San Benito student projects featured at SF museum
Most students are used to seeing their artwork displayed on the
walls around their schools.
But having their various projects displayed in a well-known San
Francisco museum is a whole different experience.
San Benito student projects featured at SF museum
Most students are used to seeing their artwork displayed on the walls around their schools.
But having their various projects displayed in a well-known San Francisco museum is a whole different experience.
Thanks to a grant from the E Cubed Foundation, the drawings of 23 students from four San Benito County rural schools can be seen in the Spotlight on Youth Art display now featured at Zeum, a nonprofit multimedia arts and technology museum in San Francisco. The display, called “The Creative Landscape: San Benito Rural Art,” will be on display through Saturday, May 20.
“It’s just great,” said Leslie Schwabacher, a member of the E Cubed Foundation and the one who facilitated getting the artwork displayed. “It was just one of those things; an opportunity too good to pass up.”
Zeum is similar to the Tech Museum or the Children’s Discovery Museum, both in San Jose, in that each attempts to foster creativity and exploration in young children and students. Zeum combines hands-on use of animation, digital technology, electronic media and other materials to allow visitors to do a variety of projects, including stories, movies, music and art.
Earlier this year, the seven rural San Benito County schools were given the opportunity to take their sixth grade students to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Because it is often hard for these students to get to the city, Schwabacher called other museums nearby to see if the field trip could include other stops. While talking to Lisa Dunmeir from Zeum, Schwabacher mentioned that the schools she represented were currently taking part in an art project featuring drawings about rural life.
Zeum was already displaying several student art projects, and was excited at the prospect of featuring more, Schwabacher said.
“The museum was doing a special program to go with Earth Day,” she said. “When I mentioned our program and its theme about rural life, Lisa said she would love to have some art to display.”
Schwabacher took the work of 23 students from Tres Pinos, Willow Grove, Panoche and Jefferson schools. Although Bitterwater-Tully School is also participating in the E Cubed Foundation’s program, its art project used “a very specific theme that just didn’t go with the rural life theme,” Schwabacher said.
The E Cubed Foundation works with the area’s rural schools – Jefferson, Bitterwater-Tully, Panoche, Willow Grove, Tres Pinos, Southside and Cienega – to provide art, music, drama and dance programs to the students. The foundation uses endowments, donations and fund-raisers to raise money for these programs, and currently has raised $90,000. The foundation also supports some life-science programs, including garden projects at some of the schools.
Student artwork is often used in the fund-raising projects, such as thank you and note cards, as well as a calendar. Selections from the Zeum display will be used for this year’s cards. Other fundraisers include a plant sale and the foundation’s annual Trail Ride and Dinner event.
The dance program is available to all seven schools; however, not all programs are available at each school. For the art program, each school has its own teacher and works on its own projects, Schwabacher said. Different themes are selected for each school – this year’s main theme’s included nature and rural life.
“There were multiple themes, somewhat the same but slightly different,” she said. “We were able to display much of the work at Starbuck’s Coffee this past winter. It’s the second year we’ve done that.”
Although the trip to Zeum is a bit far, Schwabacher said any student whose work is on display will receive free admission to the museum. Willow Grove School is planning a field trip to Zeum sometime in May.
“It is kind of far, but I’d love to see some of the students make the trip,” she said. “The museum wants our students to feel welcome. It’s nice to have that kind of interaction.”
Zeum is located at 221 Fourth St. in San Francisco. School year hours are Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer hours are Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for students/seniors and $6 for children ages 3-18. “The Creative Landscape: San Benito Rural Art,” will be on display through Saturday, May 20. For more information, call 415-820-3320.
