McConnell Arts Center Assists 4-H with Art Book

WORTHINGTON, Ohio, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --  On the surface, they seem unlikely partners.

Ohio 4-H has a traditional reputation, as one executive said, for "cows and cooking."

The Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center has a reputation for, well, great art.

Looks can be deceiving, however, as the two entities have combined to create a new art instructional book that will help 4-H members across the country with art projects.

"This has been a terrific partnership and the result is a truly beautiful and needed book," said Jon Cook, executive director of the McConnell Arts Center. "This extends our artistic reach. We are able to contribute to the delivery of art education to all corners of the country."

The Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center is a contemporary, multidisciplinary facility presenting and promoting the performing, visual and digital arts in Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. Opened just two years ago, the center offers a series of performances, exhibitions and classes, and cultural opportunities in renovated, 20,000-square foot former school building. The facility includes a 213 seat theatre, an exhibition gallery, four classrooms, a digital imaging studio, a dance studio and rotating exhibitions sprinkled throughout the facility.

The book - Getting Started in Art - will be available nationally through Ohio 4-H, beginning Jan. 1.

Getting Started in Art is the first new art book produced by 4-H in a decade and marks a larger commitment to the arts by an organization that has its roots in agriculture. The book walks 4-H members through the steps of creating an art project for local and state competitions.

The book is the brainchild of Bob Horton, an extension specialist for Educational Design and Science Education at Ohio 4-H and a member of the McConnell Arts Center board of directors. Horton said it is a critical time for art education in Ohio and around the country.

"When a school district experiences economic problems and has to cut back in the classroom, art is usually one of the first classes to get the axe," Horton said. "4-H is picking up the slack for many kids interested in art. This book will help guide them through the principles of art education."

Horton noted that the book can be used by a fourth grader or a senior in high school. "The principles are the same, but obviously a senior in high school would create a more sophisticated project," he said.

The project was funded by grants from Ohio State University and the McConnell Foundation. Horton asked the McConnell Arts Center to coordinate the project.

Michelle Geissbuhler, CEO of Goat Hill Productions, a Columbus, Ohio, marketing firm, oversaw production of the book. Art teachers from Worthington City Schools, vetted the book, making sure it covered all the salient aspects of an art publication and met state art curriculum guidelines.

As part of the newly formed relationship with 4-H, associates of the McConnell Arts Center will help judge the art competition at the 2012 Ohio State Fair. The winners will be featured in an exhibit at the McConnell Arts Center.

To learn more about the diverse performing, visual and educational programming at the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center, visit www.mcconnellarts.org.

CONTACT:
Robin Yocum
614.378.3286

SOURCE McConnell Arts Center