The art of dreaming big

After noticing the need for supplemental arts education for public high schools, Kansas artist Jennifer Marsh founded the International Fiber Collaborative — which also works to provide community art experiences and help individuals the world over find common ground. The collaborative uses the arts “as a vehicle for learning, collaboration, and inspiration” — and has completed all sorts of large-scale community art projects.

Its current endeavor, the “Dream Rocket Project,” was launched in 2008. It’s a collaborative fiber wrap expected to feature up to 8,000 panels created with a “dare to dream” theme that will be combined to wrap the Saturn V moon rocket in Huntsville, Alabama. The collaborative hails the project as “a tangible demonstration of the beauty of individuals collaborating to meet universal challenges.”

So far they’ve gathered panels from 331 cities, 45 states and 19 countries while providing a “catalyst for creativity” in health care facilities, libraries, schools, museums and other settings. The collaborative has developed related curriculum materials and facilitated artwork exchanges between students with diverse “living conditions, cultures and aspirations.”

Completed panels were exhibited this year at more than 42 sites, including our own Children’s Museum of Phoenix — which invited families to create panels for the project. Folks who missed the Arizona exhibit can still participate by sending their work directly to the IFC. Simply choose one of their dream themes, create a panel that meets IFC guidelines, write a brief essay explaining your artwork and send it their way. Click here for all the specifics.

The collaborative notes that the final work of fiber art will be wrapped around the rocket for a 60-day display during May and June of 2014, but has yet to announce a final date for submissions. Folks who’ve quilted know the process of putting panels together takes time, so don’t delay if you’d like your children — or a local school, youth group or arts organization — to get involved.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to see moving images of panels with a 9/11 memorial theme. To enjoy a taste of space in Arizona, visit the Arizona Challenger Space Center.

Coming up: The art of being small

Kids remember 9/11

This 9/11 Peace Story Quilt on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was designed by Faith Ringgold. It features three panels created by NYC students ages 8-19.

Folks in NYC have plenty of art-related opportunities to reflect on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this week. An art installation “made from 9/11 dust” and paintings “which contain ash from ground zero.” A quilt featuring NYC’s skyline and a quilt with three panels crafted by NYC students (pictured above). www.metmuseum.org.

A roving memorial called “Dances for Airports.” A concert for peace featuring the Juilliard String Quartet. A release of balloons inscribed with poetry in several languages. Even a human chain open to anyone who wants to join hands in Battery Park at 8:46am on Sept 10.

Work by a student from the Calhoun School class of 2006

My favorite events and exhibits feature the words and works of youth — like a series of collages created by 31 thirteen year olds who started 8th grade together at Calhoun School that tragic day. Their “9/11: Through Young Eyes,” a project coordinated by teachers Helen Bruno and Jessica Houston, will be exhibited at the D C Moore Gallery in Chelsea Sept 8 – Oct 8. www.dcmooregallery.com.

Several Arizona youth are participating in a community memorial service called “Moving Memories — Moving Forward.” The Sun, Sept 11 event is being presented by the Arizona Interfaith Movement, which seeks to “build bridges…through dialogue, service and the implementation of the Golden Rule.”

It’s taking place from 11:30am-12:30pm at the 9/11 memorial located at Wesley Bolin Plaza. The plaza is adjacent to the Arizona State Capitol at 17th Avenue and Adams Street just west of downtown Phoenix. Program highlights include remarks by Donna Killoughey Bird, a mother of two whose husband Gary Bird (a UA grad and longtime resident of Tempe) died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

High school student Kris Curtis will play the national anthem on trumpet after emcee Pat McMahon opens the ceremony. Following several prayers and speakers, ten children will “say the Golden Rule from ten different faith traditions.” www.azifm.org.

Eighth grade students from the Temple Emanu-El Kurn Religious School in Tucson will lead a “9/11 Interfaith Memorial Service” Sun, Sept 11 (10am) at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. www.handmaker.org.

A new book titled “Art for Heart: Remembering 9/11” (with introduction by Alice M. Greenwald) features drawings, murals, paintings and poems by children who were affected by the terrorist attack.

“The Day Our World Changed: Children’s Art of 9/11” (by Robin F. Goodman, Ph.D. and Andrea Henderson Fahnestock) began as a project of the New York Child Study Center in NYC. It was published several years ago, but it’s every bit as compelling today.

Many of the works featured in “The Day Our World Changed” have been donated to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in Lower Manhattan, which first opens for families on 9/11 this year. The general public can visit the museum (with pre-purchased tickets due to high demand) starting 9/12. My daughter Lizabeth plans to tour the museum this week with other students from Pace University. www.911memorial.org.

NBC airs a Darlow Smithson Productions documentary titled “Children of 9/11” tonight, Sept 5, but folks who miss it can watch local listings for rebroadcast information. More than 3,000 children lost a parent on 9/11, and this special follows 11 of them for a period of one year.

The Day Our World Changed includes this work by Matthew Sussman

If you missed the Sept 1 broadcast of “What Happened? The Story of September 11, 2001,” a 30-minute Nickelodeon program geared for younger viewers, you can watch it online — then read an online discussion guide created by psychologist Robin H. Gurwitch, Ph.D. for Nickelodeon and the American Psychological Association. www.nicknews.com and www.parentsconnect.com.

Stories of more than 40 twins who lost a sibling on 9/11 are the subject of a BBC Wales documentary titled “Twins of the Twin Towers.” It’s being broadcast on Sun, Sept 11 on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Be thoughtful, in the days ahead, about how much time you spend watching programs that show the traumatic events of 9/11 in graphic detail. Most aren’t suitable for children, and even kids who didn’t lose a loved one on 9/11 can feel traumatized by exposure to the events of that day.

— Lynn

Note: Donna Killoughey Bird will share her story several times in comings days. Hear her speak Tues, Sept 6 (noon) at the Mustang Library auditorium or Thurs, Sept 15 (6pm) at the Civic Center Library auditorium in Scottsdale (Register at www.scottsdaleaz.gov). Or meet her Sun, Sept 11 (3pm) at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, where she’ll be signing “Nothing Will Separate Us” (part of the proceeds go to scholarships, service awards and educational support for young adults). www.changinghands.com/event.

Coming up: 9/11 takes center stage, Children’s books inspired by 9/11

Update: Find a collection of children’s drawings from “The Day Our World Changed” at www.pbs.org/newshour/multimedia/911children

Art in the fast lane

This sculpture in downtown Phoenix is by Cliff Garten of L.A.

You might think the Valley METRO light rail system is merely a means for getting from here to there.

But it’s actually an impressive mix of art and science, making an afternoon spent riding the METRO a sort of mobile museum adventure that’s fun for all ages.

Seems the clever folks who design and develop such things strive to combine safety and efficiency with aesthetic elements that promote neighborhood pride and cultural identity.

The Urban Design Task Force that planned and designed the Valley’s first light rail system included local architects, engineers, environmental experts and artists.

Their work was guided in part by more than 100 volunteers working on various panels and committees.

Valley METRO credits the 28 artists involved in creating artwork for various stations with helping to make the light rail a “celebration of place and community.”

Artists hail from around Arizona, and from other states including New York, California, Washington and North Carolina.

You’ll see the diversity of their work as you travel around the Valley via light rail — whether you’re traveling across 19th Avenue, Central Avenue, Washington Street, Apache Boulevard or beyond.

I enjoy "HANDS" by Suikang Zhao of New York each time I travel along Apache Blvd. in Tempe

My own personal favorite is a 21-foot high sculpture titled “Hands” by New York artist Suikang Zhao — which is part of a larger installation (“The Space Between”) created by four artists in collaboration.

I see it each time I drive to and from performances at ASU Gammage, or travel between Scottsdale and Tempe for other purposes — like enjoying Essence Bakery or Changing Hands Bookstore.

You can sneak a peak at various works on the Valley METRO website, but the best way to experience public art is to grab your kiddos and just go. Take a camera, a poetry journal, a sketch pad or just your imaginations.

You’ll see all sorts of themes — like air and water, time and space, language and culture. A large circular sculpture titled “Landmark” at a downtown Phoenix stop reflects “the Hopi belief that life is a circle that we each enter at a particular place.”

Public art is like vegetables. Kids need to know that corn and peas come from the ground, not from a can. And they need to know that the works of art and design we too often take for granted are created by people sharing individual and collective stories and ideas. They don’t just fall from the sky.

You'll see "A Thousand Points of Reference" by Phoenix artist Michael Maglich when you visit Burton Barr Central Library

I’m especially intrigued by the backstory of the Smith-Martin and Apache Metro stop in Tempe, another collaboration of four artists — this one including Dan Corson’s “Carpet of Languages,” which references the 70 languages spoken in the area.

Materials used by these artists range from glazed tiles and sand-cast bronze to red granite and steel railings. While one incorporates a quilt theme, another embraces historical photos of the surrounding community.

It might make for an especially fun outing if your child needs inspiration for using art supplies received during the holidays — or if you want to help your teen think through issues of identity and design as he or she starts to redecorate a bedroom or study space.

Let family members help plan the route. Your children might discover an intriguing museum alongside one or more of the Valley METRO stops, whereas your teens might uncover some trendy coffee joints where they can gather with friends tired of meeting at the mall.

And you might just discover that riding the light rail is more than a mere convenience — it’s actually a rather creative enterprise.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and their position on art and design in public transportation.

Coming up: I-Spy: Sculpture style

Photos: Valley METRO