Students help local art program
By LIZ LANG
News Writer
Late in January, St. John the Baptist Elementary School approached Robert Sedlack's graphic design class and his special studies graphics design class with the task of helping a struggling fine arts program.
St. John's believes that "the arts play an instrumental role in the creative processing and problem solving skills of developing minds," according to their request for assistance. The school, however, does not have the funding to properly achieve their goal alone.
Sedlack, an `89 graduate of the Notre Dame graphic design program, and the eight graphic design majors gladly offered to help the school.
On March 31, the Notre Dame graphic designers first went to the school to introduce the projects to the fifth through eighth graders who would soon become their students. Pairs of Notre Dame students outlined design projects for each class at St. John's. After the first week, students were sent home by their new Notre Dame teachers to find pictures and magazines to create their pieces. Projects ranged from CD covers to commemorative picture frames depending on the age of the young students.
According to Chana Jayme, one of the eight seniors involved in the collaboration, each pair of Notre Dame students created projects that allowed the St. John's students to expand their creative thinking while also teaching them about the skills that are involved in graphic design.
The design students returned April 7 to lead the class and share their graphic design knowledge in a hands-on setting.
"The volunteering service not only benefited the St. John's students but also the Notre Dame students, giving us the chance to explore graphic design and teach it to younger students," said Jayme.
Sedlack believes that the goals of the program as outlined by both Notre Dame and St. John's were achieved. Notre Dame students were able to reach out to the community and give some of what they have learned back through teaching. The students were able to make an impact on younger students. Sedlack stresses that the ages from fifth to eighth grade are important because the students themselves are beginning to understand advertising and to some extent commercialism.
Through the program the students are able to see graphic design not only as art, but also as a tool for communication. Already at their young ages, the St. John's students are target consumers through such items as textbooks and CD packaging. With this program, the graphic design students were educating the kids as to what exactly graphic design is and expanding on the definition of art. Design projects were meant to make the students realize design is a common and essential element in the world around them.
This was the pilot project with St. John the Baptist School but Sedlack and the designers hope that this program will continue. Through this project and others like it, Notre Dame is able to reach out to the surrounding community and help fine arts programs that are struggling financially. The eight seniors that volunteered their Friday mornings may be leaving Notre Dame soon, but they are leaving their knowledge behind with a younger generation of possible graphic designers from the community.
Ideas were shared and displayed, and not only did the St. John's students benefit from the experience but the Notre Dame designers learned a bit about the art of teaching.
All News Stories for Thursday, April 13, 2000
