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On Thursday, May 17th, at 7pm, Writers in the Schools (WITS) students will share their art-inspired creative writing at the Menil Collection. This reading, called The Watchful Eye, will feature stories, essays, and poems that come out of a collaborative project called Writing at the Menil. The event is free, and the public is welcome.
–Inspired by the Cy Twombly Gallery
Cy Twombly "Untitled Parts III and IV" 1988
I feel the sorrow going through my veins
as I jump into the pond.
I sink, the crystal clear tree
reflecting in the lake.
I fall with my joyless life,
sink and sink into the green.
I land on a fish. We
swim into an underwater land.
My sorrowful face turns
joyful, like finding a smiling pot of gold.
There is no hole in my heart anymore;
gray rainy clouds suddenly break
into blue, a gold flaming sun.
by Malia, 4th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Jasmin Rubio, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary in Houston.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
The winners of the ARTlines competition for ekphrastic poetry (poetry inspired by art)
ARTlines is a juried competition organized by Public Poetry in collaboration with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). Nine works of art were selected by the MFAH curatorial staff, and the competition invited poets to submit original poems inspired by these artworks.
The winning poems will be showcased at an event at 3:00 PM in the Brown Auditorium at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston on Saturday, April 21, 2012, and will also be featured in audio recordings, print and electronic media. The five judges, as well as some acclaimed, nationally recognized poets, will be invited to present ekphrastic poems as well.
Additional information about the competition winners and Saturday, April 21 event is available here.
Landscape sketch (Photo credit: Johan92100)
Today I am different.
As I view an ant on a gentle leaf,
I feel as if I am strangely different.
I feel like the ant is normal, like
doing homework.
The paper would be a magnificent landscape
with ink and lead to be its grass and trees.
As the grass grows, the pencil works harder and
the same for shimmering green trees with
the red and fiery cardinals.
The spring brings flowers up like me on
a trampoline, the winter brings snowflakes like
a man that is parachuting, the summer brings
the sun like a giant fireball, and the fall
brings leaves like a blockade of fiery arrows.
As this beautiful paper world grows, I become
more unlike my past self. This is
always meaning that when my imagination
grows, everything grows with it.
By Alex, 5th grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Helen Huneycutt, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.
Smile
Play
Breathe
Master of All!
by Sai, Kindergarten
You see the world
as brilliant,
simply stunning!
by Raechell, 10th grade
Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park Emerging Artists Program
An Invitation to Houston Area Art Teachers and Students!
The Bayou City Art Festival invites currently enrolled high school students to submit art installation proposals. The 2012 Emerging Artist Program features outdoor, site-specific student work. Selected applicants will display their artwork at the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park, March 23 – 25, 2012.
The Emerging Artist Program provides promising student artists with an exceptional opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional venue, interact with talented artists, and experience the jury process.
Submission Rules:
All student proposals must be approved and submitted by a teacher.
All applications must be complete with information form, sketch, and proposed budget.
Individual student proposals are encouraged, group proposals of up to five (5) students are allowed.
Proposed installations must withstand inclement weather or have proper covering in case of wind and rain. Please note that installations cannot be attached to park trees or disturb the natural surroundings of the park.
The deadline for proposal submission is Friday, February 10, 2012.
The selected ten (10) installation proposals will receive a $200 stipend for materials and construction costs. The festival judges will judge the Emerging Artists installations on-site and award certificates and prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. First prize: $200 for the artist and $200 for the school. Second prize: $150 for the artist and $150 for the school. Third prize: $100 for the artist and $100 for the school.
For more information e-mail Sarah House, at sarah@bayoucityartfestival.com.
Target by Jasper Johns
Subject = Adventure
The final deadline for entries is March 31, 2012. Children are encouraged to submit their work to Houston-Texas-Online as soon as possible. They will receive 10 extra points if they submit their work prior to December 31, 2011. These extra points will count toward the final judging.
Entries will be displayed on the web site once they are received so more people will be able to admire their work.
AGE Children in grades 1 & 2 (also those who are 6 years old and not yet in 1st grade during the year of the contest) are eligible.
Children in grades 3 – 5 (also children in 6th grade who are 12 years of age any time during the year of the contest) are eligible.
QUALIFICATIONS Children must be residents of Harris or Fort Bend County, Texas and may attend public or private school or be home schooled.
REGISTRATION Any child who plans to enter the contest should be registered as soon as possible. You may simply send an email with the child’s name, grade, age and parent’s contact information.
ENTRIES 1st-2nd Grade – may compete in art. Only one entry may be submitted per child.
3rd-5th Grade – may choose only one category – either art, poetry or short stories. Only one entry may be submitted per child.
ART WORK Art work must not exceed 18″ x 24″ and may be media of the child’s choice. If you are considering submitting art work other than water color, oils, pastels, chalk, crayons, colored pencils, etc., please send an email describing the type of art you are considering so that we may verify if it would be acceptable.um number of entries in each category = 100. The first 100 entries received will be eligible. Please submit your work as early as possible.
Original art entries should be delivered to Linda Moore. Please contact Linda when you have an art entry ready to drop off and she will furnish you the location.
POETRY Poetry must be neat and easy to read and limited to one single page. It is preferable if the entry is typed and double-spaced (Times roman, 12 pt), but may also be printed if child does not have access to a computer and printer.
SHORT STORIES Short stories is a new category for 2012. Short stories should be no longer than two single pages, preferable typed (Times Roman, 12 pt.) and double spaced. If child does not have access to a computer and printer, they may print as long is it is very legible and limited to two single pages.
Entries for poetry and short stories may be emailed to Linda Moore or you may contact Linda for mailing instructions or address for personal delivery.
Each entry must have an entry form completely filled out in order to be eligible.
IMPORTANT Do not put the child’s name or any other personal information on the “front” of the entry or they may be disqualified.
ENTRY FORMSEntry forms must be completely filled out and attached to the back of the entry
To print out an entry form, click here
If you cannot print the entry form, you may type or print the following information and either tape, tack or staple to the back of the submission
ddressAWARDS CEREMONY Children must attend the awards ceremony to receive their awards. In case of an emergency, another family member or their teacher may accept the award for them.
The WITS Celebration of Story will be held at 7pm on Thursday, November 3rd, and proceeds from this fundraising event will provide year-long literary programs for low-income children. 15 Houston artists have donated work for the silent auction. The list includes Wendy Wagner, Nicola Parente, and Liz Conces Spencer. Here are a few of the works that will be sold:
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Organic Peaceby Richard Varela |
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The Wheel of Life (Dripping Springs) 2011by Van McFarland |
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Untitled, 2011by Michael Guidry |
National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a coast-to-coast celebration of culture in America. Held every October and coordinated by Americans for the Arts, NAHM is the largest celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation.
President Obama issued a White House proclamation that states that “we must recognize the contributions of the arts and humanities not only by supporting the artists of today, but also by giving opportunities to the creative thinkers of tomorrow.”
Writers in the Schools (WITS) is offering a second price reduction for qualifying schools.Through a generous donation from the Simmons Foundation, Writers in the Schools (WITS) announces a second price reduction for the 2011-2012 school year. The new price—which is nearly half of last year’s fee—is available for Title 1 schools with 60% or more students eligible for the free/reduced lunch plan. The discount is available on a first-come first-served basis.
Why consider WITS? Research has shown that students who complete the WITS program perform better on standardized tests than their counterparts. Over 10 years of data collected by University of St. Thomas Professor Dr. Carl Scott indicates that students who complete the WITS program demonstrate:
than those who did not participate in the program. In a new study called “The Effect of Creative Learning on Student Achievement” by the Houston Arts Partners found that WITS students maintain:
If you choose WITS for your school, we will tailor the project to fit your needs.. The cost of the program includes:
Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is accepting applications from exceptionally talented Texas youth (8th-11th grade) for its Young Masters grant program.Students of all artistic disciplines, including creative writing, may apply for this competitive grant program. The most talented young artists will receive the title of Young Master and will be given grants of up to $2,500 per year for two years to further their advanced studies in their chosen arts disciplines.
Applications for the Young Masters program may be obtained on the TCA website by clicking here. All applications and support documents must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011.
Ten WITS writers, adults and students, will speak out at the Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA) on Friday, Sept. 16th.
MECA, an organization that emphasizes justice, diversity, and creativity through arts and cultural programming, presents a synergy of visual and literary works through WAR, featuring written responses to photography by artist Pablo Bobbio. The exhibit opens Friday, September 16 at 7:00 PM, at the MECA Dow School Campus, 1900 Kane Street, with a reception and reading by poets and writers from Writers in the Schools, Flamenco Poets Society, and emerging poets. Admission is free and open to the public.
MECA describes WAR as an attempt “to provide a warning cry where voices may have an echo. WAR is composed of 20 photo montages composed by the artist Pablo Bobbio and exposes through metaphorical language, the significance of wars as expressed by a group of writers and poets. These men and women inspired by Bobbio’s striking images, use written language to express situations that impede liberty, the necessity for reason and the need for ethics. Sixty writers and poets from 18 countries around the world generously accompanied the completion of the portfolio: WAR Writers 20 to 20 Photos. The road show is scheduled to take place in the country of origin of the participants, beginning in 2011 in Latin America, from Argentina to Cuba with the idea of continuing to Europe, from Portugal to Finland, during the years 2012 and 2013.”
Please join WITS in honoring this important work. For more information, visit Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA).
