Loyal to you Chilton High…

Back in the 80’s this is the place where it all began for Professor Barany, down in the bellows of Chilton High Schools visual art department. The old CHS campus and many of Barany’s exceptional faculty are now retired, but CHS is thriving with remarkable new faculty and a fantastic modern facility.

Professor Barany promised his old art instructor, Mr. Randy Sarasin, that someday he would bring the knowledge and technology needed for animation back to CHS. It took Barany 20 years to keep his promise, but the debt was payed-off this week with the presentation of PI to the creative workaholics at CHS. Mrs. Jane Schmitz now heads the visual component at Barany’s alma mater, and she wonderfully offers a diversified curriculum to her motivated students. Traditional through technological media offerings challenge her students as they work through 2D, 3D and even 4D principles at CHS.

Chilton should be proud that the strength of the Sarasin legacy is now in continuum through the commitment and diversity that Mrs. Schmitz now brings to the CHS community. PI would also like to acknowledge the passion of Barany’s primary art instructor, Mrs. Judy Sarasin at the Chilton Elementary & Middle School. Mrs. Sarasin’s devoted a great deal of her life’s work to the Chilton community by sharing her passion for the arts with the children of the area since 1972 – thank you for everything!

Vielen dank for the sentimental journey!

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundation
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

Power in numbers….

Just off the northern shores of mighty lake Winnebago lies Neenah High School, with its massive population of 2,500 students. Project Identity was warmly hosted by faculty member Jody Harrell. With the assistance of her cohorts, Mrs. Harrell and NHS was able to deliver the largest population of participants thus far for the collaboration. It was a mad, crazy, focused frenzy of productivity for an entire two days as the students at NHS produced more animation than any other program to date.

The dynamic art program at NHS delivers both quantity and quality to nearly 1,000 students enrolled in their visual programming. MIAD’s relationship with this blooming program continues to strengthen and grow, just as their impressive student artwork does that was visible in all of the visual art studios. It was easy to observe that creativity blooms throughout this phenomenal program. Both the visual art and drama students at NHS worked together helping to plow through nearly 500 drawings producing nearly a full minute of animation during PI’s residency.

A sincere thank you to Mrs. Harrell, her fellow faculty, and all of the students who gave it their ‘all’ for two intense days of controlled chaos!

In continuum,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

Sobering reality…

Project Identity was designed to reach as many youth as possible – regardless of class, race or societal borders. This week the gates were opened and all borders breached as PI made its way into the Ethan Allen School for Boys. In short, it is ‘prison’ for delinquent youth aged 12 years or older to the Department of Corrections (DOC) in a Type 1 secured juvenile correctional facility (JCI). Getting into this facility meant that Professor Barany had to surrender a great deal of his equipment just to get inside. The strict security at EAS easily surpassed the minor hurdles that PI has experienced with airport security throughout the project.

Generally at EAS, a juvenile court order is for one year with the possibility of extensions up to the age of 18 years. Youth who committed especially serious crimes may be committed for 5 years or until the age of 25 years depending on the crime. In some cases, a criminal court places a convicted youth in a JCI when the youth is under 16 years old. The Federal Bureau of Prisons also places a few juveniles in Wisconsin JCI’s.

Ethan Allen School provides individualized culturally sensitive programming based upon the uniqueness of each youth, utilizes the concepts of restorative justice, affirms that staff are key to successful programming and positive treatment outcomes, provides a safe environment for staff and youth, and maintains partnerships with families, counties and community agencies.

Personal identity is stripped away from these young people as the program is designed to re-build them for transition back into society. Some of the most powerful writings and spoken word excerpts for PI have come from the young men being rehabilitated at Ethan Allen. It was clear to observe from their work that many of them, have already lived an entire lifetime. A sincere thank you to the administration and faculty members involved with getting PI inside the secured perimeter at Ethan Allen.

Forever changed,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu
 

Priming the creative spirit…

Project Identity was hosted by a dynamic program during its last stop on the East Coast this week. The Carver Center for Arts and Technology provides a supportive Community for students with talent and interest in arts and technology. The school prepares students for college and career choices by immersing them in rigorous programs which are implemented through the interrelationship of arts, technology, academics, and field experiences.

Students at Carver audition for select ‘Primes’ that include Business, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Dance, Literary Arts, Acting, Design & Production, Visual Arts (General Fine Arts, Digital Filmmaking, Multimedia) and Vocal Performance. This place is a visual powerhouse, and was recently awarded by the College Board as having the best studio arts program in the world among similar-sized high schools. A special thanks to Digital Filmmaking faculty Ms. Nino Leselidze, for quickly organizing and hosting PI on its whirlwind tour through the area.

Amazed in Maryland,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Founations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

Anchors aweigh…

Project Identity made its way up the Chesapeake Bay docking just a furlong down the road from the Norfolk Naval Base. Nestled within the Old Dominion University campus, PI discovered the dynamic programming of The Governor’s School for the Arts. GSA offers a wide range of artistic disciplines including, Dance, Musical Theatre, Theatre, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music and the Visual Arts.

The GSA Visual Arts programming provides a wide range of artistic experiences in order to allow students to explore their interests and potential in varied media/styles and techniques. This spirited program helps students develop a strong conceptual basis as well as the technical skills necessary for creating and evaluating sophisticated works of art. This was evident in the strength of work found throughout the GSA facility and was deeply imbedded within their students portfolios.
A special thanks to Vic Frailing for helping to organize a last-minute MIAD presentation and for allowing the GSA animation students to fully participate in PI’s collaborative programming.

In Continuum,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

The mighty ocean deep…

The Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School is designed for talented high school students who have the dedication and enthusiasm to pursue an intense and structured study in the visual arts. This dynamic program offers a curriculum that guides student development with skills, concepts, and imaginative exploration in a wide variety of media and techniques.

Students experience courses in drawing, painting, digital graphic design, photographic multi-media imaging, ceramics, sculpture, digital imaging, metalsmithing, architecture, product design, production and animation. This young academy is starting to show its mighty strength in both breadth and depth, as was clearly evident through the supremacy of the student portfolios that Professor Barany had the pleasure to review.


Project Identity was warmly embraced by the talented VPAA participants and was greeted with zest by faculty members Philip Holman and Christopher Buhner. It should be clearly noted that this program successfully participated in all aspects of PI from the early writing and ideation prompts through all of the video and rotoscoping requirements. PI extends a sincere thank you to all of the students and faculty that made this possible at VPAA in Virginia Beach.

From the Atlantic Seaboard,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu