Transcript ART ODYSSEY

ART
ODYSSEY
2006
The Mission
The purpose of Art Odyssey is to identify and meet the
needs of talented children by providing consistent and
continuing exposure and experience in the Arts,
establishing a strategic method to careers in the Arts,
and fostering a supportive environment for artists
Our Goals
Art Odyssey is committed to identifying artistically
gifted youth through Multi-Cultural in school field trips
and long term programs, which expose students to art of
many cultures and enhance the social studies curriculum.
Art Odyssey seeks to establish series of courses taught
by professional artists, where talented youth can hone
their craft and develop partnerships with professional
artists.
Art Odyssey serves as a community resource for
teachers, parents and young artists, offering career
guidance, professional connections, and a viable thriving
environment that celebrates all of the arts.
Dear Art Odyssey Supporter,
This year Art Odyssey has made significant progress towards attaining its goals. Our grants program
is firmly in place and we continue to develop our curriculum for the young and gifted.
Art Odyssey supports the following research based premises:
Study in the Arts
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Leads to significant gains in SAT and other standardized test scores.
Improves verbal, math, reading and writing abilities.
Enhances critical thinking skills.
Enhances communication skills and professional potential.
Leads to greater success in school.
Increases students’ self esteem.
To those of you who have helped to sustain our efforts in the past, I wish to thank you and request that you continue to work in
partnership with us to achieve our purpose. As Treasurer, of this organization I see the value to the community and individual of
the on going programs. This year my involvement with many aspects of the work of Art Odyssey has substantially increased, as I
truly believe in the benefits of the study of the arts for our children.
I personally encourage you to support our efforts.
Warmest wishes for a wonderful year,
Sukey Holzman
Treasurer
Art Odyssey
Dear Friend of the Arts:
Many of our children do not have the opportunity to meet their potential. While the need to identify
academically gifted children is being recognized, harder to identify, and perhaps more at-risk, is the artistically gifted
child. When left unidentified, these children are not offered the appropriate opportunities to excel. There is a pervasive
feeling that a solid education in the arts is frivolous, and our artistically gifted children are not provided with curriculum
that lets them soar.
Art Odyssey has formed to address this need. Art Odyssey is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing arts
enrichment/acceleration programs for gifted and talented children who show unusual abilities in the areas of creativity,
leadership, academics, and the arts.
Art Odyssey addresses this need from many angles — reaching out to educators, parents, and students
alike. Initial projects included the presentation of a professional development workshop on gifted education and the arts
at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago — teaching instructors to use the arts across the curriculum in an
interdisciplinary fashion; an article on the need to identify and acknowledge artistically gifted children, written for the
Illinois Association of Gifted Children Journal; and the development and presentation of workshops for students of the
Avoca School District. These workshops reached 250 students, grades 6-8, providing them with exposure to professional
artists working in the fields of found object art, murals, ceramics, textiles, movement, and musical instruments. This pilot
project was a huge success, laying the ground work for further in-school field trips designed to help identify artistically
gifted children while supporting the school’s social studies curriculum through enriched arts experiences.
Art Odyssey has met our goal of developing and writing specific curriculum for in-school programs,
including a comprehensive catalogue of programs that meet the Illinois State Learning Goals. Programs address the arts
across the curriculum, placing special emphasis on the needs of the artistically gifted. In addition to this, Art Odyssey will
be developing a juried show for students K-12, and a program for high school students to visit companies that hire
creative and artistic people in order to encourage students to pursue their talents.
This year, Art Odyssey has secured a collaboration with the Chicago Board of Education, Offiice of Language and
Cultural Education. We will be creating and teaching projects inspired by the historic Progressive and WPA Murals
located in the Chicago Public Schools. This important archive of American Art was recently restored by the Chicago
Conservation Center under the direction of Barry Bauman and Heather Becker.
The era and murals are described in glowing detail in “Art For The People” by Heather Becker. In cooperation with
OLCE, Art Odyssey will seek funding to ensure the success of this important teaching and learning project.
In order to create the most effective programs possible, Art Odyssey has continued consulting with other professional
organizations, such as the Summer Institute for the Gifted, the National Association of Gifted Children, Illinois Association of
Gifted Children, Merit School of Music, Arts Connection — New York City, Art Resources in Teaching of the Art Institute of
Chicago, and LookingglassTheater Company. Schools in Chicago, Evanston, Avoca, Wilmette, Glenview, Winnetka,
Kenilworth, Glencoe and Lake Forest have expressed interest in participating in these programs.
I know you will agree with me when I say that children deserve to been given the opportunity to meet their full potential.
That is why I am asking you to join me in support of Art Odyssey. Your support will help bring consistent professional
exposure in the arts to our students and help identify those students who would most benefit from curriculum designed to
meet the needs of the artistically gifted. Thank you for your continued support in our fundraising efforts
All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Sincerely,
Pat Rose
Executive director
Art Odyssey
Comments from
ART ODYSSEY STUDENTS
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“You inspired me to be in an art club, and to create a portfolio of my own!”
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“I actually got the feeling of art!”
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“You have to think special and great. Personally, you inspired me to tell my parents that I want to
be an actress! Remember…you can change someone’s life!”
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“I cannot begin to tell you about the sense of accomplishment that I felt when I finished my
drawing…painting and writing are all a kind of magnificent art work!”
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“I like expressing my ideas and feelings in any way…You allowed me to do this during school!”
Art Odyssey is a part of a nationwide campaign to increase the presence
and quality of arts education in American public and private schools.
The Arts serve as a critical component to a complete education
and have been proven to increase student academic achievement
For further information about the importance
of Art Education visit the following websites
National Endowment for the Arts / www.nea.gov
National Art Education Association / www.naea-reston.org
The President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities / www.pcah.gov
The Kennedy Center Arts Edge / www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org
Artswire / www.artswire.org
Americans for the Arts / www.americansforthearts.org
Illinois Arts Alliance / www.artsalliance.org
Art Odyssey Staff
Pat Rose
Executive Director
Nanci Elf
Director of In-School Field Trips
John DePinto
Director of High School Programs
Art Odyssey Board
Sandra Bacon
Kate Coyne
Sukey Holzman
Dan Kaplan