JOPLIN, Mo. —
In a “secret room” upstairs at Spiva Center for the Arts, an art project began last week that won’t be finished for 18 more days. That’s because it is being created by more than 1,100 artists.
None of them can drive.
School buses will be pulling up to Spiva on a regular basis between now and then, depositing classes of third-graders from Carl Junction, Webb City and Joplin schools for an introduction to the gallery and the collaborative project.
The program began several years ago, and has produced such art pieces as the dog sculpture behind the Joplin Public Library.
Third-grade teacher Beth Mayo, of Joplin’s West Central Elementary, brought her class last year to help create an 8-foot tall rhinoceros sculpture made entirely of chicken wire and colorful cloth rags.
Last week, Mayo’s class returned to create a colorful paper horse stampede starting in the upstairs room. When finished, it will extend into the upstairs gallery, down the stairwell and into the lobby.
“They get a new perspective on what art can be and what talents they can reach for,” Mayo said as students were first introduced to the gallery by Shaun Conroy, a Spiva employee who assists with art education.
He began by showing them the basics of what a gallery is Ñ something Spiva Education Coordinator Karalee McDonald said most third-graders would not yet have been exposed to.
“Look at this piece on the wall,” said Conroy as he pointed to “Ode to Picasso” by Marion Bingham, one of two featured artists in the gallery. Horses are their central theme.
“See the little card next to it? It tells you who the artist is, and the name of her piece. It says, ‘monotype.’ What does that mean? What if it said acrylic or crayon or watercolor?” he prompted.
“That’s what she used to make it!” replied several of the third-graders.
“Right. And what does this artist use?” said Conroy as he pointed out a life-size horse sculpture by Rachel Wilson.
“Sticks!” shouted the class.
He showed the students where to look for the price of the works, and that “NFS” means “not for sale.”
Then, he turned them loose on a scavenger hunt with the promise that when they reached the room upstairs, they’d be making horse-themed art of their own that would, like Bingham’s and Wilson’s, be displayed in the gallery.
Included in the stampede: A light blue horse to which a third-grader named Molle added a smiling face, and an upside-down horse cut out of music-note paper to which a pupil named Dayshaya added a heart. A student named Kate used a fun animal print paper and added the words, “Peace. Hope. Joy.”
“We like to tie what they make into the exhibit, and we want them to make something to take home as well as something for public display,” said McDonald of the horses. “I can’t wait to see the final stampede.”
The last horse will be added on Feb. 23, with the masterpiece staying on display another few days until staff begin hanging the Photo Spiva Kids exhibit.
“The public is welcome to come any time to see the stampede in progress,” said McDonald, and volunteer educator Ashton Yust encouraged each child to return with their family to “try to pick out your own horse.”
Students also each made a horse to take home.
“I like how you can be creative here,” said third-grader Josh Richardson as he used a brad to pin legs to his paper horse. “It doesn’t matter how it looks, it’s your art.”
Dana Perry, art teacher at West Central and Columbia elementary schools, said without the collaborative art program, most students in Joplin and surrounding districts might not have known the gallery existed nor had the opportunity to visit it.
“We wanted to bring third graders from our area communities and expose them to some of the artwork, to show them opportunities they could experiment with, to make art accessible and show them it’s not out of reach,” McDonald said.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
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Tyler Brown, a third grader at Columbia Elementary, draws a picture of a horse Tuesday at Spiva Center for the Arts. Globe | T. Rob Brown
Discussion
Students add vision to collaborative exhibit
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