Roswell Seeks School To Host First Artist Residency Program

ROSWELL, GA -- The Roswell Cultural Arts Center is looking for one public school in the city to serve as the host site for its first artist residency program.

The project, made possible through a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, will engage up to 250 elementary-age students in teamwork, collaboration, and hands-on learning through the process of creating an indoor, mobile sculpture.

Students will work with SchoolSculptures founder Kevin Reese to design the piece of art in the spring of 2017 through distance learning.

In August 2017, Reese will travel to the host school and work with the students as they build, sand, paint and balance the mobile over a five-day period. At the end of the residency, an indoor mobile will be installed at the elementary school as a permanent piece of art for the school’s campus.

Following the residency, Reese will give a free performance of his show, A Perfect Balance, at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017.

Reese has worked with young audiences as a performer, teacher and artist-in-residence. He formed SchoolSculptures in 2001 to team up with communities to create large permanent moving sculptures, and Kevin has completed more than 165 installations in 29 states.

The project is funded by the NEA’s Arts Engagement in American Communities initiative, with $10,000 in matching dollars from the city of Roswell’s grant match contingency fund. The grant covers all of the expenses of the residency, and the partner school will not be required to provide any financial resources to the project.

Schools interested in serving as the host site for the residency should complete the application form that was distributed to all public Roswell elementary schools the week of Nov. 7. The host school will be selected by a committee comprising city staff and Recreation Commission members based on criteria including:

• A demonstrated commitment to the project from the school administration and the teacher(s) who will serve as the residency director(s) for the school
• Evidence of efforts to integrate the arts into the school beyond the standard curriculum
• Evidence of parental/community support for similar projects at the school

Teachers or school administrators should contact Donna Clayton, the city’s cultural arts coordinator, with questions about the project at dclayton@roswellgov.com.

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