SEBASTIAN — As Kris Minner’s art students came back to class last week, their creations leapt off the page like one of the popular 3D movies they may have enjoyed over the summer.
Thanks to a donation of advanced art supplies from the Sebastian Riverfront Fine Art & Music Festival, they are now able to go beyond the crayons and paper provided by the school district and parent purchases, and craft things from clay, wood, wire and other mediums that may lead them to a booth at the festival in the future.
According to one school official, it will help them with core subjects now and – hopefully – spark an interest or passion in a budding artist.
“When their class is doing a science unit on insects, for example, they can build a three-dimensional grasshopper to reinforce that lesson,” said art teacher Kris Minner of Treasure Coast, one of the four Sebastian-area schools each to get $500 in wholesale supplies.
“Nothing else gets them so excited to learn like creating something they can get their hands around, something they will likely bring home for mom or dad for their approval, a validating object of art that will bring a smile to their faces every time they look at it,” said Minner.
Art is something that teaches core math and reading skills as well, said artist Lisanne Monier-Robinson, coordinator and founder of the Sebastian arts festival.
“You absolutely have to make measurements to make sure your project is balanced and in proportion. Math and art use the same side of the brain,” she said “In using various mediums, the students get inspired to learn more, and that means doing research to discover how to utilize them. That means reading and using technology.”
She also said art also teaches problem-solving skills because students strive to achieve the desired effect of a piece, including just having it stick together or stand up.
Problem solving will be weighed heavily as the Indian River School District transitions from teaching to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to the new Common Core curriculum, which will be measured by one of the testing tools now under consideration by the Florida Board of Education.
While most teachers, administrators and even parents are quick to declare the importance of art to core subjects as the budget axe looms, others are happy for the focus on anything but.
“I am pleased to see emphasis and dedication placed on fostering creativity and imagination in our children,” said Rebecca Paschall of Sebastian, whose children, Kenyan, 8, and Sawyer, 6, attend Liberty Magnet School. “Often it seems that standardized testing is the only focus in education today.”
Her children, entering first and third grades, were pleased with the new supplies as well.
“I am happy to get better art supplies so we can make cool stuff,” Kenyan said.
“My favorite thing to make is 3D shapes out of wood and clay,” said Sawyer.
Art should not be dismissed as an elective or auxiliary function, Monier-Robinson said, noting the value goes beyond “the ‘ah’ factor that makes us both human and spiritual in the moment.” “I don’t think people realize how important art is,” Monier-Robinson said. “It has catalogued history since the cave man picked up a burnt stick. It is a window into every culture on Earth, throughout every time period… Art is the human soul.”
Art is also – literally – therapy.
“Many kids have issues that they don’t want to talk about,” Monier-Robinson said. “They can express it through their art, hence the term “art therapy” for the use of art to assist with psychological therapy.”
Monier-Robinson arranged the investment in young artists to help ensure the survival of art for art’s sake.
Added to the $2,000 for elementary students was $1,000 to encourage emerging artists of any age: Those who have a body of work but have never before had the nerve – or the money – to put their creations up for sale.
The arts festival is looking for three such emerging artists for the January 2014 show. Those selected will get a free space, use of a tent and advice on how to hang or display their creations.
That is critical to get art into a person’s blood and then getting the person’s art out to the world for people to experience. The mission of the festival itself is intended to spark interest in art and to encourage artists to feed patrons’ hunger, as well as draw families to the Riverview Park area to bolster cultural arts.
“When I was little I drew all the time, and when that is the case it usually means there is support and encouragement from home,” Monier-Robinson said. “Sometimes that is not the case, or families do not have the wherewithal for materials, so our investment at the elementary school level is vital.”
At 16, a teacher coached Monier-Robinson how to put her art “out there” for sale.
“He’s the one who got me out there, no doubt,” she said. Also due to the teacher’s influence, on graduation Robinson had no question that when she went to college it would be to study fine arts and become an artist.
She now has many layers from which she can “pay it forward.”
In addition to the festival, Monier-Robinson owns Beyond Useless Boutique, located in the 100-year-old former Sebastian Town Hall that itself is a historic work of art. She keeps art alive by selling her works in metals and handmade paper, and the works of others, by selling all manner of creative kitsch to tourists.
Monier-Robinson last week sold an original work of one of the three inaugural emerging artists from this year’s show.
“Having someone see my art on display, let alone the thrill of someone actually paying money for it, well, it’s just life changing, and it changed how I view myself and my life,” Pat Ledwith said.
Why all the talk about keeping art alive?
Three words; economy, economy, economy.
“It’s the worst I’ve seen it in over 40 years,” Monier-Robinson said. “The materials are skyrocketing in price, and everyone is struggling to make a living to pay bills, let alone create and sell their art.”
Another way Monier-Robinson pays it forward is through her leadership in the National Association of Independent Artists. A chief concern of the organization is supporting art festivals in selling original works of artists in attendance, rather than allowing mass-produced items that may pass for originals.
“Because I am a shop owner as well as an artist, I go to purchasing conventions to find interesting and unique items to sell,” she said. “I can spot the junk, and fraudulently reselling it cheap as originals at an art festival keeps customers from spending money on true art; then patrons begin to steer clear of those events and the true artists in attendance.”
For Monier-Robinson, however, it is easier to give birth than to revive the dead.
“In all the layers of what I do, all the activism, promotion of the arts, perhaps the best we can do is to make sure the next generations are encouraged to create their art and put it out to the world,” she said. “Having them appreciate and value their works is the only way true art will survive.”
Kris Minner, left, and Lisanne Monier-Robinson sort through school supplies. photos by BENJAMIN HAGER
