe the characteristics that make our program successful. Over the past year and a half, Yenawine visited Marwen and talked with students, staff, alumni, artist-teachers, and trustees to glean perceptive ideas about how and why Marwen works.

DePaul University professor and Marwen board member Andrea Kayne Kaufman complements Yenawine’s analysis with an appraisal of how educational research and theory support his observations. Marwen director of education Cyd Engel presents responses to often-asked questions about Marwen’s practices, policies, and structure.

Marwen’s fundamental mission is to provide the highestquality visual arts and career and college planning programs to under-served youth in Chicago after school and on weekends. Watching young people thrive as a result of their involvement at Marwen, we have come to realize that there is important information in our

We know through empirical observation, anecdotal accounts, and quantitative evaluation that the arts fuel youth not only to make creative products but also to

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engage in teamwork. Art bridges cultural, racial, and ethnic barriers and can help resolve conflict. It enables youth to think alternatively and critically, develop a work ethic, improve scholastic performance, and envision productive futures. Shouldn’t we commit to providing consequential art experiences as a core part of all young people’s education?

I invite you to consider these thoughts as you read this publication and to imagine ways we can work together to promote arts education. It is my hope that public agencies, private donors, schools, not-for-profit organizations, and arts advocates will find fresh ways to collaborate to ensure that youth experience meaningful exposure to the arts.

Sincere thanks to The Wallace Foundation for underwriting this study and for its commitment to the arts; to authors Andrea Kayne Kaufman and Philip Yenawine; and to contributing writers Jack Cantey and Cyd Engel.

I’d also like to thank Marwen staff members Rhonda Saffold and Isa Dorros, Kelly Ireton, and Jesse McClelland, who guided the project with insight and determination, and artists and designers Natalie Mills Bontumasi, Ryan Flesher, and Deb Voss, who gave shape to our convictions. Special acknowledgment also goes to our superlative artist-teachers and our esteemed board of directors, to our students, who remind us on a daily basis of the value of this work, and to the entire Marwen staff — the heart, soul, and muscle behind this organization.

Finally, I applaud all of you who are dedicated to shaping the future for our youth.

ANTONIA CONTRO Executive Director Chicago, Illinois Fall 2004

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FOREWORD

fuel Giving youth the power to succeed

ADDRESSING >>

As a society, we offer less than we should to help adolescents negotiate the tumultuous teen years.

> The Needs of Youth

by PHILIP YENAWINE

“The second greatest gift you can provide kids is an education,” said Steve Berkowitz, the founder of Marwen.

“The first is a healthy self-image.”

It sounds simple, wanting to provide young people with learning that endures, as well as feelings of confidence and self-esteem. But, as all who work with adolescents know, such goals are easier to aspire to than to achieve. As a society, we offer less than we should to help adolescents negotiate the tumultuous teen years.

Research Council concluded that after-school programs should support and complement classroom learning by emphasizing social, emotional, and physical development.

NRC researchers noted that programs should provide secure places for adolescents to interact with friends, offer supportive relationships that make them feel accepted and included, allow them to assume responsibility by making choices and pursuing challenges, and engage them in activities that develop their personalities, as well as their intellect.

Researchers studying after-school time — also called out-of-school time — offer some suggestions. For example, Richard Halpern, of the Erickson Institute for Graduate Study in Child Development, says the best programs give kids opportunities to explore and learn, as well as time to “dawdle and daydream.” Although after-school programs sponsored by schools and community agencies are well intentioned, he says, many simply extend the school day with homework and study sessions. Such programs fail to satisfy kids, especially those who need time to “just be kids.”

Other researchers agree. A two-year study by the National

Even schools with scores of dedicated, hardworking teachers too often fail to deal with the issues of youth, especially students who operate at the margins. Those who are gifted or talented are frequently under-served in terms of opportunities and challenge, even as those who are troubled and ill-prepared are not helped to overcome their difficulties. The Education Watch 2004 State Summary reports provide a state-by-state snapshot of the condition of education throughout the United States. The reports document how on every measure — teacher quality, access to high-level curriculum, and state/local education

“I love the instruction and support I get from the artist-teachers at Marwen. This is Barlow, who is helping me with a figure drawing.”

Philip Yenawine is a nationally known art and museum educator. In 2003, he guided a series of strategic planning discussions with Marwen staff, artistteachers, students, alumni, and trustees to explore the Marwen method and future growth. He is co-director of VUE (Visual Understanding in Education), an organization that studies the effects of art in education.

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The problem is not in the nature of youth, of course; it is in the imagination of adults and in our collective assignment of priorities.

funding — students of color and low-income students continue to get less than their fair share of public education’s most critical resources.

Neither teaching methods nor curricula have been reformed enough to adjust to changing social conditions and technologies. Buildings, equipment, and other resources are often inadequate to the task of seriously engaging all students, much less challenging all who could excel. In a 2000 report on school facilities, the U.S. Department of Education concluded that environmental conditions in schools, including poor lighting, inadequate ventilation, and inoperative heating, can affect the learning, health, and morale of students and staff.

Little is offered to youth outside of school to pick up the slack, offer expanded opportunities, or provide additional avenues of learning and expression. According to 2000 U.S. census figures, there are 54.3 million students in the public K–12 system; a recent study by the After School Alliance shows that 14.3 million, including one-third of all middle school students, have no supervision between 3 pm and 6 pm, and therefore nothing to build on or compensate for what happens at school.

Meanwhile, colleges and employers bemoan the fact that too few high school graduates operate at a level at which entry into either the workforce or higher education is predictably productive. Somehow American society has failed to consistently create circumstances in which learning and maturation are supported in ways that are welcoming and engaging, making young people want to work hard, commit themselves, sustain healthy communication, and come back for more.

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While school systems face major obstacles — for example, entrenched bureaucracies and inadequate funding — after-school programs also encounter difficulties. In fact, nothing is simple:

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getting the word out to attract students sustaining the interest of students balancing what youth need with what they want addressing practical, social, and logistical issues dealing fairly with discipline encouraging growth and accommodating change providing adequate facilities raising funds on a continuous basis

Each of these is a formidable, constant, and ongoing challenge for those who want to influence the lives of young people.

The problem is not in the nature of youth, of course; it is in the imagination of adults and in our collective assignment of priorities. Looking backward to chart courses for others, we infrequently get it right. The scale of the problem is enormous, and the resources assigned, even the small number of those addressing the issues, tiny.

Adolescents are therefore too rarely given the guidance they deserve to help them navigate these troubling years with a sense of direction, control, and accomplishment.

What can we do about this? What will, to paraphrase philosopher Nelson Goodman’s useful admonition, teach young people how to learn and also show them what there is to know? What entices adolescents to participate in an activity, and what motivates them to continue? What, on one hand, helps them become productive members of society, cooperating and communicating well with others?

And what, on the other, nurtures their self-esteem and individuality, helping them to be the best that they can be?

MARWEN’S APPROACH Marwen seems to have found some answers. Simply stated, Marwen provides high-quality visual arts instruction, college planning, and career development to young people (grades 6 –12) free of charge. Programs are offered after school, on weekends, and during vacations. Recruitment targets “under-served youth,” students whose interest in art exceeds the resources of their public schools and that of their families as well.

Marwen began to take shape in the late 1980s when Steve Berkowitz started to wonder what he could give back to Chicago after selling a successful business. Consulting with various professionals in art and education — his own primary interests — he discovered school arts programs were being cut. The more challenged schools in the rougher neighborhoods were the most limited, and Berkowitz decided that he would focus on adolescents from such circumstances. He wanted to ensure that the instruction they received was professional, effective, and long term.

In 1988, Marwen opened a single studio on the second floor of a building nestled among galleries, close to Chicago’s vibrant art scene. Always free, Marwen initially offered only painting and drawing classes for high school students. The range of options grew over time, in part to accommodate students returning year after year. College and career counseling became a staple early on as students asked for such direction. Entrepreneurial programs — such as painting commissioned murals and producing a line of greeting cards — were established in the 1990s.

And the age range eventually expanded to reach students beginning with grade six.

In 2000, Antonia Contro, the director since 1993, and her crew moved Marwen to a larger facility, where it now has six studio spaces, allowing for more classes and a wider range of media, from painting, sculpture, and clay, to photography, design, and animation. There are beautiful gallery spaces for exhibiting the work of students, alumni, and artist-teachers, and a library. The increased capacity has led to program changes as well, such as creating sequences of courses ranging from introductory to advanced.

...the trip itself comes to symbolize the transformation encouraged by Marwen — from ordinary teens in often-challenging surroundings to young artists and designers shaping their own futures.

In its move, Marwen chose to remain close to galleries and museums, consciously intending to acclimatize students to the community that inspires and contextualizes their activities. Despite the distance the students often travel to get from their neighborhoods and schools, the trip itself comes to symbolize the transformation encouraged by Marwen — from ordinary teens in often-challenging surroundings to young artists and designers shaping their own futures.

What follows is not a description of Marwen’s program — details are available elsewhere in this document and on its website. Rather, my intention here is to examine the premises that Marwen has established as it has learned how to work with young people over the years. In my view, Marwen has discovered rationales and methods that others need to know. Some will be familiar to all who target adolescents. But other aspects of Marwen might be revelatory.

I hope that an examination of its focus, philosophy, attitudes, offerings, and staffing decisions — what might be termed the “Marwen method” — will present a model of what works to attract and empower adolescents. When asked what about Marwen was most important to him, Orlando C., a Marwen student, said, “A lot of freedom. It’s not school.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

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I want instead to stress that there are two key elements particularly germane to serving the needs and desires of adolescents: the inherent value of the activity to teens and its authenticity as a window into adult work.

I come here because I want to. No one is making me. I don’t get a grade. No one is telling you to be any way. You do what you need to do.”

Implicit in this essay is my belief that all of us in education must continuously question what we do in order to end up with more students who think as Orlando does. Activities and lessons that worked yesterday may be worth repeating, but we cannot rely on that. A certain healthy skepticism is in order: Do students recognize a subject or activity as useful? Is its value self-evident to them? Given a specific assignment, is everyone able to start working quickly? Do students get the help they need, when they need it? Are they asked to reflect on what they do? When finished, do they feel it was worth doing? Are they ready to move on from there, building on experience?

For education to work — for kids to grow and to know it and want it — systems and structures need to be nimble.

Social changes and new technologies are but two frequently shifting factors that require flexibility. As educators we need to be responsive to situational changes as well. When a disaster occurs, for example, how do we shift our plans to address the concerns of students in a constructive, sensitive manner? When we see that teens are consumed by a movie or computer game, how can we make use of that? How do we adjust to economic changes that directly affect kids’ lives? Tweaking what we do is almost always necessary, and wholesale renovations are occasionally required to provide adolescents the combination of nurture and challenge they deserve. Being a parent may be the only analogous circumstance; educators operating by assumption or habit can fail to accommodate the day-after-day changes that are the inevitability of adolescence.

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To maintain our edge as educators, it is useful to look at examples set by others, whether to confirm what we do or to challenge ourselves. Marwen is an example of an organization that has a building, trustees, budgets, funders, staff, structures, and traditions, and therefore sets of expectations and reasons to enshrine the status quo. Still, it has chosen to redefine itself in an ongoing way so that it remains responsive to what young people want and need.

Attendance is thus assured, staff morale is high, and funding follows.

This essay is written for both those within Marwen and without to think carefully about reaching young people and helping them grow. In my opinion, just because Marwen has it right at present does not mean that it will sustain it.

It will take conscientious effort, no resting on laurels. What I offer here is an examination of the hallmarks of Marwen’s method that I see as useful for anyone wanting to design successful programs for adolescents.

EMPHASIZING RELEVANCE AND AUTHENTICITY Those who set up programs for young people outside of school have a range of options open to them. Many are potentially successful at engaging young people and helping them grow into adulthood with a sense of how the world functions, what work in general is like, what specific jobs entail, what interests them, and what they are capable of.

But, most opportunities open to young people deal with subjects, motives, and methods established by adults and do not necessarily reflect things that kids intrinsically care about or can do. It is, in fact, a long time before

young people are allowed to move from elementary activity into the authentic work of the field. Really satisfying work is seldom possible without formal education or training.

For example, office internships rarely amount to more than directing calls, making copies, running errands, and, at best, attending meetings; research assignments are often elementary, repetitive, and directed toward ends defined by someone other than the student. In my opinion, few opportunities actually allow students more than a glimpse of what work in the field can become, and it’s difficult in most instances to give kids tasks as interesting as what professionals do.

Despite this, students may stay involved because of a charismatic leader, because of positive interactions both with other young people and with adults, or simply because they appreciate the attention and reinforcement they get for contributing — good things, to be sure.

I do not mean to question the value of many sorts of programs. I want instead to stress that there are two key elements particularly germane to serving the needs and desires of adolescents: the inherent value of the activity to teens and its authenticity as a window into adult work. Is the activity something that young people want to do naturally, might do on their own? Something they care about personally? And, furthermore, does the activity truly reveal something solid and true about the field of focus?

Marwen’s choice of program focus is visual art — making it, learning about and from it, being around it — and I think it is a prime reason for Marwen’s success.

The notion of art as an enriching activity for adolescents is so important, and so little understood in the pragmatic, utilitarian culture of the United States, that I want to be very

specific about the attributes of visual art that make it an ideal activity for young people.

THE ARGUMENT FOR ART AND ADOLESCENTS In terms of offering an authentic experience, even beginning studio activity can be constructed so that the young people do exactly the things practicing artists do: select materials and manipulate them, make choices, look, feel, and think in ways that are genuinely parallel to what trained, mature artists do. Young people’s production might be less accomplished, but their process is identical.

Similarly, if asked to look at and to think about works of art — their own and those of others — they can construct meanings in ways that mirror precisely what expert viewers do: They gather observations and come to conclusions.

The meanings they construct may be little informed by historical and technical knowledge, but the process of gaining insight is an authentic and important part of the viewing experience. A visit to galleries, museums, and studios is often undertaken by young people with less inhibition and more curiosity than adults, especially if conjoined with studio experience.

When making art, traditions, standards, and procedures exist, but individual creativity, experimentation, and rule breaking are also necessary.

When making art, traditions, standards, and procedures exist, but individual creativity, experimentation, and rule breaking are also necessary. Craft is important and so is self-expression. Discipline is essential, but chance and surprise are desirable. Logic and syntax contribute to successful communication, as does personal vision and rule breaking. Even as beginners, artists create from within, with self-defined objectives being as important to what they produce as conventions. Each of these attributes addresses adolescents’ developmental stages.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

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The work of artists from many times and situations opens windows into possibilities, ideas, and feelings that allow for constructive expression of young people’s own concerns.

In addition, within art, there is ample opportunity to follow one’s own instinct and interests. There are many media to choose among. Different options involve varied skill levels and engage a range of interests, temperaments, degrees of patience, attention spans, and intentions. Those whose drawing skills are minimal, for example, may competently use a camera. Those who want to work alone can paint; those who want to be part of a team can become involved in video or film production.

With art, any specific activity has important open-ended possibilities. A teacher may assign a specific task or process, but, as often, students can decide on a project based on past work — what was the last problem solved?

Or a new ambition? What have I seen that I want to know more about? The actual work, therefore, can be guided solely by the teacher (which some prefer), solely by the student (better for others), or by a mix of students, teachers, and even input or example from peers.

Moreover, art can be taught so that process is more important than outcome: The activity is rewarding and selfjustifying, even if the end product is less than one had hoped. Solving the problem is often a matter of incremental growth in skills and equally often a matter of personal definition: Is this what I wanted my work to be, to look like?

External comparisons are acceptable so that one can see where one stands, but a good teacher can find examples of existing work by professional artists to buttress many types and levels of accomplishment. “Mistakes” in art have no negative consequences and may in fact represent breakthroughs. All of these factors help young people cope with expectations — those of others but, more importantly, with their own.

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Criticism of performance is an essential aspect of the discipline for both beginners and professionals. In offering criticism, teachers can comment on effort and risk taking as well as achievement. They can easily ask students to participate in their own critique. The process can be entirely subjective: Did I use my time well? Did I try as hard as I could? Did I accomplish my objectives as well as I should expect? Or critique can be a relative matter: Was I better able to do what I wanted than last time? Did I come closer to what is possible than I have before? Or it can be objective: How does my work compare to standards, or with that of others?

Student work, again like that of professionals, can be periodically exhibited, permitting concrete measures of accomplishment as well as a chance to see the impact of work on a variety of observers. Seeing work hung is to see it afresh, at a distance, and aided by the perspectives of others. What teen does not want such attention, particularly when the point is useful perspective on himself or herself and others?

Looking at art by others is an entirely different aspect of what makes art a productive focus for teen programming.

Examples of work by a variety of artists can show myriad ways of solving problems, making it clear that success does not mean coming up with a single right approach.

The work of artists from many times and situations opens windows into possibilities, ideas, and feelings that allow for constructive expression of young people’s own concerns.

Looking at and discussing art with peers, particularly if facilitated by a neutral party, is a very sure way to build respectful, thoughtful dialogue. Each voice can be heard, acknowledged, and validated, allowing kids to understand themselves and their uniqueness; at the same time,

differing points of view can be aired, revealing how each individual connects to others. As young people put their minds together to probe meanings inherent in art, they expose themselves to a range of human expression, discuss complex issues, and learn the benefit of extended observation and collaborative thinking. The language for discussing complexity is exercised. This kind of making sense of things lies at the core of what motivates adolescents.

By giving you this lengthy analysis of art’s attributes, I hope I have made it clear that art addresses what matters to teens. It offers a perfect amalgam of rigor and freedom during years when conflicting impulses often result in a mix of behaviors. Engagement with art making:

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offers authentic experience easily addresses developmental stages involves both self-expression and discipline permits process to outweigh product encourages both individual and group activity teaches accurate self-assessment celebrates a variety of voices

around because the people who work here are the nicest people that I’ve ever met.”

Warm human interactions are an essential part of any successful program for adolescents. We who work with them must continually demonstrate that we care for each individual. Beginning to separate from their families, teenagers still need to feel an integral part of a community — once of family, now of peers and other adults. A measure of the importance of this is that during my first hours of discussing Marwen with current students and alumni, they talked more about the friendships and the sense of family they treasured (their frequently used word) than about anything they had learned about art.

Especially when young people come from challenging home circumstances, a warm, consistent, supportive environment reinforces a sense of positive identity.

Creating this feeling comes from effort and intention on the part of Marwen. Especially when young people come from challenging home circumstances, a warm, consistent, supportive environment reinforces a sense of positive identity. To the extent that students come from schools with paltry resources, distressed facilities, rigid rules, policed security, uninteresting curricula, and/or uninspired instruction, a wholly different feeling is required to remediate, nurture, and instill trust.

HALLMARKS OF SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS Art is not the only reason that Marwen succeeds with young people. The next 12 points are culled from my examination of Marwen’s method. These points should be hallmarks of any program that aspires to help adolescents mature into productive, self-motivated adults.

A welcoming community In the words of Melissa W., who has attended Marwen courses for three years, “I kept coming and I wanted to stick

Community begins with the warmth of welcomes, simple friendliness, and offers of assistance, and it builds by way of introductions within classes and other contexts; in some Marwen courses, students interview and introduce each other. As students work, they are given chances to interact.

Discussions build channels of communication, a central element in community. Student advisory boards — and this organization’s is very active — are powerful motivators of participation, enfranchisement, and, of course, relationships.

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...a central tenet of any successful program for adolescents is individualized, reinforcing attention.

Students also need time with one another in situations that allow for informal exchange. Marwen has social occasions: opening and closing celebrations or events, performances, discussions, some with families invited. But students also like lounges and eating areas, if space permits, though their use must be governed by rules upholding respect for property as well as the need for behavior suitable to the facility and program.

Small-scale programs find it easier to manage these things, though large ones can do so by carefully calibrating the ratio of young people to teachers and staff. But no matter how big, a central tenet of any successful program for adolescents is individualized, reinforcing attention.

Interactions with adults must be perceived as warmly supportive, whether we as educators are greeting them at the start, introducing them to options, encouraging their ongoing participation, disciplining them, guiding them along the way, or sending them off when it is time.

Such concern and attention may be rare in kids’ lives, however, and balance must be sought. Teenagers need to see that people can care about each other, even deeply, and still maintain the distance that reflects interactions in the “real” world. We must communicate positive feelings without crossing boundaries easy for kids to ignore.

Marwen’s artist-teachers ascribe more to the image of mentor than of friend to describe the relationship they strive for.

Marwen has grown in terms of space recently, and it is now perceived as somewhat less personal. When asked what he might change about the experience, Orlando C. said, “... Marwen needs more room to grow, more classrooms. But as it grows, it loses its family

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togetherness that we had when we started in the other building and everyone knew each other.” In order to maintain a sense of community, Marwen is addressing the challenge by instituting more events that have a social component, wanting interactions among students to be continual and both structured and informal.

Friendships among students endure, and peer exchanges serve as an ongoing support system. Relationships formed here also have the potential for later resonance as artistteachers and alumni assist students who go on to college and later to work, supplying references, contacts, and counsel.

An environment built on respect In all aspects of operations, students must come first and be treated with respect and dignity. Raising money, keeping buildings clean, creating course listings, involving trustees: We as educators do all of these so that we can keep our focus on kids — the realities of their needs, interests, and strengths. We must in all matters be student centered.

Respect must pervade the organization. Intrusive hierarchy is counterproductive; despite roles, knowledge, or experience, all staff members must be treated equally to ensure that students will be. Students quickly pick up on the ethos of a place, and what we project will predicate what we get back. If each negotiation is respectful, the practice of respect defines all relationships. Disciplinary action need rarely be invoked; people who are respected see little benefit in acting out.

A corollary to this is the need for evenhandedness, all students subject to the same rules and treatment. All decisions and disciplinary actions must be understood and seen as fair. At

Marwen, even programs that involve competition for entry, honors, or opportunities are handled with such fairness that no rancor results.

It should not need saying, but evoking the authority of title or age is useless. Respect from adolescents is won through concern as much as because of what we know and can do. While maintaining professional distance, teachers and other staff must nurture each student, essential if we want youth to take chances and to give their best.

An open and fair structure Like most adults, adolescents are more comfortable in situations with boundaries and parameters than in those without. Thus, educators should establish and make clear a set of sensible rules and policies — ones that are logical in the kids’ eyes — and only as many as needed.

We should make rationales for decisions and actions transparent and include matters such as attendance, focus, effort, output, manners, even dress if clothing affects one’s ability to participate fully.

It is useful to step back when conflict occurs to ascertain whom a policy serves — the youth or the program — and to change unhelpful policies. Staff and students both have a stake in maintaining a system that works for all, and the point is to prove this by being responsive to feedback.

Expectations can be exacting if developmentally appropriate.

In other words, goals and objectives for behavior cannot seem either childish or, conversely, beyond reach, “too adult.” They must reflect the present capabilities as well as the potential of adolescents, neither condescending

nor expecting too much. Establishing structure is therefore a matter of negotiation and delicate balance, particularly in programs in which students range in age, come from differing backgrounds, or may at any point be new and unaccustomed to the program’s environment.

Yet, structure must be sensitive to individuals (not just groups), respond to changes and events in society, and never be seen as permanent, even though certain aspects remain constant. We should premeditate if, or when and how exceptions might be made — again, making sure that kids know the possibilities and limits of special consideration.

Establishing structure is therefore a matter of negotiation and delicate balance, particularly in programs in which students range in age, come from differing backgrounds, or may at any point be new and unaccustomed to the program’s environment.

It is important to make clear what disciplinary actions will be taken for behavioral infractions, to let nothing be arbitrary or whimsical. Although it is smart to be flexible, we do not want to be entirely situational: “Well, okay this time,” or “Because it is you, I’ll look the other way.”

Again, fairness and equal treatment are essential if we want adolescents to conform willingly to a system and to expectations. Marwen meets this criterion. And the result?

As Eddie M., a Marwen student, commented: “Students here know how to carry themselves, how to act. Rules are minimal, and I’ve never experienced any inappropriate behavior from Marwen students.”

Clear criteria for teachers and teaching Hiring people to work directly with adolescents must be done with great care. Obvious as it sounds, the most critical criterion is to like youth; I will go so far as to say staff members must love working with teenagers. Candidates will prove this by a record of involvement that allows us to see the nature of their interactions with kids and provide evidence of kids’ respect, interest, and warmth for them.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

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Marwen artist-teachers think of themselves as mentors who guide students as students teach themselves; artist-teachers share knowledge and insights when they mean something...

Marwen is an art school, of course, but any of us who want to influence students’ lives should think of ourselves as teachers, committed to helping our charges grow.

Therefore, I would state a second criterion — “teaching ability” — even if a program does not call for outright instruction. As teachers, we create an appropriate working environment, ensuring that facilities, equipment, supplies, and other resources are ready when students arrive. We set a tone of appropriate seriousness and commitment. We get them to work in the event that they do not already know what to do (and, preferably, want to do), making sure that all assignments represent authentic practices — nothing too challenging or dumbed down or apparently irrelevant, no exercise for what appears to be its own sake. A good sign that a task is appropriate is that all get to work immediately and enthusiastically with few questions, and no comments such as “I can’t” or “I don’t know what to do.”

If a demonstration is required, we want to show only as much as needed to get students started; seldom is a beginning-to-end process memorable. And too much teacher- or technique-focused time can be boring. Instead, we want to be continuously available as students work, acting as facilitator, coach, or source of help/information when needed. As I said earlier, Marwen artist-teachers think of themselves as mentors who guide students as students teach themselves; artist-teachers share knowledge and insights when they mean something — in other words, when they answer the questions formed by kids as they work. According to Melissa W., Marwen teachers “are not trying to get you to do things their way; they’re trying to help you do it your own way....If you have a question about how to draw a certain part, they’ll show you the best way to do it, but they’re not going to say, ‘do it like this’ and take your hand and do it. They kind of explain it and let you figure it out on your own.”

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Another criterion is competence within a subject area.

As Marwen student Camille S. put it, “I think the fact that the people teaching oil painting have spent years and years studying it, the people teaching photography work as photographers — that’s really important. They know what they’re doing.” Ideally, we want for those who lead to model well what a kid might aspire to become — teachers should be effective role models.

Marwen artist-teachers practice what they teach. Their work is exhibited regularly, including at Marwen, and students thus glimpse the professional world beyond.

Such exhibitions also help with credibility issues (big with adolescents), and they allow students to see their teachers holistically, as people who have lives outside a studio or classroom and who also struggle to create.

Usefully, Marwen alumni — some still in college, some in the early stages of careers — also show work, giving students insights into a midpoint in the process of becoming a professional artist or designer. Some alumni come back to work at Marwen, too, adding perspective to future possibilities.

A combination of guidance and independence A very real degree of independence is not just highly prized by adolescents but is necessary as they grow in ability to take control of their lives. If we seek to develop individuals who operate independently, adolescents should rarely be told what to do and never forced. In choosing, students exercise what it means to be an individual, positively differentiating himself or herself from family and group.

They find what they are good at and what it means to be responsible to one’s self and to rise to challenges because of their own effort.

Out-of-school programs are usually voluntary and can involve students leaving their neighborhoods, both of which are helpful as kids decide what they want to do and be, move beyond the known, and maneuver larger terrain.

Programs can assist the growth of decision-making skills by offering options that allow individuals to delve into existing interests, explore new areas, and be responsible for how time is spent.

For these students, the rest of their lives may contain too few choices. As Camille S. said, if she wants more art, “The fact is that there isn’t an alternative within my school. If we want some sort of extra art study, we have to either teach ourselves, which most kids don’t have time for or aren’t motivated for, or we have to go elsewhere.” And, she added, “Marwen seems to be the best ‘elsewhere’ alternative.”

If, however, students are unused to making choices or simply want the advice of someone knowledgeable, guidance should be easily available. When communication channels are working as they do at Marwen, fellow students are a trusted source of information. Teachers and staff should see themselves not as managers who assign, supervise, and control, but as consultants who help young people learn how to do what they want to do. Marwen artist-teachers assist students as they consider next options, as does the staff that coordinates the roster of courses; a well-liked and respected college and career counselor is available, as well as courses that assist in both trajectories.

Assessing the individual While social interactions are best monitored by rules and regulations that apply to a group, assessing growth of knowledge and skill should be individualized. This means that those responsible for assessment must know the young

people in their charge. They need a solid grounding in the abilities of each person as he or she starts, and they need to be careful observers of capabilities as each progresses.

Assessment is, indeed, a process and should be thought of as ongoing, even if there are milestone projects.

As important as what instructors and supervisors think, the goal of assessment for teens is accurate self-evaluation, an essential ingredient in all work and relationships.

It is vital to help young people understand where they started and how far they can get, assisting them to find and accept their potential as well as their limits. We should make them aware that their effort is as important as their achievement; they are still learning, after all, and should be given explicit permission to “fail.” Creativity is dependent in part on discipline but equally on risk taking; no one learns the latter if he or she is constantly bound by achievement standards.

Creativity is dependent in part on discipline but equally on risk taking; no one learns the latter if he or she is constantly bound by achievement standards.

Inherent ability — whether “talent” or intelligence of various sorts — should be identified but not rewarded in and of itself. Teens deserve to know when they have natural gifts, and no one in their past may have made that clear. But even more, they need to know that it is not what they start with but what they do with it that matters.

This means that programs for youth, including assessment, must be equal parts nurture — to instill confidence, and rigor — to ensure best effort. At its best, personalized assessment is neither permissive nor sloppy. It is, however, flexible enough to consider each student as a complex whole, where innate ability is accounted for, along with attitude, effort, and output.

Given Marwen’s goal that students end up with the capacity for insightful self-critique, discussion is a principal mode of assessment. Before artist-teachers comment, students talk ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

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We must always make every effort to maintain the highest-quality facilities, equipment, supplies, and instruction.

about their projects and products, their process of working, and their intentions and how well they met those intentions.

They are asked to find what they want to improve and how they might go about it. The principle here is to learn first what students think before telling them anything. Critique usually involves advice from the mentor, but it results from questions and conversation, and it conforms to what a student is ready for. Language is carefully chosen so that it can be heard; teens are, in truth, delicate. And kindness encourages growth, even if it occasionally has to take the form of tough love.

Critical assistance can come informally, and not always from teachers. Camille S. said, “It’s most effective if it comes from other kids....They’ve gone through the same assignment, had the same problems. They know what doesn’t work, what did work. The teacher might know perfectly well, but they’re not doing the assignment. Somehow it means more when it comes from a kid.”

That said, we should always avoid comparing one adolescent with another. Also, we should always be careful to avoid judging student work by the standards of experts.

Students should see work that inspires them but should not be held to unattainable standards. We want to define growth in terms of personal bests — not someone else’s accomplishment. Ambitious goals are a good thing as long as all enjoy the sweetness of success.

A culture of confidence building Underlying all assessment of adolescents’ accomplishments must be recognition that they are young, still growing, and in need of confidence even more than they need a record of achievement. This is particularly true if students come from situations in which their gifts have not been recognized.

Making efforts tangible and providing evidence of skill are

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important elements to adolescents and to others in their lives, including those at home who might question participation in any given out-of-school program, especially one that doesn’t pay a salary.

But despite either internal or external pressure to achieve, adolescents need even more to believe in their own competence; they must believe that with effort — of which they are capable — they can take in and process new information, take risks, weather mistakes, measure up, handle new challenges. The confident sense of being able to solve diverse problems is more important than a small set of teen-level accomplishments. Creative problem solving outweighs arrival at specific “right” answers; process is more important than product.

During visits to classes at Marwen and while walking among students as they worked, I observed a concentration that was palpable. Yet, students were also likely to interrupt what they were doing to tell me about it. When they spoke to me, their conversancy with what they were trying to do and with their levels of success was also apparent. Even when they pointed out what they didn’t think was working, there was no hint of self-deprecation.

An inviting building and classrooms We must always make every effort to maintain the highestquality facilities, equipment, supplies, and instruction.

One way we show our respect for students is to house and equip them as we would professionals.

According to the winter 2004 newsletter from the Advocacy Center for Children’s Educational Success and Standards, “A growing body of research...has tested the widely held belief that there is a relationship between the conditions of school buildings and student achievement”

and that substandard conditions adversely affect learning, health, and morale of students and staff. The opposite is very likely true as well. Facilities that are handsome and adequate for their purposes, and equipment that works and allows for maximal performance, have beneficial effects on students’ attitudes and achievement.

with actual application assistance and letters of reference.

Computers allow for data gathering and for preparation of applications. Kids empowered by skills, achievement, and confidence — fostered by the program itself — are thus assisted both in seeing the bigger picture of what is possible and in extending their educations.

Camille S. again: “The teachers at my school are really good, but they don’t have the resources for something better.

At Marwen the supplies are plentiful, there’s decent paper, enough charcoal to go around. The studios and equipment are well maintained, not like the paint-encrusted brushes that we have at school.” This must to some degree account for the quality and amount of artistic output anyone can see on exhibit in the professional-grade gallery at Marwen.

The experience of diversity Left alone, adolescents have a tendency to gravitate toward others like themselves. Yet, crossing normal boundaries of interest, ethnicity, language, race — even style — makes a richer experience for all. During the teen years, attitudes coalesce. If young people do not learn what is gained from interacting with people who have different understandings and knowledge, it may never happen.

The world’s largest immigrant democracy can work only if we appreciate people unlike ourselves. Diversity — of students, staff, faculty — is a huge asset in a program dedicated to helping adolescents bridge from the normal limits of family, neighborhood, and school to the wide world of their potential.

Growth-enhancing instruction Whether from the range or the sequencing of offerings, a program for adolescents should allow for growth. There should be ample opportunity to explore a variety of pursuits at entry levels, and then means to develop an interest or advance a set of skills over time.

The program should also prove the truism “the more you put into something, the more you get out of it.” Youth need to see where ambition and commitment can lead.

Marwen does this by offering special opportunities, such as trips, intensive workshops, and representation on decisionmaking boards. Selection for participation is competitive; the process is well publicized, simple, and open to everyone, and decisions are arrived at fairly.

Following initial impetus from participants in its early days, Marwen has developed programs in both college and career counseling. Information about schools, job possibilities, internships, and scholarships is available, along

Marwen participants are... diverse in demographics, and for students, this becomes a draw in itself.

For us to learn to participate in multicultural communities, we need to be immersed in situations that nurture crosscultural communication. Marwen has set a goal of recruiting under-served young people, those whose families and schools are ill-equipped at this point to provide a broad range of opportunities. In contemporary Chicago, the “under-served” conform to no single ethnic or racial profile. Having limited financial resources is the most common denominator. Marwen participants are therefore diverse in demographics, and for students, this becomes a draw in itself. Melissa W. put it this way: “My school is predominantly black and there are a few Hispanics.

So when you come to Marwen, it’s more of a diverse atmosphere, and that’s something I appreciate. I like being ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

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Meanwhile, our communities need people of vision with the ability to deal not only with complexity but also with diverse opinions and capabilities. Are we producing the leaders of tomorrow?

around a lot of different people. I like to hear opinions, and I like disagreeing with people. It’s a debate. It adds to the conversation, and it makes you want to listen when you have a conversation like that.”

Encouraging teamwork and shared responsibility The most responsible, sustainable, and appropriate growth within organizations serving teens evolves from teamwork among all stakeholders, very much including the young people. Students should have regular, expected access to program designers and administrators on an informal basis to enable unselfconscious, natural feedback and interaction.

In addition, the structure of adolescent programs should include representation on the decision-making councils of the organization, possibly including the board of trustees.

Students know what they like/dislike and what they want to see happen, even if they do not understand all possible options. They know what is working and what is not, and they can often have useful insights into how to fix what needs repair. They should therefore be consulted continually on decisions that affect them, and they should know that what they say matters. Students cannot be invited as a form of tokenism; they have to be empowered and assured an influential voice when decisions are made.

Marwen maintains a student advisory board as part of its formal apparatus for hearing from students. Ensuring that this works is not an easy matter. Orlando C.’s concerns about organizational growth show up in this regard as well: “Right now the Student Advisory Board is having trouble finding new people because we don’t know the younger kids like we used to.”

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Seeing its commitment to the ongoing support of young people, Marwen also has an alumni association and programs. Some alumni have already finished college.

Marwen fills many jobs with former students, who often first become teaching assistants. Other alumni work recruiting new students. After all, alumni have firsthand experience with what Marwen offers and who is going to benefit most from the courses. As advisors, they bring some distance from the experience of taking courses, seeing what has been most helpful to them in the ensuing years.

As young artists setting out in their careers, alumni also appreciate ongoing contact with people who have known them and their work over time. But it is very much a two-way street: Through alumni, Marwen stays in touch with what current participants will face in the world of advanced education and work, and, responding to what it has heard, Marwen has begun teacher preparation, professional development workshops, and fellowships.

Marwen is considering other options to aid young professionals whose resources remain limited.

Building youth as future leaders As the National Education Association reported in 2002, dropout rates in many urban districts are high — often above 50 percent. Young people without a high school diploma are either consigned to marginal jobs in the service economy or are left foundering. Interesting and reasonably paid opportunities are in areas that require more than high school-level competencies. Changing technologies and the insecurity of jobs require workers who can readily adapt to new circumstances. With large numbers not finishing high school, are we creating the needed dynamic, capable labor force of the future?

As the Educational Testing Service has noted, without efforts

to better prepare today's students for postsecondary education and increase their access to college, America's premier economic position and global competitiveness could be in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, our communities need people of vision with the ability to deal not only with complexity but also with diverse opinions and capabilities. Are we producing the leaders of tomorrow?

Those of us with the commitment and means to make changes in the way things work need to ask ourselves these questions. We Americans like to think we prioritize and attend to our young, but we have ample evidence to suggest otherwise. At present, it would appear that not only do we squander a precious resource — tomorrow’s citizens — but we also create a problem: Those who lack both confidence and skills can create trouble instead of being its antidote.

With imagination and lessons learned from programs like Marwen’s, we can build successful curricula around anything: art, history, science, or social service.

Our goals should always be to develop young people’s skills, self-esteem, body of knowledge, capacity for

teamwork, and individual voices. Successful programs offer three important characteristics: they have inherent value to kids, they have an authentic connection to the world, and they reflect the work of adults. Marwen has them all, as well as a solid infrastructure, which includes a well-defined and implemented mission, governance, administration, and program.

Our goals should always be to develop young people’s skills, self-esteem, body of knowledge, capacity for teamwork, and individual voices.

The experience for kids who come to Marwen — and to a serious degree for those who work and teach here — is transforming. People change because of their involvement.

Marwen’s students love how they are treated, how they are taught, how much choice they have, and how all this makes them feel part of a supportive community. Marwen’s method — built on tenets of personal choice and responsibility; diversity of students, staff, faculty, and media; and rigorous, high-level instruction that models authentic practice — helps students to separate respectfully and lovingly from families. It teaches them how they fit into a larger, “real-life” context. Students stretch as they learn how to express and represent themselves as individuals but also how to participate collaboratively as part of a group.

They learn how to work and how to further their development, as well as to know the differences between having jobs and having a career. And they learn how to make art.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF YOUTH

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EXPERIENCING >>

> The Developmental Benefits of Marwen

by ANDREA KAYNE KAUFMAN

Three preeminent scholars, John Dewey, Erik H. Erikson, and Howard Gardner, offer foundational theories about what drives, or “fuels,” optimal adolescent development and academic success. These theories, well-supported by current research, explain how Marwen impacts youth development — emotionally, socially, and academically — through its art education programs. Offering a safe place for adolescents to gather and work in an inclusive and supportive community, Marwen channels adolescents’ natural curiosity and experimental nature into constructive activities, thus enhancing their desire, and ability, to learn.

BUILDING IDENTITY AND SELF-ESTEEM According to Erik H. Erikson, the key emotional struggle for an adolescent is the successful resolution of the identity crisis that typically accompanies the transition into adulthood. Art programs can help deter risky activity brought on by peer pressures and the desire to “fit in” by providing a safe context in which to play out this identity conflict. Research shows that art programs like

“At Marwen I have the time to focus on the ideas and details in my work.”

Marwen’s can significantly decrease delinquent behavior by providing creative outlets to express internal struggles constructively. At Marwen, youth are encouraged to discover positive ways to experience and resolve the tension and fears associated with their emerging independence, and are effectively guided through this essential phase of the maturation process.

At the same time, Marwen fuels identity resolution by promoting self-esteem. Many adolescents experience unprecedented achievement at Marwen, which provides a new sense of possibility and accelerates the identity process. When adolescents are removed from the constraints of everyday life and exposed to Marwen’s programming, they gain a different perspective on what is possible and what they can become; students are encouraged to imagine previously unforeseen identities and life outcomes for themselves, and are concurrently furnished with the confidence and skills to pursue these dreams.

We can study the identity crisis also in the lives of creative individuals who could resolve it for themselves only by offering to their contemporaries a new model of resolution such as that expressed in works of art or in original deeds, and who furthermore are eager to tell us all about it in diaries, letters, and self representations.

Erik H. Erikson, Identity, Youth and Crisis, 1968

Andrea Kayne Kaufman is the assistant professor of educational leadership at DePaul University School of Education.

Prior to that, she was a school law attorney representing indigent students and families in special education and civil rights litigation. Kaufman is currently working on a book about relations between families and schools. She is a member of the Marwen Board of Directors.

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FOSTERING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS

DEVELOPING THE DESIRE TO LEARN

Socially, adolescents are fueled by relationships. Erikson explains that meaningful relationships with adults help adolescents navigate the unfamiliar and often difficult terrain of the identity process. In contrast to the alienating nature of large, impersonal schools, Marwen provides a secure place where youth are able to develop relationships with a diverse group of peers and caring adults. Marwen offers interactive classes that foster relationships among the participating students and with supportive artist-teachers who act as role models, mentors, counselors, and, often, lifelong cheerleaders. Unlike the overburdened public school teacher and administrator, the artist-teacher at Marwen is afforded the time and space to discover the untapped potential in each student. In Marwen’s supportive environment, the artist-teacher can expect — and get — a lot from each student.

Academically, adolescent development is fueled by learning experiences. Innovative out-of-school art programs like Marwen’s have been shown to enhance students’ attitudes toward school and learning. For example, research shows that art education inversely correlates with dropout rates, even when controlled for socioeconomic status.

Moreover, art programs targeted to at-risk youth have been shown to increase their school attendance and result in more positive attitudes toward school in general.

Marwen further fuels adolescent development by providing a powerful sense of community in which adolescents learn from their mentors and one another the value of teamwork and conflict resolution. Art instruction at Marwen encourages youth to look for more than one solution to a problem, to celebrate multiple perspectives, and to communicate difficult messages in useful ways. Perhaps most importantly, Marwen promotes tolerance by building bridges across cultural, racial, and ethnic barriers and by promoting productive methods for expressing similarities and differences among groups and between individuals.

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Programs that address multiple learning styles ensure that students with diverse learning capacities will prosper academically. Marwen’s innovative teaching strategies reach students who require a broad range of learning approaches; students with strengths in what Howard Gardner refers to as “the other intelligences” may be recognized at Marwen in ways that they are not at the students’ regular schools.

This has become especially critical in light of the No Child Left Behind Act, with its emphasis on logical-mathematical intelligence and standardized testing. The methods practiced at Marwen provide nontraditional learners with more effective ways to process cognitive information, demonstrate knowledge, and feel good about their skills, independent of grade point averages or test scores.

Art education programs are a vital and significant adjunct to the traditional school curriculum, providing a rich reservoir of, and access to, information that students can draw upon in pursuing other subjects or content areas.

Research also demonstrates that art education “levels the learning field” across socioeconomic boundaries.

A monograph published by Stanford University and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, authored by Shirley Brice Heath, found that students who participate in the arts are:

> four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement

> three times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools

> four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair

For to make of paintings an educational means is to assert that the genuine intelligent realization of pictures is not only an integration of the specialized factors found in the paintings as such, but is such a deep and abiding experience of the nature of fully harmonized experience as sets a standard or forms a habit for all other experiences.

John Dewey, On Education, 1926

> three times more likely to win an award for school attendance

> four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

ENHANCING COGNITIVE ABILITY AND DEFINING VALUES Art education fuels learning by enhancing a student’s creativity and cognitive thinking skills. Research shows that immersion in substantive art education programs enhances creative thinking in areas such as problem solving, idea generation, originality of thought, mental focus, and absorption in task. John Dewey valued the importance of critical-thinking practices in which students developed “curiosity, suggestion...habits of exploring...love of inquiry.”

Building on Dewey’s observations, Howard Gardner reflects on the “desirability of [these] higher cognitive functions.”

Gardner further explains that the goal of education is not

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Whenever possible, artistic learning should be organized around meaningful projects, which are carried out over a significant period of time, and allow ample opportunity for feedback, discussion, and reflection. Such projects are likely to interest students, motivate them, and encourage them to develop skills; and they may well exert a long-term impact on the students’ competence and understanding.

Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice, 1993

just to acquire facts, but to “go beyond those elemental capacities.” For him, art is critical to education because it results in higher cognitive functions, which include “problem-solving, problem-finding, planning, reflecting, creativity, and deeper understanding.”

In related research, the co-founders of VUE (Visual Understanding in Education), Abigail C. Housen and Philip Yenawine, offer empirical studies that demonstrate that time spent looking at, considering, and discussing art results in the transfer of critical thinking skills across different disciplines. This means that adolescents then experience more satisfying interactions in scholastic and social contexts and become proficient at interpreting and applying learning to other academic areas, such as literature and the sciences.

Marwen’s approach to art education enhances learning by encouraging students to engage deeply and self-critically with their work and to extend this practice to all facets of their lives. Marwen teaches youth the value of discipline and hard work by setting clear expectations and rewarding progress. Students are encouraged to develop a positive work ethic and sense of pride in what they accomplish — important life skills they can, and do, transfer to school, the community in which they live, and future life endeavors.

NURTURING OUR YOUTH In today’s political and economic climate, fuel for adolescents is scarce. Nationally and locally, art education is an undervalued resource in our current political and economic environment. Widespread state budget deficits

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have resulted in dramatic cuts in arts programming. This is especially true for under-served minority students who are more likely to attend struggling and under-resourced public schools.

School administrators around the country have eliminated art education to spend more time on reading, mathematics, and science in order to meet the mandated demands of state and federal accountability statutes. In a March 2004 report published by the Council for Basic Education, authors Claus von Zastrow and Helen Jane noted that 25 percent of all principals, and 36 percent of high-minority school principals, reported decreases in instructional time for the arts. It is sadly ironic that the very adolescents who are most in need of the benefits of art education are the ones least likely to receive it. At the same time, another study found that adolescents spend 80 percent of their time out of school. Clearly, adolescents must get positive learning and life experiences from sources other than traditional in-school programs.

It is sadly ironic that the very adolescents who are most in need of the benefits of art education are the ones least likely to receive it...Clearly, adolescents must get positive learning and life experiences from sources other than traditional in-school programs.

A quality out-of-school program like Marwen’s can provide important fuel for the emotional, social, and academic development of youth. It can help redirect adolescents from unproductive activities to inspiring ones, offer a welcoming place, provide a sense of community, and improve learning abilities and resultant academic performance.

Indeed, substantive art programs fuel adolescent development in many important and valuable ways and, like our youth, are precious and scarce resources that must be established, cultivated, and replenished.

EXPERIENCING THE DEVELOPMENTAL BENEFITS OF MARWEN

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ANSWERING >>

> Important Questions About Marwen

by CYD ENGEL

Q

WHAT KIND OF ORGANIZATION IS MARWEN?

Founded in 1987, Marwen is a nonprofit organization that provides high quality visual arts education, college planning, and career development programs — all free of charge — to Chicago’s under-served youth in grades 6 –12 . Programs are offered outside of the school day, after school, and on weekends, as well as during the summer months.

Q

Marwen provides... high quality visual arts education...to Chicago’s under-served youth in grades 6 –12.

> Current students may have siblings or friends who learn about us by attending student exhibition openings in our on-site galleries.

> Students who are active in our studio courses tell their peers about Marwen.

> An extensive mailing program to principals and teachers prior to every term promotes referrals of new students.

HOW DO STUDENTS HEAR ABOUT MARWEN PROGRAMS?

> Innovative professional development programs In several ways:

introduce Chicago Public School teachers to Marwen, who then recommend Marwen to their students.

> Students may hear about us from their teachers or guidance counselors.

> Our outreach initiative, begun in 1999, in which classroom visits are made by Marwen staff, introduces program offerings to students.

“One of the great things about Marwen is the diversity — I meet and work with kids from all over the city and from different cultures and races.”

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Students are drawn to us for access to free art instruction, but they also benefit from the comprehensive and personalized college and career counseling programs.

Q

WHO COMES TO MARWEN?

Marwen students are youth who are motivated, success-oriented, and interested in visual arts. Our demographics are broad and diverse: More than 170 schools are represented in our student body, and students come to us from 48 Chicago ZIP codes. A survey of our diverse student population reveals that 24 languages are spoken by Marwen students and families, including Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, Farsi, and Chinese. Students typically have very little, if any, access to other out-of-school or after-school programs and/or art instruction. Many students have never had the kind of one-on-one attention our artist-teachers and staff offer.

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Students are drawn to us for access to free art instruction, but they also benefit from the comprehensive and personalized college and career counseling programs.

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23%

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16% Caucasian Multiethnic/Other

9% 10%

Asian MARWEN 2003 STUDENT BODY DEMOGRAPHICS

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CYD ENGEL

IN 2003, MARWEN STUDENTS REPRESENTED 48 OF CHICAGO’S 57 ZIP CODES Chicago ZIP code in which one or more Marwen students reside

Chicago ZIP code in which no Marwen student resides

Q

Q

No, but about half of our students have had some art instruction in school or elsewhere. Only a small percentage are already considered to be exceptionally talented in artmaking, while the remaining students may be interested in art but are relatively inexperienced and underexposed to it.

Not necessarily. It is not unusual for students of different ages and experience levels to be together in classes.

Artist-teachers and teaching assistants work as a team to create a supportive and student-centered environment and to promote creative and technical skill building.

Q

Q

DO STUDENTS NEED A PORTFOLIO OR SPECIAL CREDENTIALS FOR ADMISSION TO MARWEN?

ARE STUDENTS CHARGED ANY FEES TO ATTEND COURSES?

Courses and workshops, which range in length from 6 to 10 weeks, are free. In return for instruction and materials and supplies, students are asked to make a commitment to the course and adhere to a strict attendance policy.

If a student exceeds the number of allowable absences, he or she is dropped from that class but is invited to return the following term. In this way, students learn for themselves the value of consistent attendance, and they experience the tangible benefits of their hard work over time. This policy also ensures that students have adequate time to develop their work in substantive ways.

ARE CLASSES DEVELOPED BASED ON AGE OR EXPERIENCE LEVEL?

Artist-teachers and teaching assistants work as a team to create a supportive and studentcentered environment and to promote creative and technical skill building.

HOW IS STUDENT WORK RECOGNIZED?

At the conclusion of each term, student art is exhibited in Marwen’s public gallery — one of the finest in the city of Chicago. This enables students to celebrate their achievements with families, peers, and teachers. Exhibitions, which are professionally installed, demonstrate the variety of media and techniques taught at Marwen and pique student interest for future course selection. Exhibitions also serve as community-building events, enable students to introduce their parents to artist-teachers, and expand parents’ understanding of the scope of Marwen programs.

ANSWERING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT MARWEN

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The average number of students in a course is 18, with some advanced courses or special-topic courses having fewer students.

Q

HOW MANY STUDENTS DOES MARWEN SERVE EACH YEAR?

In 2003, nearly 1,300 students came to Marwen. This figure includes students in our studio, college planning, and career development divisions. The average number of students in a course is 18, with some advanced courses or special-topic courses having fewer students. Each course is instructed by an artist-teacher and a teaching assistant.

Q

Artist-teachers are paid a competitive honorarium for teaching time, curriculum development, and planning meetings. Compensation is based on a three-tier pay schedule. As artist-teachers successfully complete terms, their pay level advances. Artist-teachers are hired for an individual term or special project, based on course proposals they submit in advance of each term. No permanent salaried artist-teachers are on staff. This allows us flexibility in programming and offers our artist-teachers the freedom to teach as a complement to their studio practice.

Marwen also hires teaching assistants, many of whom are alumni, so that there are two adults working with students at all times. Teaching assistants and alumni also serve as mentors and role models, developing relationships with students over time and encouraging them to consider and plan for their futures.

CYD ENGEL

HOW DO STAFF MEMBERS SUPPORT ARTIST-TEACHERS?

Our staff members handle all administrative aspects of the programs, thus allowing artist-teachers the time to concentrate on studio teaching. Marwen staff orders and stores all materials and supplies, arranges for field trips, evaluates courses, and contacts parents, students, and teachers whenever necessary. During the curriculum development process, staff provides consultation on issues related to age-appropriate content, resources, and technical issues.

WHO TEACHES, AND ARE THEY COMPENSATED?

Professional artists, architects, designers, and other art professionals teach on an independent-contractor basis.

Many instructors have a terminal degree and several years of teaching experience.

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Q

896 in Studio Program 234 in College Planning Program + 143 in Career Development Program 1,273 72 in School Partnerships Program 66 in Special Programs 677 in Alumni Program + 115 CPS teachers in Teacher Program 2,203 total served

Q

HOW IS MARWEN DIFFERENT FROM OTHER LOCAL VISUAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS?

Q

HOW ARE COURSE OFFERINGS DEVELOPED?

Marwen course content is developed in three ways: Marwen is about access and opportunity, development of confidence and creativity, and the benefits that can emerge with perseverance and self-realization.

Marwen complements the school arts curriculum with its out-of-school offerings. Students are not removed from the school day to participate in Marwen programs.

While other visual arts organizations may focus on arts employment programs and “purchase” student work, at Marwen, all work belongs to the individual student — the concentration is on art education and development of technical and conceptual skills.

At Marwen, students work in a state-of-the-art facility.

Courses take place in six specialized studios, allowing students to experience a professional studio environment distinctly different from the typical classroom setting.

1. Approximately four months prior to the start of each term, education staff solicits course proposals from current artist-teachers. Artist-teachers are encouraged to creatively envision a course relevant to students’ interest and to address a specific technique, media, or concept. Proposals include suggested grade level, general goals and objectives, and a brief week-by-week listing of content, as well as an equipment and materials list. Artist-teachers may submit more than one proposal, although most teach only one course per term. Education staff reviews the proposals and makes choices based on overall program needs.

in the arts. After grade 12, students are invited to segue into the alumni division. This commitment to long-term relationships is central to our mission and is key to the personal development of adolescents.

2. Every term our education staff spends time observing students in each of the studio courses, occasionally participating in class critiques. Based on those observations, staff may feel that a certain type of course could be helpful in addressing technical or creative “needs” of students. Staff then develops a pertinent course proposal.

In this case, education staff makes a match between an artist-teacher and the course content and asks the artist-teacher for input as the course is developed. If and when a course fills quickly due to high demand, future programs may be adjusted to meet this anticipated need.

Finally, Marwen is a program offered free of charge.

It is designed to support under-served youth and provide them an opportunity to envision possibilities of growth over time, to master technical skills, and to learn about college and career resources.

3. Students also have a voice. At the conclusion of each term, students are polled about their opinions and provided with a forum to suggest other topics they’d like to explore. Education staff takes these requests into consideration.

Unlike other programs, Marwen works only with students in grades 6 –12 , the age group with the fewest opportunities

Marwen is about access and opportunity, development of confidence and creativity, and the benefits that can emerge with perseverance and self-realization.

ANSWERING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT MARWEN

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Marwen alumni consistently report that the things they most valued about being at Marwen were the atmosphere of respect (for both students and artist-teachers), a sense of belonging to a diverse community, and the wide range of courses offered.

Q

HOW ARE PROGRAMS AND ARTIST-TEACHERS EVALUATED?

Each term, students, artist-teachers, and teaching assistants are required to fill out a written course evaluation that assesses a variety of areas, including content, studio facility, materials, and program support. Using written and direct observation, education staff members perform ongoing review of how well each course meets its educational goals and objectives. Other parts of the assessment include monitoring retention rates and reviewing student work.

Q

The career development programs introduce youth to an array of career options. Students participate in sessions

CYD ENGEL

Career planning is introduced at a relatively early age at Marwen, with a career mapping course available to students in the seventh and eighth grades. More in-depth courses focus on specific careers, such as photography or graphic design. An annual Career Day brings professionals from diverse fields to meet one-on-one with students and discuss their chosen profession, educational backgrounds, and possible career paths.

HOW DOES MARWEN PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE?

At Marwen, college planning programs complement the studio courses. The program includes practical information, such as understanding the college application process, investigating and applying for financial aid and scholarships, taking practice ACT tests, and developing a college essay. Students can take an intensive pre-college summer course to prepare their portfolios for admission to art schools or university programs. Facilitated trips to colleges and universities allow students a look at campus life.

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on how to write an effective résumé, survive interviews, understand workplace etiquette, manage financial planning, excel at public speaking, and obtain internships.

Meaningful work experience is also available to students who apply for, and are hired into, positions in the Marwen Holiday Card Program, Art at Work, and mural commission programs. From the initial application through the employment interview and the presentation of work to clients, each of these programs is designed to provide real-world work and business experience. Beyond providing individual students with the tools for success, Marwen’s career development programs directly contribute to the Chicago community, fostering the development of creative, socially responsible, and well-equipped young people, eager to embark upon rewarding careers.

Q

WHAT’S AFTER MARWEN?

Marwen seeks to provide the highest-quality technical training and the most positive environment possible. More than 90 percent of Marwen students who participate in college and career programs go on to attend colleges and universities, often receiving significant financial aid or scholarships, with about 10 percent choosing art schools.

Marwen alumni consistently report that the things they most valued about being at Marwen were the atmosphere of respect (for both students and artist-teachers), a sense of belonging to a diverse community, and the wide range of courses offered.

Even after graduation, Marwen students return for a variety of alumni program offerings, such as workshops on how to apply for graduate school and how to write exhibition proposals for galleries. Opportunities for exhibition continue with nine alumni exhibitions per year mounted in a special alumni gallery. The presentation of these exhibitions gives emerging young artists visibility, a venue to sell work, and an experience with installation and public presentation.

On the way to class, current students pass by the work of former students and are motivated to expand their skills as they chart their futures.

Americorps Amherst College Barnard College Boston University Bradley University Brandeis University Brown University California College of the Arts Columbia College Concordia University The Cooper Union DePaul University Dominican University Earlham College Eastern University Harvard University Hofstra University Howard University The Illinois Institute of Art Kansas City Art Institute Knox College

Loyola University Marquette University Michigan State University Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design New York University Northeastern University Northern Illinois University Northern Michigan University Oberlin College Pratt Institute Rhode Island School of Design San Francisco Art Institute Sarah Lawrence College The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Spelman College Syracuse University Temple University University of Chicago University of Connecticut University of Illinois Washington University Yale University

More than 90 percent of Marwen students who participate in college and career programs go on to attend colleges and universities, often receiving significant financial aid or scholarships, with about 10 percent choosing

art schools.

IN 2003, MARWEN GRADUATES WERE ACCEPTED BY THESE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SERVICE PROGRAMS

ANSWERING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT MARWEN

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IN THE MARWEN STUDIOS

STUDIO ONE: TECHNOLOGY Marwen students transport their artistic skills into the digital realm in the Technology Studio. A wide range of two-dimensional, graphic design, video, sound, and animation courses are available each term. Powerful software and hardware in the hands of creative students lead to a wide array of original projects and to Marwen Wired, a biennial exhibition that features the digital work of students who are making the most of what technology tools have to offer the artist.

STUDIO TWO: PAINTING AND DRAWING The cornerstone of Marwen’s studio program has historically been painting and drawing. Courses are available from beginning to advanced levels. Marwen students have the opportunity to develop and refine their skills in a variety of painting media, including oil, watercolor, and acrylics. For students interested in pursuing art majors in college, courses in nude figure drawing and painting help them to prepare a college-level portfolio for submission for application to schools such as The School of the Art Institute of Chicago,

Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute, and Kansas City Art Institute.

STUDIO THREE: MIXED MEDIA Collage, printmaking, bookbinding, and mixed media drawing are some of the courses offered in the Mixed Media Studio. This studio provides a stunning view of the downtown Chicago skyline that eventually appears in many students’ works. Offering diverse courses, from alumniled workshops to book illustration, this studio is one of the busiest at Marwen. It accommodates up to 24 students.

STUDIO FOUR: CERAMICS Up to 16 students can work on electric potter’s wheels or create hand-built ceramic pieces in this studio. Plenty of storage, a separate glazing area, and an electric kiln are the foundation for a variety of explorations with clay. Students explore the medium through the creation of functional and more abstract three-dimensional objects.

“In our studio work, we always have the supplies we need to express ourselves in the most creative ways.”

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STUDIO FIVE: PHOTOGRAPHY

ARTIST-TEACHERS, 2003 –2004 SCHOOL YEAR

Much of Marwen’s program growth in the past year has been in the area of photography, both analog and, more recently, digital. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced level courses are offered, with a focus on giving students an understanding of photographic techniques as well as insights into the various applications of photography, including fine art, commercial, and documentary.

Keith O. Anderson Eduardo Angel Catherine Baker Barlow Jeff Beebe Kristine Brailey John Brunetti Steve Ciampaglia Kee Chan Juan Chavez Lisa Cinelli Kimberly Clark Keri Coggins David Criner Jen Davis Guillermo Delgado Cyd Engel John Eskandari Kristian Espinosa Ryan Flesher Maria Gaspar Theaster Gates Luke Grimm Sarah Hadley Olen Hsu Regin Igloria Dori Jacobsohn

Complementary career courses give students insight into photography-related careers. 35mm and large-format (4 x 5) photography, as well as experimental processes, are featured. A complete darkroom, classroom, and computer stations especially equipped for photographic applications accommodate up to 16 students per class.

STUDIO SIX: ENTREPRENEURSHIP Marwen’s Entrepreneurship Studio supports a range of practices and programs, including mural commission projects, the Holiday Card Program, and Art at Work.

Six computer stations with graphic design software are also available for student use in this studio.

THE COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER The College and Career Center serves as a hub for students investigating options for higher education and professional training. The resource library is updated quarterly with program bulletins and college and university catalogs. Three computer stations, with high-speed Internet access, are available and play a key role as students research college options, write essays, and file completed applications.

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IN THE MARWEN STUDIOS

Benjamin Jaffe Marge Kelly Surendra Lawoti Jason Lazarus Maggie Leininger Lou Mallozzi Talia Maltz Joseph Merideth Natalie Miller Jennifer Mindel Bobberate Monley Amy Moore Michal Raz-Russo Kerry Richardson Darrell Roberts Leah Schreiber Sumakshi Singh Eva Snopek Kenneth Stewart Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart Gabriel Villa Guy Villa Ian Weaver Cynthia Weiss Ann Worthing Darryl Young Shirley Weese Young

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

EDUCATION STAFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Antonia Contro Executive Director

Cyd Engel Director of Education

Steven P. Berkowitz Chairman

DEVELOPMENT STAFF

Keri Coggins Manager of Studio Programs

Rhonda Saffold Director of Development and Marketing

Gina Fieramosca Manager of College and Career Programs

Kelly Ireton Assistant Director of Development

Marge Kelly Manager of School and Teacher Partnerships

Isa Dorros Development Associate Earned Income and Publications

Maggie Leininger Manager of Outreach

Rodrigo del Canto John D. Cartland John W. Castle Liza DeGraff Andrew Dembitz Shawn M. Donnelley Suzie Glickman James Hill III Lester D. Holt Vicki V. Hood Lamar A. Johnson Andrea Kayne Kaufman H. Michael Kurzman Scott Lang Carol Levy Barbara Goodman Manilow Gail F. Marks Ed Paschke James J. Pelts Gerald M. Penner Jorge Pérez-Pérez* Ady Rosenberg Amy Merritt Rule David W. Ruttenberg Manny Sanchez Leif L. Selkregg

Kerry Hayes Development Associate Individual Giving Nick Rodriguez Grants Administrator Sarah Polachek Holiday Card Coordinator

Jack Cantey Coordinator of Studio Programs Emily Ullrich Coordinator of College and Career Programs Sadie Woods Coordinator of Alumni Programs

William S. Singer Sheri Spielman John A. Svoboda Bryan S. Traubert Andy Weimer Jaye Morgan Williams Robert Wislow Hilary Wolfe Sadie Woods*

*Alumni Board Co-Chairs

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LOOKING FORWARD This book was made possible through generous support from The Wallace Foundation. Per a multiyear grant awarded in 2004, Marwen is implementing a four-year plan to extend its reach to more urban youth and to codify our pedagogical method, including describing the organization’s philosophy, culture, and programs through this publication. Finally, the overarching goal of the grant is to build participation in the arts by disseminating Marwen’s model of arts education and youth development, both locally and nationally.

Under the terms of the grant, and as part of our tradition of growth and community service, Marwen’s goals for the period 2004–2007 are as follows:

> To attact a greater number of under-served youth, significantly expanding our student population

MANAGING EDITOR: KATHLEEN INEMAN DESIGN: NATALIE MILLS BONTUMASI

> To retain current levels of racial and ethnic diversity and extend our programs to historically under-represented Chicago neighborhoods

ART DIRECTION: DEB VOSS AND NATALIE MILLS BONTUMASI VIDEO STILLS: RYAN FLESHER

FUEL IS TYPESET IN GRAHAM, DESIGNED BY JOSEPH ESSEX IN 1995,

> To expand the number of studio courses by 25 percent to 30 percent

> To develop sequential tracks for our studio, college, and career programs

FUTURA, DESIGNED BY PAUL RENNER IN 1927, AND DOMESTOS 98, DESIGNED BY GUNTER SCHWARZMAIER IN 2000.

THE PAPER STOCK IS DOMTAR LUNA SILK 100# COVER AND DOMTAR LUNA SILK 100# TEXT.

Marwen’s Official Paper Sponsor

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LOOKING FORWARD

Founded in 1987, Marwen is a nonprofit out-of-school arts organization that provides high quality visual arts programs — free of charge — to Chicago’s under-served youth in grades 6 –12. Serving a diverse body of students from nearly every zip code in Chicago, Marwen offers a broad range of studio courses including painting, drawing, photography, video, and ceramics, as well as college planning and career development programs.

In 2003, more than 2,200 Chicago students, alumni, artists, and teachers were reached through our programs, exhibitions, and special events.

833 NORTH ORLEANS STREET CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60610 312.944.2418 312.944.6696 FAX WWW. MARWEN. ORG

833 NORTH ORLEANS STREET CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60610 WWW. MARWEN. ORG