BUSY SUMMER AT THE GRACE

This summer, The Grace Museum stayed busy with various outreach programs, teacher workshops, and camps for children.

June was filled with the Marcus Summer Institute, and the first
installation of Dino Camp. July had dinosaur-themed teacher workshops, the Marcus Texas Heritage Print Set workshop, and the final installment of Dino Camp. August finished the summer with another dinosaur teacher workshop and our first Stayin’ After School session for the 2003-04 Academic Year. Other activities included various docent trainings and outreach sessions throughout the summer.

This summer’s Marcus Institute was entitled Order in the Universe: Integrating Art and Math. Dr. Bill McCarter, retired Regent Professor of Art at the University of North Texas, Nancy Walkup, art educator and scholar from Denton, Patti Blue, AISD Curriculum Specialist, and Karie Hill from the Crayola Corporation were key speakers during the three-day event. This intensive workshop prepared and informed teachers of the benefits of integrating art and math in the classroom.

The Grace Academy was separated into areas of watercolor workshops lead by Emily Arnot, AISD Elementary Art Educator, and Dino Camp lead by Grace staff and area teachers. The watercolor workshops attracted 60 students throughout the month of June. The two sessions of Dino Camp (June 23-27 and July 21-25) combined art and dinosaurs serving around 120 students.

Three summer workshops featured dinosaurs to coincide with the Dinosaurs of Texas exhibit. The final dino workshop of the summer on August 5, featured Scott Clark, local paleontologist, educator and member of the Bonehead Paleontology Club, educating teachers about fossils, casting, and various elements of paleontology.

Dr. Bill McCarter returned in late July to speak on the Texas Heritage Print Set which is distributed through The Grace's Marcus Project. Not only did each teacher become educated on the set, but they also received a set for use in their classrooms.

The summer officially ended with our first Stayin' After School of the year, featuring our Dinosaurs of Texas exhibit.

This summer, 4,482 visitors from educational, daycare or other groups toured The Grace.

New Faces at The Grace:

Education Staff

This summer, The Grace Museum received a whole new Education staff. Melissa Green, Kathryn Best, and Pamela Harman all came on board within a month of one another. Melissa Green is now the new Marcus Project Director. Green received her B.A. in theatre and journalism from Hardin-Simmons University in 2000, and her M.A. from Southwest Texas State University in theatre history/criticism this past May. She is a strong supporter of integration of arts and art in the classroom and feels blessed to have this job.

Kathryn Best, Curator of Education, is an Abilene native. Best received her B.A. in history and English from William Jewell College in 2000. In 2002, she earned her Master's degree in history with a certificate of museum studies. She spent the last year working at a historic property in Maryland, and is glad to be reunited with her family and the dry heat of Abilene.

Pamela Harman serves as Educational Programs Coordinator working with school tours and various educational activities for children and youth. She received her B.S. and M.Ed. in education from Middle Tennessee State University. She is a K-12 certified teacher and has also taught at Texas A&M and McMurry. Marianne Wood continues to serve as Museum Art Educator. She manages the outreach program, works on various art education activities, and assists the new education staff.

Please welcome these new faces at The Grace.

Distance Learning Program Launched

The Grace Museum has raced into the 21st century, with the help of Region XIV ESC, in launching a Distance Learning program.

Tommy Bearden, Region XIV Distance Learning Consultant, approached The Grace Museum in becoming a partner in this new facet of education earlier this summer. By early August, Distance Learning company ID Solutions sent Chief Learning Officer Linda Lentz to train The Grace DL team on procedures and curriculum development. On August 11, The Grace made its first transmission to teachers in Sweetwater to share and promote this new program.

The Grace DL team is comprised of staff members Kathryn Best, Judy Godfrey, Melissa Green, Pam Harman, Holly North, Marianne Wood and James Yasko, as well as local teacher Sharon Baird of Merkel Middle School.

The team has been preparing for their first DL teaching session involving the exhibit Dinosaurs of Texas. The program, created for 3rd through 8th graders, will teach students about geologic time, fossilization, classification, and paleontology. The Grace expects its first transmission by mid-to-late September to Region XIV area schools, and plans to broadcast nationwide in October.

Family Dino Day
October 11th
10 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Junior League of Abilene

• Tour our Dinosaurs of Texas exhibit with your family!
• Dino George will speak on “Prehistoric Texas” with fossil samples
  to show!
• Young Audiences of Abilene will perform their new play “Them
  Bones!”
• Plus, Dino Dig, Art Activities, and much more!
• FREE Admission!

Summer Outreach Program

By Marianne Wood, with Melissa Green Outreach docents completed science and art-related projects with nearly 650 students this summer. Partnering with the City of Abilene, The Grace Museum sent Judy Wilson, Marilyn Gullett, Beverly Kimbrough, Susan Perry, Sandy Perry, Lou Streeter, Melissa Green, James Yasko, and Marianne Wood to create dinosaur eggs and photographic prints with students who visit thecity's five recreation centers and six satellite sites. Students learned about dinosaur habitats, their differing kinds of shells, and combined this knowledge with art techniques. A Goodfellows Grant from the Community Foundation of Abilene provided funding for the supplies, teachers, and also busing students to the museum for tours of the Dinosaurs of Texas exhibit. School outreach visits will resume soon.

Marcus Project Staff

Melissa Green 673-4587x111
melissa_green@thegracemuseum.org

Marianne Wood 673-4587x101
marianne_wood@thegracemuseum.org

Pamela Harman 673-4587x114
pamela_harman@thegracemuseum.org

Kathryn Best 673-4587x108
kbest@thegracemuseum.org

Judy Godfrey 673-4587x105
judy_godfrey@thegracemuseum.org

Art Education Projects Funded in part by:

• The Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation
• The Texas Commission on the Arts
• Abilene ISD
• Wylie ISD
• Abilene Cultural Affairs Council