Making the arts a priority
IN THE CITY
by Chris Beaulieu
If you have ever applied for a grant, you soon learn the importance of patience as you wait to find out if you have been successful. In applying for grants, most of us find success is more times than not, just out of reach. However, that was not the case recently for us at the Presque Isle Recreation & Parks Department. Nearly a year after submitting the application, we were surprisingly informed by Senator Collins’ office that the Presque Isle Recreation & Parks Department would be the recipient of $238,000 in grant funding for “After-School Arts and Physical Activities.” That certainly was a success worth the wait.
The award of $238,000 is no small figure, particularly to a Department that has historically gotten by on a very conservative budget. For that reason, it was that much more important that this funding be used in a way that really made a positive impact on our area youth. We needed to determine how that impact would be made in an effort to reach the most youth possible while offering affordable, quality programs that promoted both the “arts and physical activity.”
At the Recreation Department we are pretty comfortable with the “physical activity” aspect of programs as that has been the main focus of this Department since its inception. As a result, it didn’t take us long to decide what we felt was the best way to make “physical activity” improvements with the funding. Since we currently run about as many programs as our spaces allow, we decided on enhancing what we are already doing. We felt the best way to do that was to acquire some much needed equipment that is either long overdue for replacement or equipment we have yet been fortunate enough to obtain. Items include new scoreboards at the soccer field, baseball diamond and the William V. Haskell Community Center, a P.A. System for the Outdoor Pool and ball field, new soccer goals, and tennis nets at Mantle Lake Park. Over the next year you will see some of these and other new additions to many of our program areas.
With the “physical activity” portion of the grant in place, our next task was to determine how best to utilize the funding in the area of art and cultural enrichment. This proved to be more of a challenge for us, even though we have run summer arts and crafts classes for kids since the 1930’s, we felt this was a little different. (I’ll be the first to admit that I personally am not the most art cultured individual. Just ask my wife. It wasn’t her proudest moment, while one time at an art exhibit I mistook one of the sculptures for a trash receptacle. I eventually had to get a staff person to help me get the gum out. To my credit, that was not the only piece of gum I found in there.) However, in my mind there is a big difference between basic arts and crafts and art enrichment. In utilizing these funds for the arts, we wanted it to be for more than your typical arts and crafts of construction paper and Popsicle sticks. In order to do so we turned to professional artists and art educators with Wintergreen Arts Group for assistance. We worked closely with Executive Director, Lara Cannon and Vice President, Robbin Sawyer to develop such a program. After hours of discussions and brainstorming between our two organizations, we felt confident we had succeeded in creating fun, unique, high quality arts programming all at an affordable cost for our area youth.
This funding has allowed for the creation of three brand new art programs. The first of which is the After-School Arts Program for kids in grades 1-3 and 4-6. This program envelops the kids in a safe, creative world of exploration through painting, sculpture, music, dance, storytelling, theater and more, all run by experienced, professional artists. The program runs after school to 5:30 p.m. twice a week, with time set aside to enjoy a provided healthy snack as well as an opportunity for the kids to get a head start on their homework.
The Arts & Parks Mentoring program is run in conjunction with the After-School Arts Program. This program is for middle school and high school age students who can benefit from extra adult support and want to, at the same time, develop their creativity by engaging in the arts. Through this volunteer based program, participants work with the Wintergreen artists in developing their own artistic skills and knowledge as well as having the opportunity to share those talents with the younger classroom students. Wintergreen staff provide ongoing support throughout each session as participants develop relationships, confidence, creativity and a feeling of achievement through teaching of the arts.
The third arts program created from this grant funding focuses on the younger ages. This program is called Mini Monets and is a parent and child program for kids ages 2-5. Participating once a week in safe, developmentally appropriate, themed, hands-on activities, participants experience a variety of tactile learning through exploration, experimentation and creative thinking.
As of last week, the first session of these art programs wrapped up with a resounding applause of success from participants and parents. Our next session begins March 2nd and with funding for these programs continuing for three years, many more unique and exciting sessions are still to come.
I may always think that a collage is where I spent four plus years after high school, that gouache is a fancy dip and that a baseline is found on a basketball court. Now with quality art classes provided through the school system and programs like these, my three sons may actually know what they’re talking about.
For questions or comments about these or other programs through the Presque Isle Recreation and Parks Department please contact me at 764-2545 or email at chrispirec@maine.rr.com. You may also check out our website at www.pirec.org.
Chris Beaulieu is the Director of Recreation & Parks. He can be reached at 764-2545 or via e-mail at pirec@maine.rr.com.
BUDDING ARTIST — Alexis Davenport, the 2-year-old daughter of Randie and Candy Davenport of Presque Isle, participated in the parent/child Mini Monets art program made possible by a federal grant and the combined efforts of the PI Recreation and Parks Department and Wintergreen Arts Center.
