Awesome Kids; Awesome Art 2! I love being able to give

ourstudentsexperiences!Newexperiencesprovidethese students with op-portunities to encoun-ter newways of learn-ing. Lastyearweinitiated

a visual arts project calledAwesome Kids; Awesome Art.Thisyear,

thankstoourpartnershipwithPAVEandtheMil-waukeeArtMuseum(MAM),wehavebeenabletoprovideanotheryearofsimilaropportunitiesandexperiencesontripstotheartmuseum.WehavelearnedaboutourstateandtheNativeAmerican,AfricanAmerican,andHaitiancultures thatmakeupourcommunityaswellasaboutartistswhoarefromWisconsin. We have learned all of this byviewingpaintings,sculptures,andartifactsthattellthestoriesoftheiruniquelivesandcultures. Wehavealso learnedthatbyviewingandtalkingaboutartitcaninspirestoriesofourown.Thedigitalstoriesrepresentedonthesepagesre-flect the personal remembrances and life experi-encesofourstudentsbasedontheartpiecesthat“spoke” to them during a shared visit with theirparentstotheartmuseum. Reading stories, writing stories, and cre-ating and telling stories are all valuable learningskillstomasterinandofthemselves,butthereissomuchmorethatourkidshavelearnedthrough

thisyear’sAwesome Kids; Awesome Art 2digitalstoryproject.They learnedhowto:developtheiridea,toorder/sequencetheeventsoftheirstory,creatively problem-solve the bestway to visuallyrepresent their story, think throughwhichprops/people would be needed, ask/write notes forthingstheywouldneed,scheduletheirtime,directthe activities/characters in their digital video, bepatient(asittookalotoftimetomakeclayobjectslookliketheyweremoving),makedecisionsaboutwhichkindofsoundeffectswouldbestrepresentthemood/feeling theywanted to convey, and tospeak slowlyand clearlywith inflection tomatchthescenetheyarecreating.Ithasbeenalearningexperience that I knowwouldnot haveoccurredwithoutthisopportunity. I hope you enjoy our students’ stories.Somearefunny,somearecute,somearethought-provoking,andsomemayevenleaveyouscratch-ingyourhead(maybelikesomeartworkyouhaveseen). But for me they are all poignant becausethey represent so much more than just a story,theyrepresentadeeper learningexperiencethathas shown our students more about themselvesandtheworldaroundthem–thankstoAwesome Kids; Awesome Art 2!

Judy Schultz - Principal/AdministratorLutheranSpecialSchool&EducationServiceswww.LSSES.org

Our MissionCenteredinChrist,LutheranSpecialSchoolandEducationServices(LSSES)preparesstudentswithuniquelearningchallengestomaximizetheirGod-givenspiritual,academic,emotionalandsocialpotential.

Our VisionLSSESwillbetheleaderinprovidingaspectrumofspecialeducationprogramsandservicesforchildrenwithlearningdifficultieswithinChristianschoolsthroughoutsouthWisconsin,whichwillincorporateinnovative,experientialactivitiestofosteracademicgrowthandselfdisciplinetodevelopcommittedChristianswithahearttoserve.

Digital Stories as a Response to Art What’sinastory?Nodoubtyoucanrecognizefromyourownreadingorviewinghowanewspaperreportercanfocusattentiononaday’seventsandinsodoingshapeyourunderstandingsandbeliefsandputyouintouchwithyourcityandsurroundings,yourstate,andeventheworld.Whatisityouareexpe-riencinginreadingorviewingastory?Whatisitthatyouunderstandasastory?Firstthereisacharacterorcharacters.Weeachrecognizethatstorywouldnotbemuchwithoutaleadingmanorwoman!Thenofcoursethereisasetting.Whetherastorytakesplaceinacrowdedstreet,underthemoononalonelybeach,deepinatropicalrainforestorinsomewhereinantiquityorouterspace,thesettingmakesadifference.Andthenofcoursethereisplot.Andwhilesomeofusmightbemoreinterestedinmysteriesordocumentaries,lovestoriesortragedies,itisthetwistsoftheplotthatenticeustoreadorviewon.Clearlyalltheseareim-portantyetIwouldsuggestthatofequalimportanceistheprocessoftelling.Storybecomesimportant,andoccasionallytrulymemorable,whenitisputbeforeanaudiencewithheart,whenthedeep-seatedinterestsandbeliefsofthewriterareofferedtothereaderorviewerthroughtheeyesoftheauthor’sownpassion.Inshort,thisiswhatwehaveaskedofourLutheranSpecialSchoolstudentsthisyear. AsanotheryearofourMOSAICSmulti-sensorycurriculumprogramhasunfolded,ourstudentshaveengagedinstorytelling.Indeed,storytellinghasbeenonthemindsofourstudentsaswehavecometotheMilwaukeeArtMuseum.DocentshaverevealedtoLSSESstudentsthestoriesbehindtheartworkofAfri-can-Americanartists,howAmericanIndiansarerepresentedinpaintingsinthecollection,thevariedwaysthatartworktellsthestoriesthattheirartistproducersfeltwereworthrevealingtoviewersagain,andagain,acrosstheyears.TocapturethissenseofstorytellingourLutheranSpecialSchoolstudentswereaskedtofindanartworkthatforwhateverreasonespecially“spoke”tothem.Thentheywereaskedtoconveythatmessagethroughthetechnologicalmediumofdigitalstorytelling.Thismediumlinkspicturesandmessage,andthoughnotusuallyofgreatdurationadigitalstoryregularlycarriesdeepfeelingsandmeaning. Thisbookrepresentsthe“GrandDebut”ofeachstudent’sdigitalstory.YouwillgainanewinsightintohowArthasthepowertomovethehumanheartandspirit.Youwillwitnesshowthesestudentsenvisiontheworld,whattheyholdasdear,andthedeepwaystheyperceiveandunderstandtheverymeaningandpurposeoflife.Youwillexperienceremembering,humor,togetherness,enchantment,happiness,andmoreasyouexplorehowartworkcarriesandrelaysmeaningthatissopowerfulandpersonalthatitrequiresbeingtoldagainandagain,togenerationandgenerationandalwaysintheirownwordsandimages.Youcanseehowstoryisaformofcommunication;howeverystoryholdsuniquenessanditsowncreativepower;andtheimportanceofcollaborationtomakeideasandproductionshappen. Ithasbeenapowerfulexperiencetoworkwiththesechildrenintherealizationoftheircreations.Iknowthesestorieswillmoveyou,inspireyou,andtransformyou--andtrulythatisthepurposeofbothArtandeducation.

WilliamL.Chandler-VisualLearningConsultant

Ihadtheprivilegeofworkingalongsidethechildrenduringthewholecreativeprocessforthisproject.Itwasfascinatingtoseewhichartmuseumartworkmovedthemandseehowtheirimaginativeresponsestoriesdevelopedfromthoseinitialimages.Eachstorytakesusonajourneythroughtheirperspective.

Sometimesitwasachallengetohelpthemexecutetheirvisionsbutweworkedtogetherandsomewaymadeeachonework!Weareallveryproudoftheirhardworkandcreativetalent.Ihopethisaprojectwherethekidscanlookbacksomedayandknow,withconfidence,thattheyareapioneerandcanmaketheirvisionsturnintoarealitythroughhardworkandpatience.

LindseyPowers-ArtTherapist

The creative process . . .

What is a QR code?

Whilepeoplehavebeencreatingstoriessincethebeginningoftimeandpassingthemdownthroughgenerations,themethodsofsharingthestorieshavechangeddramaticallywithdigitaltechnol-ogy.Ourprehistoricancestors,whofoundwaystocommunicatethroughdrawingsoncavewalls,wouldneverhaveimaginedthewayweshareinformationtoday:byInternet,socialmedia,YouTubeandthelike.Ourstoriesstilltellofthesamehumancondition,buttodaywithsmartphonesandtablets,youcaninstantlycommunicateyourstory,photos,andvideosandsharethemacrosstheworld.

YouhavelikelyseenQRcodes(QuickResponseCodes),thosepatternsoftinyblackandwhitesquares,usedoftenonadvertisingandotherprintedmaterial.Thesearemachine-readablecodesthatwhenscannedwithasmartphoneortabletcandirectyouinstantlytoaURLwithouthavingtosearchorclickthroughpagesontheInternet.YouwillneedtodownloadaspecialQRcodereaderapp.EachchildonthesepageshasauniqueQRcodethatoncescannedwilltakeyoudirectlytotheirdigitalstory,theirresponseartproject.

What does “Milwaukee Art Museum collection” have to do with “response to art”? Ourstudentsgainedinsightintoartandhowartistsexpressthemselveswithartmaterials.Theirchoiceofartworkservedasacatalysttothestoriesandexpressionstheymadeintheir“responseart.”NotingthatartisinthecollectionoftheMilwaukeeArtMuseumindicatesthewealthanddiversityofthecollectionandthepreparationandskillofmuseumdocentstoguideusthroughthecollection.

Ahjanai

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

Masonic funeralby Seneque Obin

Haitian, 1893-1977

Ahjanai: “This work of art reminded me of a funeral that I went to when I was two. I found out that the funeral was for my great-grandfather Clarence Bradley. I learned about him while making this art piece. He was an important person to my grandfather. It is important for me to learn about my family.”

Ahjanai’sresponsearttitle:My Great Grandfather Clarence

AlexMilwaukee Art Museum collection:

L&N Engine and tenderby Luther JonesAmerican, active 20th century

Alex: Alex remembers riding on a steam engine in Baraboo, Wisconsin and meeting up with Santa for breakfast. He says, “The train reminds me of Christ the gift giver.”

Alex’sresponsearttitle:Gift Giver

Alyssa

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

Water Lily pond with reflextionsby Roy Lichenstein

American, 1923-1997

Alyssa: Alyssa was very excited about the process of converting her ideas about art into a video. Her work of art reminded her of being by the lake with her brother when she was ten years old. Her brother was grabbing at dead fish with a stick. She saw boats and spiders while standing on the rocks. “My story of the trip with my brother is important to me because it was fun.”

Alyssa’sresponsearttitle:A Fun Trip

Anthony

Anthony: “Everybody eventually loses track and they need to know when they need help.” An-thony’s story is about an anonymous lost person who doesn’t know his purpose. It is about finding one’s way again and knowing where to look for help.

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

buddha footprints limestoneAnonymousMyan Mmar, 16th century Anthony’sresponsearttitle:

HiStory

Barry

Barry: Barry’s choice of artwork reminds him of the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5000. “Jesus fed the starving people and he did it in a perfect way.” Just as Jesus met the needs of others, Barry says we should too. It is part of working together for a better world.

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

crowded marketby Laurent CasimirHaitian, 1928-1990

Barry’sresponsearttitle:Feeding the Starving Children

Brandon

Brandon: Brandon’s choice of artwork inspires him to share his story about a dog and a gerbil, named Thunder and Bolt, who are friends that play together. He says, “Friends help each other.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

portrait of a terrierby Edwin LandseerEnglish, 1801-1873 Brandon’sresponsearttitle:

A Friend Helps a Friend

Cameron

Milwaukee Art Museum source art:

the wallachian post carrierby Christian Adolf Schreyer

German, 1828-1899

Cameron: “If you work at something hard enough you will eventually succeed.” Before there were cars people depended on horses for transportation. Horses were used to deliver mail, pack-ages and supplies. Cameron’s story started with imagining horses that were fast , larger and stron-ger than any man trying to control them could expect.

Cameron’sresponsearttitle:The Nameless Man

Cessalyn

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

masonic blue lodgeby Gerard ValcinHaitian, 1923-1988

Cessalyn: Cessalyn is reminded of the importance of church and family. She comes from a big family that believes God is very important. “My story has meaning because it is about celebrating family, support, and love.”

Cessalyn’sresponsearttitle:The Church’s Birthday

Delilah

Delilah: Delilah liked the beautiful quilt with all the hands that made her think of her family. She says, “Family will always be there.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

quiltby Sarah Mary TaylorAmerican, 1916-2000Delilah’sresponsearttitle:

My Special Quilt

Dennis

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

the woodgathererby Jules Bastien-LepageFrench, 1848-1884

Dennis: Dennis says his artwork tells a story about a grandpa and a young granddaughter collect-ing wood to build a fire so they can cook their food. “It reminds me of hikes and walks with my grandfather. I think it is important to listen and pay attention and learn how to survive in life.”

Dennis’sresponsearttitle:Angel and her Grandparents

Dominique

Dominique: “Some people don’t have what other people have. We should all appreciate what we have.” Dominique says that the art piece in the museum showed him what a barn looked like and it gave him an idea to capture farm life. He created a story about a farmer who didn’t have any food for his animals.

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

barnyardAnonymous

Chinese, Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.E - 220 C.E.

Dominique’sresponsearttitle:A Miracle

Jaylyn

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

sculpture in the form of a trowel stuck in the groundby Claes OldenburgAmerican, b. 1929

Jaylyn: Jaylyn was drawn to this sculpture of a shovel because of its large size. It also makes him think about digging in the rocks and dirt at his grandfather’s house. He likes looking for worms and insects, although he is scared when he finds them. His mother knows he plays there even though he tries to cover up the holes.

Jaylyn’sresponsearttitle:Boy Digging in Dirt

Jenny

Jenny: Jenny is a true cat lover who found this work of art captivating. “It reminds me of hugging my cat when I am sad on a hazy day.” Both the woman in the picture and Jenny can find comfort in the fuzz of a cat.

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

woman with catby Kees Van Dongan

Dutch, 1877-1968

Jenny’sresponsearttitle:Can’t Hug Every Cat

Jordan

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

maternity hospitalby Gervais Emmanuel DucasseHaitian, b. 1903

Jordan: Jordan remembers hearing the story about when he was born. “On July 14 my mom and dad were outside at Disney World. Then my mom felt hurt. My dad took her to the hospital be-cause she was pregnant and I was ready to say hello to the world. My mom gave birth to me and my parents took me all the way back to Milwaukee. They took care of me, played with me, fed me, and put me to bed. The story shows my parents love.”

Jordan’sresponsearttitle:When I Was Born

Kayla

Kayla: Kayla’s story is about capturing the spirit of those we love. Kayla says she had a niece in her family that passed away and wished that she could meet her for a day. “I never got to tell my sisters how I felt and I think it would be good to do it through this art project.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

spirit bottleAnonymous

Haitian, 1980Kayla’sresponsearttitle:I Just Wanted to Meet Her for a Day

Michael

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

the old stagecoachby Eastman JohnsonAmerican, 1824-1906

Michael: Michael’s art piece reminded him of pretending. He remembered when he and his sister would go to his aunt and uncle’s house to play on their tractor. The new story quickly turned very magical and therefore had to become a dream. Michael says, “Imagination is fun!”

Michael’sresponsearttitle:My Dream

Naomi

Naomi: In her artwork Naomi saw a Main Street during the wintertime. The characters in her story became Naomi and her sisters. The story is about friendship and sharing. It is about sisters being kind to each other. “We should all be kind to each other and share.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

street sceneby Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

German, 1880-1938Naomi’sresponsearttitle:One Special Day

Ranicia

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

tangled up in youby Beth Cavener

Ranicia: Ranicia shares her feelings about teenage life in response to her work of art that is a snake squeezing the life out of its prey. “The story is important to hear because teenagers need to know that they aren’t the only ones in those kinds of situations.”

Ranicia’sresponsearttitle:Tangled Up in Teenage Life

Sam

Sam: Sam was impressed with the Egyptian coffin at the museum. He says, “It is funny and scary, but the most important thing to remember is to never touch the coffin or any of the art in the art museum.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

mummy coffin of pedusiriAnonymous

Egypt

Sam’sresponsearttitle:Don’t Touch the Coffin!

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

ndop clothAnonymousCameroon, West Africa, first half of 20th century

Terina

Terina: “Everyone can relate to their blanket. Everyone has a blanket.” Through this art project, Terina captures the feeling of comfort being peaceful and safe in a warm blanket, even though sometimes you have to be brave and put it down.

Terina’sresponsearttitle:Our Warm Little Blanket

Verna

Verna: For Verna the African Crown inspired a story of a young “Princess Verna” whose evil step-mother told her she could not go to the ball. But like many stories, there is a happy ending; “Prin-cess Verna” does get to go to the ball and dance with her prince. Verna says, “She learns not to ask her evil stepmother anything.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

crownAnonymous

Akure, Nigeria, early to mid-20th century

Verna’sresponsearttitle:Princess Verna

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

the bar, bar harborby Maitland ArmstrongAmerican, 1836-1918

William

William: William says this artwork reminds him of the time his family went to the lakefront in Milwaukee where there are paddle boats and ducks walking around. In his story, the lakefront setting, waterfront, sailboat, and the light of the setting sun, becomes an opportunity for family conversation and relationship-building.

William’sresponsearttitle:A Trip to Lake Michigan

Zach

Zach: Zach was immediately drawn to Baylor’s painting with its bright colors. It reminded him about going to festivals. His story is about wishes that come true and living happily ever after. For Zach, “wishes can come true if you have faith.”

Milwaukee Art Museum collection:

on duty not drivingby Reginald BaylorAmerican, b. 1966

Zach’sresponsearttitle:The Dance Festival

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Awesome Kids; Awesome Art 2, beganwithavisioninrecentyearsthatwasunveiledlastyearwithAwesome Kids; Awesome Art.Itwasanideaandaprojectthatwasonlypossiblethroughthehelpofmanyhandsandtheeffortsandsupportofmanyfriends.

Firstofall,muchthankstotheMilwaukeeArtMuseumfortheirsupportandpartnershipinthisproject,andespciallytoLaciwhohelpedorganizeouryear-enddigitalstorydebutheldatthemuseum.Thankstothedocents,whosharedtheirknowledgeaboutthecollection,andinsharingstoriesoftheart-work,inspiredtheartistswithinourchildren.

ThanksalsotoPAVEandWEEnergies.PAVE’sidentificationofLutheranSpecialSchoolandEducationServicesasa“PartnerSchool”resultedinthesubstantialsupportthatinitiatedthisproject.InturnitwasWEEnergiescommitmenttoPAVEthatresultedinthegrantthatmadethevisitsandexperi-encesattheMilwaukeeArtMuseumpossible.

Wealsoextendourthankstotheparentsandfamiliesofourstudentswhohelpedinspireandencouragethestoriestotakeshapeduringasharedvisittothemuseum.Parents,thehoursyouspendwithyourchild(ren)andtheimpactyouhaveonthemisevidentinthesedigitalresponses.Neverunderesti-matethedifferenceyoumakeintheirlivesandintheirmemoriesthatwillcarryontomanygenerations.

WealsowanttoacknowledgeourpartnershipswithSHARPLiteracyandtheSiebertLutheranFoundationthisyearwiththeexcitingprojectsthathavedevelopedadeeperlearninginourchildren.

ManythankstotheteachersandstaffofLSSES.Theirtirelesseffortsincludedworkingmuseumtripsintotheirregularcurriculum,supportingandencouragingthechildrentomakethe“responseart,”andmakingourfinal“debut”eventasuccess.Thesetalentedandcaringprofessionalsinclude:JudySchultz,JillBell,NancySpitzack,DarleneKlenz,LindseyPowers,SharonPotzner,AmySchultz,LindaOsterlie,MichelleWagner,andBillChandler.WeespeciallyapplaudtheartistictalentsofLindseyandBillforputtingthe“awesome”intoAwesome Kids; Awesome Art 2!

Additionally,thankstotheMilwaukeeMartinClubfortheirfinancialsupportofthiscommemora-tivebook-Awesome Kids; Awesome Art 2!

OnbehalfofallthechildrenofLutheranSpecialSchool,thank YOU!ThankyouforbelievingintheworkbeingdoneatLSSES,forhavingfaithinourkidstorealizetheirGod-givenpotential,andforkeepingthemalwaysinyourprayers.

LutheranSpecialSchool&EducationServicesprintedMay2014