Cherry Creek 5th Graders: ArtPrize Visit and Contribution

On September 22 Cherry Creek Elementary’s 5th grade students had the opportunity to visit some ArtPrize venues.  They also got to experience Chair Camp and make something which will be on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum throughout ArtPrize.

Artistic Celebration
Over the years ArtPrize has become a destination for those living in west Michigan as well as visitors beyond our state borders.  Works of art in a variety of mediums are displayed in Grand Rapids and the surrounding area.  Last year local Girl Scouts participated in an entry.  

Eric Bredin has been teaching for 17 years and is currently a 5th grade teacher at Cherry Creek Elementary School.  Bredin sees value in students exploring entries first-hand saying, “ArtPrize, in particular, is a special opportunity for several reasons, but, to me, to have a nationally acclaimed event that celebrates the arts in our own community is a pretty amazing thing.  Being able to bring that into the lives of our students and have them become participants is a unique opportunity that’s hard to pass up!”  

For some students it was their first trip to downtown Grand Rapids. For others it was their first time going to ArtPrize.  The experience differs for each person.  Whether it’s about seeing art, creating art, or being outside of the Lowell community, the opportunity is beneficial to participants.  And that’s the beauty of being able to educate students outside of the classroom.  The ability to do so is in part because of each school’s community of families being willing to help raise funds through events like Bears/Champs on the Run and Mustangs on the Move, which in part pay for field trips.    

Taking a Seat and Creating One
The Cherry Creek students Chair Camp in the afternoon during their time at ArtPrize.  Carla Hartman led the camp.  She is the granddaughter of furniture designers Charles and Ray Eames.  She talked about her family’s influence in the furniture industry.  

Sitting at tables, campers were then tasked with using recycled materials to design and create their own mini chair.  Problem solving, creating thinking, and hands-on work provided a unique experience.  The chairs which were created will be displayed at the Grand Rapids Public Museum until the end of ArtPrize on October 8.  

We asked some of the students who participated questions about their experience.  Rather than picking and choosing which answers to include we decided to include all of them!

Questions we asked of students:

1. Name
2. What was your favorite part of participating in an ArtPrize entry?
3. Why do you think it’s important for students to be asked and help out in a project like this?
4. What do you hope people who view the entry will take away from it?

1. Sarah Harper
2. It feels awesome to make something in ArtPrize!  Our whole 5th grade made mini chairs.  They’re awesome.  I love seeing all the art! I go down to Grand Rapids every year and it’s awesome.
3. Because you can learn from all the art.  Different pieces of art have different meanings.
4. That you can try new things all the time and try your very best.

1. Reese Wagamon
2. I liked it because I can be very artistic and they gave you a lot of supplies to work with .
3. So you can see a kid’s point of view on the art that they made.
4. Try to make a conversation of the art you see.

1. Lily Boland
2. People will see my own creation
3. So we can have a chance to share our ideas.
4. I hope they think it’s unique.

1. Erin Fife
2. It was fun to express yourself in art.
3. Because it is fun and a great learning art camp. I liked making chairs.
4. They would be amazed and they would also be saying “that is really cool,” and “I really like those chairs.”

1. Quinn Mitchell
2. You can be so creative.
3. So people can get more ideas.
4. So people can get the feeling of making a type of chair that someone might copy.

1. Marise Miller
2. I liked getting to use all the materials to create a chair.
3. So students can find their creative side.
4. Think about what we used to make the chair and how we did it.

Field trips are designed to provide students with a fun way to learn something outside of the classroom.  “In education, we talk a lot about different learning styles; some students are tactile learners, some are visual, auditory, physical…  this trip was truly an experience that was accessible to all different kinds of learners.” says Bredin.  The value of such trips can often become lasting memories into adulthood.  Thanks to Mr. Bredin and 5th grade students for sharing their experience and photos with us!