State budget cuts eliminate Dreamcatcher grant

Well, if you've been following the blog, you know that three departments at the Academy had been working collaboratively on a grant from the Illinois Library Association to provide additional post-graduation resources for our students. We were very excited about the proposed stArt program, and all of the great information it would have brought to the students, and we felt confident in the quality of our proposal.

Unfortunately, in the week we were to find out who the grants were awarded to, we instead received notification that the funds for this particular grant had been cut. What a disappointment! It is hard to put so much work into something and then have the rug pulled out from under you.

We plan to keep all of the grant materials just in case the grant is revived in the future so that we will be ready to update our proposal and resubmit it.

In the meantime, the Academy has added many updated career books to the library collection for artists seeking employment in all fields. We are happy that we can offer these resources to the students, and hope that they will take advantage of it as they pursue employment in a difficult economy.

Keep the Faith

In the fall 2008 semester, two students in my class, Heather Leininger and Jen Brazas, did an extensive study on the health and saftey policies at the Academy, including a survey of student and faculty knowledge of these policies. They uncovered that most of the students and faculty were unaware of current policies and had no first aid or CPR certification. After presenting a proposal to improve these areas at the school, we lost hope after waiting months for a response.

I am happy to report that as part of the opening faculty meeting of the fall 2009 semester, a Red Cross trainer gave a two hour presentation covering basic first aid for emergency situations. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

I guess we lost hope a bit too soon. Just a reminder that you never can tell the long-term effects of your attempts to do something good.

Dreamcatcher Grant Progress Report

This week the Irving Shapiro Library, Career Services Office, and Humanities and Sciences Department submitted a letter of intent to apply for the Dreamcatcher grant offered through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by Illinois State Library. The letter of intent consists of a short description of the program that the grant funds would be used to provide. Here's what we're hoping to do if we are awarded the grant:

The American Academy of Art’s stART program will expand students’ palettes of post-graduation possibilities by introducing them to creative strategies for starting their careers. The library will partner with the Career Services Office and the Humanities and Sciences Department to present a series of guest speakers and programs that teach students how to identify and pursue non-traditional career paths, creative sources of funding, and other opportunities. Library resources that support these programs will be purchased and added to the permanent collection so that students can research the paths that best complement their interests and skills.

How sweet it is . . .

Behind the Canvas raised over $72 at their first bake sale on Friday the 13th. Thank you to everyone who consumed our calorie-laden delectables. A few students left suggestions for how we might best spend the money on the student body, and we will be taking them all into consideration.

Health policy update

Here's where I'd like to give an update on changes being made to the health and safety policy at the Academy, but unfortunately, there is nothing to report. Heather Leininger and Jen Brazas are still waiting for a response from the administration to the proposal they presented in January.

In the meantime, most of our student body still doesn't know where to get a band aid or what to do in the case of a medical emergency.

Jen and Heather have been presenting their research in the current Art and Activism classes, and have done great work at raising awareness about the need for more widely publicized policies and improved services for students in this area.

Behind the Canvas Bake Sale!

Behind the Canvas is introducing a new kind of bake sale to the American Academy of Art. On Friday, March 13, students CAN have their cake and eat it, too! Members of the club will be selling yummy, sweet, sticky and chocolaty stuff and using all proceeds to purchase a gift for the student body. Every student, staff, or faculty who makes a purchase will also be able to make a suggestion about how the money collected should be spent. The Behind the Canvas staff will consider all suggestions and select the best one within the price range of what we collect.

Behind the Canvas Black Light Launch

Behind the Canvas launched its Facebook and Myspace presence as part of the Spring Arts Festival on February 26. This student organization, started by students in one of my Art and Activism classes in fall 2008, was formed out of a need for students at the American Academy of Art to have a forum for discussion of events and issues at the school.

Part of the launch took place in a blacklight room with a chalk mural where students were welcome to add their own artwork or answer a question posed by the group, "If you had a room dedicated to you, what would be in it?"

The group also set up a video confessional room where students could say their opinion of the school on video, to be edited and posted on YouTube by one of the students in Behind the Canvas. Sadly, very few students would participate in the video project. Most were afraid to voice their true opinions on video, even after we offered to blur faces and alter voices. I was saddened by the fact that so many students are afraid to say what they think on a student forum.

Our hope is that Behind the Canvas will help to show students that they are not alone and give them the courage to speak up and advocate for positive change.