The Jan Dempsey Arts Center hosted the annual Adventures in Art event held by the City of Auburn last week.
Adventures in Art is a community-based art education program for fifth grade students at all Auburn City Schools. The event focuses on a different concept each year, this year's being Alabama craft and industrialization.
The event hosted two guests. Walter Howell, an award winning blacksmith artist from Henagar, spoke to the students about craft and industrialization in Alabama. Alabama was the only state in the United States that already had everything it needed to produce iron and steel.
Members of the Steel City Jug Slammers from Birmingham, were also in attendance. The group taught students about the origins of jug band music and how it came about and influenced other art movements across the nation. The students were allowed to play various instruments provided by the band like the washtub base, the jugs and the kazoo.
“We were honored that we were chosen to teach over 600 kids about the joy that is jug band music," Steel City Jug Slammers member Zac Peoples said. "We had a truly amazing time.”
This year, Cari Cleckler, art education specialist, created faux forged leaf hooks. The students made these leaf hooks during the Adventures in Art event.
“We usually do a tailor-made project each year, but this year I really wanted to play off of Walter and his metalwork, so I created a project called Faux Forged Leaf Hooks,” Cleckler said. “Basically we replicated what Walter made with tin foil and cardboard. We hung them all together in the exhibit ... 650 leaves are hanging in there right now.”
The students’ art is on display until Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Jan Dempsey Performing Arts Center in Gallery 2.
“It was really great to watch the kids be really interested in what the blacksmith was doing and then see them make art of their very own,” said Evvie Walker, public relations intern at Jan Dempsey Performing Arts Center. “Just having all the kids be really excited and watching them ask a lot of questions really made the event seem special, because they were all so involved and interested.”
Adventures in Art was partially funded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and this year marked the 16th annual Adventures in Art event.
“Really, to me the important thing is to have new, innovative things that kids and teachers are excited about,” Cleckler said. “As long as this remains a program where students are excited about some facet of the arts when they leave, then I am so pleased with this program.”
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