Artists help North Bend students explore creatively

Published 3:59 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

Three professional artists recently wrapped up a six-week residence at North Bend Elementary School where they helped children make the connection between science, history, art and creativity.

As part of the Artist in Residence, or AIR, program, Lynne Creed, Sam Sinanan and Crystal Prin worked with 600 North Bend K-5 students over six weeks between May 1 and June 8, helping the children turn out more than 1,400 art projects including wire sculpture, clay, metal tooling and print-making.

“It’s been a tremendous enrichment program,” North Bend principal Jim Frazier said.

Lessons tied in with what children are learning in their regular classrooms. Second graders studying South America, for example, made a rain forest picture with a crayon technique, while third graders exploring the life cycle of the Puget Sound salmon made transparent Haida Native American-style salmon art.

“I love the idea of a child learning a new concept where every subject involves a central theme,” Creed said. “It’s the consistency of a theme that lets a timid learner venture out further than they would normally go.”

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