Jason Harmon · CMSD & Art Education

August 14th, 2008

MaryBeth Matthews writes:

[T]he average supply budget for art teachers in the Cleveland Municipal School District is $300 for the school year. Most high school teachers have five or six art classes totaling 150-170 students. Let’s do the math kids…That comes to approximately $1.76-$2.00 per student to spend on art supplies for a school year that lasts 36 weeks. And how much do you think $2.00 buys in today’s economy? At the dollar store I can buy a pack of 20 pencils and two pink erasers.

Unlike suburban schools, we cannot charge parents a materials fee, in fact, we are not even supposed to ask students to bring in their own supplies…

The district claims to support the arts, but it seems to me those claims are mostly lip service. I wish that they would finally put some money where their mouth is.
How about this idea? Hire one less consultant and double the money for art supplies. Eliminate an administrator, and triple the art supply budget. Then maybe our students could have an arts experience comparable to the kids in the suburbs.

George Nemeth · Jerry & Tyler

August 4th, 2008

I got to know Jerry & Tyler working on ArtsCollinwood’s Community Center renovation. Fran Henry does a great job capturing them in this article:

Schmidt learned to weld metal sculpture at age 13, working as his father’s assistant, and he began teaching Tyler when he was 8.

The now-teenage Tyler, lanky and shy, emerged from the studio with a freshly welded piece of sculpture to show his father. Schmidt held it carefully, admiring the hot welds. He suggested that a section needed to be ground down. Very carefully. Tyler listened closely, bent over and resting his gloved hands on his knees.

“Some beautiful work,” Schmidt concluded as Tyler returned to the studio…

The lives of Jerry Schmidt and son Tyler take shape in the sculptures they create - Cleveland.com

ArtsCollinwood is seeking sponsors for this year’s Waterloo Arts Fest. In it’s sixth year, the fest is a vibrant and lively day of music, art and demonstrations that grows bigger and more exciting each year. With over 3,500 visitors expected to wander through downtown Waterloo, there will be something to catch every eye, from family friendly hands-on activities to dazzling street performers to live music. With some of the city’s best music close at hand, and great food to sample from local restaurants, the event caters to diverse tastes, and lets residents and visitors explore an eclectic array of buyable and unusual art.

Help support the arts scene in Cleveland. Details available in this Waterloo Arts Fest Sponsor PDF. There’s still time to be included in our Cleve Scene and Free Times ads!

I’ve been talking with my friend Rich for a while re: blogging, and it looks like he’s off to a great start:

The technology exhibit “Atlas in Silico” at this year’s Ingenuity Festival could help us understand “metagenomics”–and in doing so, gain an insight into both ourselves and one of our major contributions to the global economy. Gene research…!

Looking forward to reading more about this year’s Ing Fest.

Silico, at Last! « Cleveland ex Machina