Unveiling, this blog's future

It's up!! What an exciting day!!

Ms. Goodmanson thanked the sponsors (Rochester Area Foundation, Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, US Bank, and the APLG and American Studies classes), parents, and introduced Emily and Katie. Then Mr. Thompson shared his experiences and thanked the custodians and administration, and introduced Amber and Caitlin. Mr. Decker read some quotes from the blog, including Erin's great "This piece of art will always link us to JM, and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Camille offered these words: I believe the (for-the-most-part) peaceful co-existance of people of many ethnicities and religious preferences is the living miracle of American today.
The JMHS American Visions flag was designed to both illuminate and celebrate this co-existance, and to remind students that respectful dialogue, tolerance for diversity in all its forms, and engaged citizenship are the things that make our country great. America is a work of art that is always changing and needs our creative spirit every day. Thank you for inviting me to JMHS for this project. It was an honor to work with you and the fabulous students from JMHS!! Send them my best!

And then, to oohs, ahhhs, and screams, the cover was torn off and 150 students rushed to find their tiles!! It looks GREAT!! Photos and any news coverage will be added when available.

This space will be changing over from tracking the process to offering a place for visitors to respond to the art. Feel free to comment and share your ideas!

American Visions Flag Unveiling Announced

On Friday, January 19, at 11:25 a.m., John Marshall High School will unveil its American Visions Flag on the second-floor balcony of its new main entrance.

Students in two honors classes at John Marshall High School—American Studies and Advanced Placement English/Government—participated in the creation of this flag as part of a project called American Visions under the guidance of professional artist, Camille Gage.

The curriculum for these two classes focuses on American history, literature, systems of government, and culture, with special emphasis on what it means to be American. As part of this curriculum, the American Visions project asked students to reflect on what it means to be part of the American community: What are the responsibilities of citizenship? What are the rewards? Students wrote their thoughts on a “stripe” painted on a thin strip of wood.

Once students had completed their portion of the project, Gage assembled their work into one large American flag, piecing the stripes together like a quilt to represent the way in which Americans are connected. She also painted the stars section of the flag. The finished flag includes the personal handwriting of more than 150 students, reinforcing the idea that our country is made up of millions of unique individuals.

“This project engaged students in defining and portraying America, while allowing them to artistically communicate to the community of John Marshall High School and Rochester, Minnesota, what it means to be an American,” says John Marshall English teacher, Eric Decker.

Financial support for this project was provided by the Rochester Area Foundation, the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, and US Bank.

For more information on the American Visions project, contact Eric Decker at (507) 287-1456 or erdecker@rochester.k12.mn.us.

For more information on Camille Gage, visit www.gageart.net.

Pics 4

The photographer was here a couple of hours in the morning, here are the pictures!

Pics 3

Pics 2

Pics

Here are the raw pics from the residency. Let me know if they are too big and bulky and I'll size them down.

pre-election note from Camille

Dear JMHS students: As the election nears and we witness lots of mudslinging and ugliness on both sides I'd like to draw your attention to some writing from Mark Twain, from his novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court:
You see my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its officeholders. The country
is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be
loyal to...
Don't let the negative ads get you down. Care for your country, stay informed on the issues, vote as an act of stewardship for what is enduring and eternal about democracy and America.
Camille

Note from Camille Gage

Dear JM students,

I had a fantastic experience working with you on the American Visions project. I was inspired by our discussions, your knowledge of current issues, and the creative ideas you had for the flag. I will be bringing the deconstructed flag back to my studio in Minneapolis to paint the union (stars on the blue field) and assemble all of the pieces into a single flag. I will think of you as I continue our work and will use the blog as a touchstone to stay connected to the energy we had while working together. Keep posting!

I plan to attend the unveiling at John Marshall High School later this semester and look forward to seeing you again very soon. Until then, remember that creativity is about more than art - it is about life. It can inspire all of what you do and how you live if you recognize its power and cultivate it.

Camille

To the Rockin' Rockets,

Thank you for jumping in and saying "Yes!" to the work of Thursday and Friday. I have been bragging about you to everyone who's asked about the American Visions project--what an intelligent, creative, passionate group of people! I look foward to the unveiling of your artwork, and to seeing you all again.

Cheers and thanks,

Carla

Day Two -- wow!

What a great day! The creativity and thought put into your panels was astounding and made me so proud of all of you! And I've never seen students RUN back INTO a school after a fire drill before!! Mr. Stirn looked at the panels and was so impressed he'd like to work with us on an even more prominent display in the new entry! Camille will need a couple of weeks to transfer the work back to her studio, assemble the stripes and create the union -- at some point this semester we'll have a grand unveiling. Thank you all for your hard work and focus.

This blog is part of the archival requirements for the art residency grants. Continue to blog your thoughts about the process -- how was today, what did you learn through the panel creation, or even the larger issues of how the process may be an appropriate representation of our democracy. We'll add photos from the residency and also post the address on the dedication plaque, inviting comments from visitors to JM.

Also, check out how Camille continues to explore these citizenships issues on her website.

More later,

Mr. Decker

Tabletalk

Hello,

Today we viewed how some other artists approached the icon of the U. S. Flag, created some art ourselves, and discussed the role of citizenship in a democracy. Debrief here, or share your thoughts about what you might put on your panel!