The Donkey Mill Art Center (DMAC) recently shared photos and information about an SFCA Artists in the Schools residency at Kahakai Elementary School (Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi Island). Originally posted to the DMAC Facebook page and Instagram feed, the following is shared with their permission.
“As part of a two-year Artist in the Schools (AITS) grant, Kahakai Elementary 3rd graders learned to use the language of art alongside scientific inquiry and evidence to create visual interpretations of Hawaiʻi weather maps. Students translated scientific weather data into abstract and landscape paintings, creating visual narratives that depicted regions of Hawaiʻi Island prone to drought and flood conditions.
“I was proud of my students for stepping outside the box and really embracing risk-taking with the art materials. The residency allowed play as part of the artistic process, which pushed students to challenge themselves,” said third-grade teacher Rani Henderson.
“My personal goal was to push the boundaries of interpreting landscapes through color play rooted in curiosity,” said teaching artist Angaea Cuna.
Curiosity was sparked as one third grader noted she was inspired to take the art lessons she learned about Hawaiʻi’s weather and try other color combinations with watercolors and oil pastels at home. Creative outlets may lead students to other pathways for critical thinking and problem-solving, while also opening emotional responses to making the study of Earth’s weather systems more meaningful.
Mahalo nui loa to the Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts and Hawaii Community Foundation for funding the residency, to Donkey Mill Art Center’s teaching artists Angaea Cuna and Gerald Lucena for their excellent engagement in arts integration, and to the Kahakai Elementary 3rd grade teachers Rani Henderson, Allen Hong, Mady Parker, and Melissa Pesigan, and Principal Kori Takaki for being amazing hosts throughout the 10-day residency.
The AITS Program is under the jurisdiction of the SFCA. AITS arts residency grants provide engaging, creative, and fun learning experiences based on the Fine Arts standards for all grade levels through residencies with qualified, trained teaching artists from the Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster. Many of these teaching artists integrate their art form with other core curriculum areas, such as language arts, math, social studies, and science, meeting both Fine Arts and other core standards.”
About the SFCA Artists in the Schools program
Artists in the Schools is funded with state appropriations from the State of Hawai‘i Legislature, federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and private matching funds from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. All public and charter schools in the state are eligible to apply for Artists in the Schools for classrooms pre-K through 12. In the 2023-2024 school year, 125 schools received funds to conduct their arts residencies.
- Learn more about Artists in the Schools: sfca.hawaii.gov/aits.
- Additional Artists in the Schools spotlight posts: sfca.hawaii.gov/category/arts-education/artists-in-the-schools.