press release march 2010
(< Return to Press Releases)Artistry of CSMA Students and Teachers on Exhibit at Mountain View City Hall
(Mountain View, CA) Students and their CSMA art teachers at schools in Mountain View, Los Altos and other local communities have been hard at work creating art just in time for national "March for Arts Education" month, a celebration of the importance of providing children with arts education. The result is a teacher/student collaborative exhibition called The City Show. The show, which presents a colorful mix of paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages and more, is open to the public through March 21, 2010 at City Hall, Rotunda, 500 Castro St, Mountain View. City Hall is open Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm. The free public exhibit is sponsored by the City of Mountain View Visual Arts Committee and the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA).
On display will be more than 300 pieces of art by students (GR 1-8) and their CSMA art teacher from 17 local schools, including every public Mountain View Whisman District elementary school (Bubb, Castro, Huff, Landels, Monta Loma, Stevenson, Theuerkauf) and Yew-Chung School in Mountain View, as well as Springer School (Los Altos School District), Montclaire School (Cupertino School District), Costano School (Ravenswood School District), St. Nicholas (Los Altos Hills), The Academy (San Jose), Baywood (San Mateo), Murdock-Portal (San Jose), Resurrection (Sunnyvale) and St. Josephs (Cupertino). All of the children receive weekly art instruction through CSMA’s in-school program Arts in Action.
“The City Show explores activities that people are involved in when they live or visit a city, as well as the physical ‘look’ of cities, from architecture to street landscapes, from stores and businesses to well- known city landmarks,” said Cal Cullen, CSMA’s Art in the Schools Program Coordinator. “This annual teacher-student collaborative project culminates in a wonderful community exhibit, but it also represents much more,” said Cullen. “Students come to see their teacher as an ‘artist’ and learn how to draw inspiration from an idea or concept to create art.” Teachers used a piece of their own artwork as inspiration for the lesson.
The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center serves more than 6,000 children annually through its in-school programs Arts in Action and Music in the Schools/Music in Action. Since 1981, these programs, offered as part of the curriculum day in schools in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, have engaged youth through an in-depth, sequential curriculum. CSMA’s visual arts and music educators teach weekly, hands-on classes and professional musicians present interactive concerts. Funding is provided by the City of Mountain View, school districts, individual schools, parent organizations, foundations, corporations, California Arts Council, and CSMA donors. In the Mountain View Whisman School District, major funding for CSMA’s art and music programs is provided by the Mountain View Educational Foundation.
Founded in 1968, CSMA is the largest non-profit provider of arts education programs in the region and is among the top 10 schools of its kind in the nation. The school is committed to providing Arts for All, regardless of age, level, background or economic means. CSMA reaches more than 40,000 people annually through: lessons, classes and camps in music, visual and digital arts; arts-in-the-schools programs; after-school art clubs; free family concerts, lectures, exhibits and other community outreach events. In keeping with its mission to make the arts accessible to all, the school’s Financial Aid Program awards approximately $275,000 annually through tuition assistance and program subsidies. In January 2004, CSMA opened its first permanent home at Finn Center, an $11.7 million, state-of-the-art facility located at 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View.
For more info about the exhibition The City Show (through March 21, 2010) at Mountain View City Hall, Rotunda, 500 Castro St., contact Cal Cullen, CSMA Art in the Schools Program Coordinator, at 650-917-6800, ext. 308 (ccullen@art4all.org) or see www.arts4all.org.