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.