Hardy Gallery Announces 2009/2010 Exposure to Creativity Program

The Hardy Gallery in Ephraim, in conjunction with Friends of Gibraltar (FOG) and the Peninsula School of Art (PSA), is pleased to announce preparations for its Exposure to Creativity (ETC) program. The arts mentorship program for Gibraltar High School students will launch for the 2009/2010 season on Tuesday, October 27. The program will run for a period of six weeks.

The ETC program, established in 2007, pairs the high school students of Gibraltar with experienced local artists for specialized learning in a variety of creative fields. In the 2008 – 2009 ETC program, over 200 Gibraltar students participated in two different half-day workshops taught by 23 area arts professionals both at the school and off-campus at an artist’s workshop or studio. After the initial workshops, 13 students were matched with five artistic mentors.

For the 2009 – 2010 school year, all Gibraltar freshmen will participate in a “sampler” of creative workshops, most of which will take place at the Peninsula School of Art, with the sophomore through senior students making selections for two half-day workshops similar to previous years.

“We are excited to partner with the PSA in order to bring the students a better experience,” says Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, the Hardy Gallery’s Executive Director.

The last half-day workshop on November 17 will conclude with an all-school assembly program presented by ComedySportz, a motivational comedy group. After these workshops have been completed, the small group/mentor workshops will be formed at the beginning of 2010.

The collaboration between the Hardy Gallery, FOG, and PSA has been a vital one through the inception of the ETC program, and this year, the three organizations will expand to work with the Door County chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The FOG always centers its programming on a theme, and the theme for the 2009/2010 year is Service Learning, a term that combines community service with regular classroom activity. Through the ETC program, the participants will create artwork (in collaboration with the homeowners) that will hang in the homes built by Habitat for Humanity this year.

For more information concact The Hardy Gallery at 920.854.2210 or visit http://www.thehardy.org.