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Reaching Out to Our Community with Art and Care |
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Louisville Academy students discover Diane Tesler's rural landscapes and still lifes. |
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Community outreach is at the very heart of the Gallery's mission. Founded as the cornerstone community development initiative of Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville, the Gallery works first and foremost to use art as a means of bringing life into downtown Louisville. No less important, however, is the Gallery's role in providing the citizens of Louisville and Jefferson County -- especially youth -- with an opportunity to experience cutting edge artwork from artists working throughout the South and across rural America. In 2007 the Gallery will formalize its outreach to Louisville Academy in a program called Gallery Days. Through the Gallery Days program, every month dozens of Louisville Academy scholars will visit the Gallery to engage in challenging intellectual activities focused on the Gallery's current exhibit. Gallery Days represents an important new step in the Gallery's efforts to help Louisville Academy rise above the strict funding limitations that now force Georgia schools to cut back drastically on extracurricular cultural enrichment activities. Also during 2007, the Gallery will continue its work reaching out to Jefferson County High School, to the elderly in our county, and to our local artists.
The Gallery is here to offer cultural enrichment that is always free of charge, always close at hand, and always tailored to patrons of all ages and backgrounds -- a unique service for a unique Georgia community. Discover the Gallery's outreach efforts to date --
2007 Outreach Activities
2006 Outreach Activities
Do you have an idea for a Gallery community outreach program? Please email your suggestions and comments to us at firehousegallery@aol.com or call us at 478.625.0387. |
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| January 2007 Gallery Days -- Louisville Academy 5th Graders enhance kaolin studies at Below the Fall Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ginny Galvin's Redwork quilts captivate Louisville Academy 4th graders at Christmas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fourth graders from Louisville Academy
visited the Gallery's 2006 holiday exhibit as part of their ongoing
studies of quilting. The exhibit -- The Festive Art of Redwork
Quilts -- featured the original redwork and antique redwork collection
of Georgia quilt authority Ginny Galvin. The students were treated
to a fascinating artist talk by Ms. Galvin, who fielded many
enthusiastic and thoughtful questions. After her talk, Ms. Galvin
toured the exhibit with the students, helping them to focus on the fine
points of the craft of redwork.
(Click on photos to enlarge.) |
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Louisville Academy 3rd graders visit Jack Kotz's Ms. Booth's Garden |
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Louisville Academy third graders visited the
Gallery's exhibit of Jack Kotz's stunning photographs of his
grandmother's rural Mississippi world. In a scavanger hunt style
exercise designed by Gallery intern Maiben Beard, the students searched
out specific details in the photographs as a way of seeing parts and
wholes of art. After returning to school, the students wrote
letters of thanks to the Gallery describing their experiences.
Sample their letters below
(Click on images to enlarge.)
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Louisville Academy 4th graders take in UGA professor RG Brown's prints and sculptures |
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On Friday, September 25, 2006, as part of the Gallery's deepening partnership with Louisville Academy, Gallery intern Maiben Beard treated the entire 4th grade to a tour through the Gallery's exhibit of the prints and sculpture of UGA professor RG Brown III. Stressing the conceptual difference between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional forms, Ms. Beard carefully described Prof. Brown's techniques for working back and forth between flat and 3-D shapes. The students demonstrated much enthusiasm and curiosity, especially for Prof. Brown's watercraft-inspired work.
This event was part of a continuing partnership between the Gallery and Louisville Academy designed to give the Academy's student body an extraordinary opportunity to experience the world of visual art. As with all student visits to the Gallery, the experience only begins with viewing the exhibited art works. When the students return to the Academy after a visit, they are encouraged to discuss and write about what they've seen -- even to create their own artworks based on the experience -- and to find ways to express the meaning of the exhibited work in terms of their own experiences. Special thanks to the Academy's Hulet Kitterman, Donna Borders, and Sharon Sasser for their energy and creativity in making this important partnership a priority.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
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Sculptor RG Brown III helps JCHS art students move into the third dimension |
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Early Saturday morning, September 9, 2006, an adventurous group of art students from Jefferson County High School, along with their new art teacher, Linda Merritt, met at the Gallery to explore the art of paper sculpture under the tutelage of RG Brown III, professor of art at the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art, whose prints and sculpture were then showing in the Gallery. Working from themes in his own exhibited work, Prof. Brown led the students in an exercise of plotting paper sculpture boats in two dimensions on flat paper and then transforming them into three-dimensional pieces. The students' finished sculptures were displayed in the Gallery's garage door windows throughout the exhibit of Prof. Brown's work.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
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Louisville Academy 2nd and 3rd Graders compare their world with Diane Tesler's rural Indiana landscapes |
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On Wednesday and Thursday, March 8 and 9, 2006, nearly 200 Louisville Academy second and third graders were treated to a special visit to the Gallery to experience a distant rural world very much like their own through the stunning rural landscapes and still lifes of Gallery exhibitor Diane Tesler.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
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Gallery holds lithography appreciation session for Louisville Academy 5th graders |
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On Friday, January 27, 2006, Gallery manager Jon Westdahl hosted all of the Louisville Academy's fifth graders for a special lithography appreciation session against the backdrop of the stunning work of master lithographer Michael Crouse. Employing a press generously loaned to the Gallery by the Stillmoreroots art group of Swainsboro, Georgia, Mr. Westdahl demonstrated the complex printing technique and fielded questions from an inquisitive audience. Thanks to the Louisville Academy's Donna Borders for making this exciting event possible.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
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Jefferson County High School students explore lithography with a master |
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On Saturday, January 7, 2006, seven intrepid Jefferson County High School students explored the technically complex art of lithography with master lithographer Michael Crouse of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, whose haunting lithographs of endangered rural landscapes were exhibited in the Gallery throughout the month of January. Professor Crouse provided all the necessary supplies, including a very heavy portable press. The students brought their own creativity. The Gallery supplied the doughnuts and orange juice. The results were terrific! (Click on photos to enlarge.)
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On Tuesday, November 7, 2005, the Gallery was inundated by waves of elementary scholars from Louisville Academy as they came to experience the unique magic of Willie Tarver. This day-long educational outreach program exposed nearly 300 children to an hour of exploring Mr. Tarver's whimsical sculpture and his hard-won wisdom on life and the artistic process. Thanks to Louisville Academy principal, Hulet Kitterman, and the Louisville Academy faculty for working creatively with Gallery management to make this important outreach event happen.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
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Louisville mayoral candidates exhibit their positions in Gallery debate |
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Mayoral candidates Burt and Long square off in the Gallery |
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It was standing room only at The Fire House Gallery Wednesday evening, November 2, 2005, as Louisville mayoral candidates Byron Burt and Lloyd Long revealed their visions for Louisville in a lively debate. The debate, sponsored by Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville, was moderated by News and Farmer editor Parish Howard.
Answering a range of questions concerning all aspects of life in Louisville, the candidates demonstrated classic distinctions between incumbent and challenger. Mayor Burt repeatedly reminded the audience of the accomplishments of his administration, emphasizing success in obtaining grants for city projects, a record of growth, and successful trouble-shooting. Candidate Long, on the other hand, focused the audience on persistent civic problems – for example, animal control and trash collection – and closed each answer by reiterating his campaign slogan, “We can do more, and we can do better.” Friends extends it thanks to both candidates, to Mr. Howard, and to the audience for making the debate an informative and enjoyable event. * * * * * Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville is an educational and charitable nonprofit corporation and as such does not endorse or support candidates for political office or otherwise participate in the political process. |
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Gallery co-sponsor's County Firefighter Cook-Off and Safety Fair |
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Saturday, October 8, 2005, historic downtown Louisville hosted Jefferson County’s first Firefighter Cook-Off and Safety Fair. This event, co-sponsored by The News and Farmer, the fire departments of Jefferson County, Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville, and The Fire House Gallery, included a day-long slate of exciting activities, all centered downtown in the block of Mulberry Street between Broad and 7th Streets. All proceeds from the day’s activities went to benefit the fire departments of Jefferson County. The day began at 8:30 am with a Fire Safety Fair, featuring informative booths manned by an assortment of safety-minded organizations from around Jefferson County, including county fire departments, Family Connections, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, and the Forestry Service. County families were notified of this important educational activity by letters distributed through the County’s public and private schools. The Cook-Off opened to the public at noon. Participating in this sumptuous competition were the fire departments of Hillcrest, Louisville, Wadley, and Wrens, as well as The Fire House Gallery led by Gallery manager Jon Westdahl and Team Arnold headed by chef Lee Arnold. Team entries featured a varied menu of spicy food, including Hillcrest department’s chicken wings, the Louisville department's barbecued ribs, the Wrens department’s whole hog barbecue, Team Arnold’s Brunswick stew, and the Gallery’s Hook and Ladder Chili.
Toe-tapping musical offerings spiced up the day's proceedings. The crowd was entertained by the U.S. Army Dixie-land Jazz Band from Fort Gordon and later in the afternoon by our local band The Eclectics, featuring Lee Arnold, John Mole, Wayne Walker, and the Gallery’s own Jon Westdahl, performing covers of hit tunes from the ’50s through the ’70s.
The County’s fire departments fielded four-man teams to compete in the Firefighter Muster event testing all aspects of their firefighter mettle and skill. The Hillcrest squad took top honors in this event. The Louisville department won the cook-off with its barbecued ribs.
The masterminds behind organization of the Safety Fair and Cook-Off were firefighter and Friends board member Robert Yonchak, News and Farmer editor Parish Howard, and Gallery manager Jon Westdahl. In the spirit of cooperative partnership that exemplifies downtown progress, they have pulled together interests from all over the County to make this great day happen. |
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This Website is maintained by Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville, Inc. Please let us know what you think of it by contacting our Webmaster at webplay@ourlouisville.com. Copyright © Friends of Historic Downtown Louisville, Inc. 2005-2007 -- All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all artworks displayed are the sole property of the indicated artist. |