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IDEAL 2025: Identity, Collaboration, & Community

May 13, 2025 By Cindy Sherwood

“I feel like I grew a lot in my artistic skills and socialization skills, as a person in general. It’s really helped me express how I feel.” Sophia Sharp, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, Virginia Beach

Sophia points to a friend’s painting displayed at the Chrysler Museum.

“I learned that I can express my feelings through my artwork. That’s what I’m most proud of. Now I’m able to see that I have full potential in making different things. I’m capable of doing anything.” Davin (DJ) Johnson-Smith, Park View Elementary, Portsmouth

On May 8th, students, their family members, educators, and Arts for Learning teaching artists, staff, and board members gathered at the Chrysler Museum of Art for a reception and student exhibition of art. But this wasn’t any ordinary reception—it was a joyous celebration of students’ hard work, creativity, and growth following 20 after-school sessions of IDEAL, Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages.

In this third and final year of IDEAL, students in fourth to sixth grades from three Title 1 schools in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach have explored who they are and what they stand for through visual art, poetry, movement, and music. They were guided by residency stewards at each school and teaching artists Jackie Adonis and Dai Poole at Norfolk’s Lake Taylor School, Nfon Asuquo and Nin-Eanna Bryant at Portsmouth’s Park View Elementary, and Cindy Aitken and Sequoia Rodwell-Lacewell at Virginia Beach’s Bayside Sixth Grade Campus.

Emotions ran high as students and parents first caught a glimpse of their artwork professionally displayed at the Chrysler’s Margaret Shepherd Ray Family and Student Gallery.

“Just the fact I’m seeing my daughter’s work in a museum… I am so proud of her. Beyond proud,” said Sheri, mother of Bayside student Chloe Odallo. “The artwork that I’m seeing is just spectacular. I feel overwhelmed. I cannot even lie.”

Students said the opportunity to develop and refine their artistic skills was one of the best parts of IDEAL, with many mentioning they’d learned techniques such as how to draw faces and shading and blending colors.

Isis with her painting (center top) created with a unique process.

Lake Taylor student Isis Saunders went a step further, having teaching artist Dai Poole burn the edges of her painting. In her artistic statement, she wrote, “The paper is burnt to represent the heat of the sun, and the painting is made to look ‘old’ and faded because this painting represents our memories.”

Beyond artistic skills, many students said they felt more confident now, with parents echoing that sentiment, seeing positive changes in their children.

Ritisha reads her artistic statement on stage.

“I saw her for the first time on stage. I didn’t know if she’d make it. She was nervous, but she made it,” said Mukti Patel, mother of Ritisha, a Park View Elementary student. Ritisha had never performed in front of an audience before. After she read her artistic statement on stage, she said she felt calm and proud of herself for overcoming her jitters.

Nicole Sharp, Sophia’s mother, called the IDEAL residency “impressive.”

“I really love the way it’s encouraged her to be more confident in expressing herself and given her the ability to more effectively communicate how she’s feeling emotionally.”

Upper elementary school can be a time of great change, but students in the IDEAL residency discovered that art can be an effective outlet to express themselves.

“Art helps people understand what I’m feeling,” said Willow Martinez, a student at Lake Taylor.  “I’ll continue as an artist because it helps get out my emotions.” Another Lake Taylor student, Orlando Wiggins, said he had “learned how to express my feelings better through art,” and added that it was “amazing” to see his art displayed at the Chrysler Museum.

Orlando with his artwork.

Teaching artist Sequoia Rodwell-Lacewell believes IDEAL has helped students identify who they truly are. She was particularly struck by the growth in one girl.

When she first started, she was very shy and quiet. She wasn’t quite sure of who she was or what she liked. She was questioning a lot of things. And as time went on, she allowed who she was inside to show throughout her art… She got to experience coming out of her shell.”

A high degree of collaboration was required for IDEAL since the residencies took place in multiple schools and multiple school divisions and involved a partnership with the Chrysler Museum. The idea of “community” was core to its success.

For Bayside student Lennon Anderson, making art wasn’t the most important part of IDEAL.

“It was doing art with a community. It felt welcoming. I felt I was with my people.”  

Enjoy this slideshow of a few IDEAL pictures taken by J.B. Digital Photography. 

To see many more photos and download ones you choose at no cost, head here: IDEAL Photo Album. 

There was no fee for students to participate in IDEAL, meaning Arts for Learning was only able to develop and implement this program with the support of outside funders. We knew we would be able to move forward with our ambitious undertaking once we received the largest grant in our organization’s history from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation; we’ll always be grateful for their support. Additional funders who made this initiative possible are as follows: Chrysler Museum of Art, Arts Alliance, Mr. Gary Jensen, LISC Hampton Roads, Mellen Street Creative, Norfolk Arts and Humanities Commission, Portsmouth Museum and Fine Arts Commission, Portsmouth Service League, PRA Group,  Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, Virginia Commission for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Walmart. Our sincere thanks to all!

The IDEAL student art exhibition remains on display through June 1 at the Chrysler and is free and open to the public.

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, Arts Integration, ArtsEd, Grants, News, Program Spotlight, Residency Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, Chrysler Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, IDEAL, IDEAL residency, Norfolk Public Schools, Portsmouth Public Schools, teaching artists, Title 1 schools, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, visual arts

In Their Own Words: IDEAL Residency Students Express What They’ve Learned

May 14, 2024 By Cindy Sherwood

Year two of our unique IDEAL after-school residency wrapped up May 9th with a fantastic student showcase, art exhibit, and reception for family and friends at the Chrysler Museum of Art. What a joy to witness the faces of students as they first saw their artwork displayed in the gallery…. and how gratifying to hear what they learned during their ten-week exploration of self-identity through poetry, music, and visual art.

Douglass Park Elementary, Portsmouth

Cameron: “It’s fun being an artist. Whatever you make is good. It’s a masterpiece. You can make anything, and it will still be a piece of artwork. If I accidentally make something bad, I can change it to something else good. I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

Serenity: “I learned I can do art. It’s great. It’s peaceful. When you draw, everything around you is so quiet. I’ve become nicer as a person. I didn’t usually help people, but now I really help people with stuff.”

Inaliyah: “I’ve learned more about who I am and what I want to become. I want to become an artist because I want to tell people how I feel through art. My teachers taught me how to make things more expressive. I think my mind has grown more and my ability to understand others.”

Point O’View Elementary, Virginia Beach

Hayden: “I’ve learned more about myself and my feelings and my identity. I’ve learned that I can express myself through art. I think I’m more confident. I’m able to make new friends more easily now.”

Walter:  “The best part of this program is that we tried doing different things, things that we don’t always try. And I feel like I learned more trust in people.”

Jack: “I’ve learned that I can express myself through art and I could draw what I feel and I could have different feelings in my art. As an artist I’ve learned different skills about how to draw. I feel very proud of myself because I did exceptional in my art piece and I’m just very happy [about it being shown at the Chrysler.]”

Southside STEM Academy at Campostella, Norfolk

Jaela: “The art that I created showed me that even if I feel bad, I can be creative. I feel I can be more confident now and more friendly to others. I used to be really shy.”

Mauriyana: “I think I’ve grown more as a person and an artist. My art style is different and the way I communicate is better. I communicate better if I’m comfortable around people.  We spoke aloud on how we made our art and how our art helped us and that made me more comfortable communicating.”

Many thanks to Justin C. Mitchell of JB Digital Photography for the wonderful photos.

You can view the IDEAL students’ artwork through June 9 at the Margaret Shepherd Ray Student and Family Gallery at the Chrysler. Admission and parking are free.

 

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, ArtsEd, News, Residency Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, art exhibit, Arts Ed, arts education, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, arts-in-education, Chrysler Museum of Art, IDEAL residency, Norfolk Public Schools, Portsmouth Public Schools, residency, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, visual arts

IDEAL Evening at the Chrysler Art Museum

May 12, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

Pictures are worth a…. you know the rest. Enjoy these wonderful photos of the student art exhibit, performances, and reception at the Chrysler Museum of Art as the IDEAL (Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages) residency wrapped up for upper elementary students at Norfolk’s Lindenwood, Portsmouth’s Westhaven, and Virginia Beach’s College Park schools.

It truly was an IDEAL evening as students shared their art for family, friends, educators, and community leaders. Throughout the residency, students created art that explored and expressed their unique identities. The public can view the beautiful artwork through June 11.

We thank all of our partners who made the first year of this residency possible: the funders–with special thanks to our major funder the Hampton Roads Community Foundation–teaching artists; residency stewards; Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach public school divisions; Chrysler Museum of Art; Richmond Ballet; staff and board of Arts for Learning; families; and most of all, the students. We hope they’ll remember this special night forever.

 

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, ArtsEd, News, Program Spotlight Tagged With: art exhibit, Arts Ed, arts education, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk Public Schools, Portsmouth Public Schools, residency, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, visual arts

An IDEAL Exhibition of Student Artwork at the Chrysler Museum

May 9, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

Artist and Programming Manager Drew Lusher shows off a student’s painting.
School and Community Relationships Coordinator Aisha Noel at the IDEAL art exhibit.

Today’s the big day—the public can come view a unique collection of student artwork exhibited at the Chrysler Museum of Art from May 9 to June 11 at the Margaret Shepherd Ray Family and Student Gallery.

Arts for Learning staff members have been busy organizing and hanging the artwork at the Chrysler in preparation for the exhibition. Upper elementary students in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach elementary schools created the artwork during an after-school residency named IDEAL, Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages. They were guided by Arts for Learning’s professional teaching artists.

In the the first year of this three-year residency, 54 students have explored themes of self-identity, collaboration, and community through movement, music, and visual art. The program’s highlight comes this Thursday, May 11 when students will perform and show off their artwork for family, friends, and community leaders at the Chrysler.

“To bring students to the museum and show them it’s their place to have a voice is just an amazing opportunity,” said Anna Green, Chief Operations Officer for Arts for Learning. “It may inspire them to go on and create art or find their voice in movement or music or in other ways.”

Students have been led by Arts for Learning teaching artists Cindy Aitken, Gary Garlic, and Jennifer Graham at Lindenwood Elementary in Norfolk; Asiko-oluwa Aderin, James Cooper, and Nathan Richardson at Westhaven Elementary in Portsmouth; and Jackie Adonis and Valerie Davis at College Park Elementary in Virginia Beach.

There’s no charge for the public to view the exhibit, so make plans to come see how the students in the IDEAL residency have explored themes of identity and community through their artwork. We’re so happy to celebrate the talents and creativity of each one of these students!

THANK YOU!

There was no cost to students to participate in the IDEAL residency thanks to our wonderful sponsors. The Hampton Roads Community Foundation provided the bulk of the project’s funding when it awarded us the largest grant in our organization’s history to be paid over the course of the three-year residency.

Other funders for the first year include Arts Alliance; the arts commissions of Norfolk and Virginia Beach; Mr. Gary Jensen; National Endowment for the Arts; PRA Group; Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation; Mr. Lawrence Steingold; Tidewater Children’s Foundation; the city of Virginia Beach; Virginia Commission for the Arts; and Walmart.

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, ArtsEd, Program Spotlight Tagged With: art exhibit, arts education, Chrysler Museum, visual arts

Arts for Learning Delivers Creative Summer Camps at the Suffolk Center

May 12, 2022 By Cindy Sherwood

We’re busy planning three exceptional summer camps in Musical Theater, Visual Art, and S.T.E.A.M. in partnership for the ninth year with the Suffolk Center For Cultural Arts. Campers in third to fifth grades will immerse themselves in each theme as they work with professional teaching artists Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

HURRY: EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION FOR EACH CAMP ENDS FRIDAY, MAY 13

NEW MUSICAL THEATER Camp ~ Lights, Camera, Action: June 20-July 1

Campers will have the chance to do it all as they explore the performing arts in a two-week Musical Theater camp—write scripts, design costumes, sing and make music, act, and dance. Campers will learn what it takes to create and participate in an original production from start to finish—and then dazzle family and friends with their unique, one-of-a-kind show.

VISUAL ART Camp ~ Arts from Around Your World!:  August 1-5

Campers will experience the cultures of other parts of the world – Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Caribbean – as they create multiple visual arts projects. While discovering ties between cultures and art forms and having lots of hands-on fun, they’ll also investigate their own heritage. Projects will include making a colorful patterned textile called a mola and creating clay coil pots. The week’s highlight will be an art showcase for family and friends.

S.T.E.A.M. Camp ~ Thinking Outside the Box: August 8-12

Campers will think creatively through all aspects of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) as they experience hands-on learning. Projects will include designing using 3D printers, experimenting with dyeing textiles, drawing and assembling tessellations, and so much more! This camp will help kids learn to think on their feet, problem solve, work collaboratively–and have lots of summer fun with their peers–while showing off their projects to family and friends in a special program on the last day.

“Our teaching artists have loved mentoring students at Suffolk Center’s summer camps for the past nine years,” says Anna Heywood Green, chief operations officer for Arts for Learning. “Our artists are inspired by the campers as they watch their creativity and talents flourish throughout the week—they can’t wait to see what campers will come up with this year!”

Summer camp registration is $475 for the new two-week Musical Theater camp and $275 for the one-week Visual Art and S.T.E.A.M. camps. Both full and partial camp scholarships are available. For more information and a registration link, click here: https://arts4learningva.org/summer-camps/

Filed Under: Summer camps Tagged With: musical theater, STEAM camp, Summer camps, visual arts

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Main Office
Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502

Phone: 757-466-7555

Main Office

Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502
Phone:
757-466-7555

Arts for Learning Virginia Names New CEO to Lead Arts-in-Education Nonprofit

The Board of Directors of Arts for Learning, the Virginia Affiliate of Young Audiences, voted at its annual meeting to name Anna Heywood Green as CEO of the organization. Heywood Green has served as Interim CEO since January 1, following the retirement of former CEO Christine Everly. Prior to January, Heywood Green worked as the organization’s […]

Join the A4L Mailing List!

Sign up to receive the latest news on arts integration from Arts for Learning! Thank you for supporting arts-in-education.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Arts for Learning Virginia. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
At Arts for Learning Virginia, we’re proud to be part of the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Passport Program. While Passport holders typically receive free admission and 50% off classes at participating organizations, all our programming is always free—no discount needed. To learn more about our public events, check out our calendar of events page here.

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