Carmichaels Area School District showcases ‘pop can’ art
Carmichaels Elementary Center principal Marc Berry, metalsmith and teaching artist Lindsay Huff and DVSSP director of prevention Alexandra Brooks stand beside a large, collaborative “pop can” mural crafted by fifth graders inside the school. The finished works were revealed during a special ceremony May 31. (Photo courtesy of Leslie Orbin)
A “pop can” mural by Carmichaels fifth grade students hangs in the Mighty Mike elementary hallway. The art project was made possible thanks to the Arts in Education Partnership by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the THRIVE Project. (Photos courtesy of Leslie Orbin)
Courtesy Leslie Orbin
Courtesy Leslie Orbin
Carmichaels fifth grade students sculpt cans and prepare to attach them, with hammers, to a mural background as part of a collaborative art effort through the Arts in Education Partnership by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), with additional support by Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania (DVSSP) and the (THRIVE) Project.
Courtesy Leslie Orbin
Courtesy Leslie Orbin
Carmichaels students size upcycled pop cans donated by the community as part of a “pop can” mural project earlier this year. The collaborative project offered students the opportunity to work with new materials and skillsets, and fifth-grade-made murals now hang in the elementary center hallways.
Carmichaels Area Elementary School’s hallways are a little more colorful thanks to the efforts of fifth grade students, whose collaborative art projects now decorate hallways throughout the building.
The three large, colorful and school-spirted murals composed of upcycled materials like pop cans and wood were revealed to students, staff and community members during a special ceremony May 31.
“On the day that we revealed the art pieces, you could see such excitement and happiness from our students. They were extraordinarily proud of their efforts, and we are so proud of them,” elementary center principal Marc Berry said in a press release.
The murals were made possible through the Arts in Education Partnership by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), with additional support by Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania (DVSSP) and Tool for Health & Resilience In Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE) Project, which engages communities, prioritizes needs and implements action plans to improve overall health and safety.
Lindsay Huff, a metalsmith and teaching artist with the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, led Dave Bates, Brittney Bell, Tymme Freeman, Kathy Hillsman, Crystal Pratt and their students in mural creation.
Before art got underway, representatives from DVSSP and CASD discussed the project with students and staff and brainstormed ideas for mural subjects. The team met with Huff to plan the designs, and the community was invited to join in the fun by collecting cans for use in the artworks.
Fifth grade students crafted mini murals to learn the process before diving into the large-scale collaborative murals.
Together, classmates sculpted soda cans, hammered those cans onto wood and painted the mural backgrounds.
“Using tools like hammers and pliers is a novel experience in the classroom, and allows for students to see how everyday materials can be used in creative ways, which may connect with outside interests or spark curiosity about career choice,” Huff said in a news release. “A mosaic mural also serves as a beautiful metaphor for creating community in parallel with artmaking. The process allows students and teachers to work side by side, all learning together, and demonstrates that every small piece counts and contributes to something greater.”
The greater works, those big pieces of “pop can” art showcasing fifth grade talent and collaboration, will hang in Carmichaels’s halls for years to come, and the district plans to add to its student-created collection. Thanks to the THRIVE Project, DVSSP received additional funding from the CDC Delta Ahead program to keep the artwork projects going for the next five years.
CASD plans to host an annual artist residency for its fifth grade classes and provide additional arts and cultural expression opportunities in the community while working to address economic and housing security in the area.
“These pieces of art help reflect the legacy that this fifth grade class has left at our elementary school, and we can’t wait for the students to stop by next year, and as they progress through middle and high school, to see these artistic masterpieces,” Berry said.