Door County Art Scene: Hardy Brings Arts Mentor Program to Gibraltar High School

The Francis Hardy Center for the Arts is pleased to announce preparations for its ETC (Exposure to Creativity) Arts Mentorship Program, set to launch at the end of January and run for a period of six weeks.

The ETC Arts Mentorship Program, established in 2007, matches high school students in the Gibraltar Area School district with experienced local artists for specific learning in a variety of creative art disciplines (e.g. visual, performing, literary, etc.). The free program teaches the arts in ways that encourage imagination, inspiring students to expand personal horizons, strengthen their academic success and achieve potential career goals.

“The Door Peninsula’s extensive and vibrant arts community provides the necessary support for the program,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, executive director. “Not only is the student need there, but it also provides an opportunity for local artists to do educational work during the off-season. It’s all about aligning needs and resources,” she continued.

The multi-faceted ETC program also consists of a series of hands-on workshops. On Nov. 4 and 18, 2008, with the support of Friends of Gibraltar, Gibraltar High School, the Peninsula School of Art, and community partners, the Hardy provided all high school students their choice of two half-day arts-focused workshops. In total, 26 workshops were presented in a variety of creative fields that included painting (pastels, oils and watercolors), fibers, photography (digital and black and white), dance (jazz and ballet), theater, poetry, sculpture, music, filmmaking and fashion design.

Since the ETC program’s debut, the Hardy has afforded free opportunities to more than 350 northern Door County students.

For more information about the Hardy, visit http://www.thehardy.org, call 920.854.2210 or email [email protected].