Figge Art Museum
The Figge Art Museum Big Picture Program has been an instrumental program partner to Spring Forward for 11 years!
Laura Dunn Wriedt has worked directly with the program as the art teacher and shares her experience:
The Big Picture Program is a great fit for Spring Forward because we utilize many of our visual literacy art lessons. This means most of our lessons incorporate picture books with some kind of hands-on artmaking for the students. It is great fun to share about art styles, cultural events, famous artists - and then try our hand at making art that relates!
Spring Forward is all about bringing learning opportunities to all students. This aligns with the Figge mission of bringing art and people together. Every week, I am welcomed by Spring Forward staff and students to share about art and have fun at the same time.
When asked her favorite memory from Spring Forward Laura said: "Well, as we all know, every organization has faced extreme challenges during the pandemic. Robbie at Spring Forward was so innovative and willing to brainstorm with us on how to keep learning consistent while reaching over 600 students each week during this past Summer Learning Program. This meant we would be teaching remote "live" sessions to all students. While I missed all the faces and interaction with the students, I so appreciated getting our lessons out to so many. Honestly, the hardest part was not seeing the in person results of the students' artmaking.
I will never forget one late afternoon while walking my dog, I saw my neighborhood kids playing outside, and one of them was wearing their Spring Forward t-shirt. As I passed by, he saw my face and lit up - he shouted, "Hey, you're my art teacher"! With that, he darted inside and came out with his arms full of what his creations from our virtual sessions! It was a great moment! These are the types of happenings that keep me excited for what I do at the Figge!"
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