“Keep the arts alive.” This is the motto the Medford Arts Center has been using in an attempt to continue to be a gateway to the arts, culture and heritage of Burlington County.
This local arts center provides everything from painting to poetry while emphasizing the objective of creating an environment where the arts flourish.
The MAC has now been running for four and a half years and was named Burlington County’s Best Art Gallery in 2014.
The “keep the arts alive” campaign will culminate with a mural project that was unveiled at Freedom Park on Sunday, June 28 along with a party, music and official remarks.
“The opportunity for students to be a part of a community project is immeasurable. They will not only embrace their own creativity, but also build upon teamwork and time management skills,” MAC President Cathy Livingston said.
Art teachers and students at Medford Memorial School and Haines Sixth Grade Center created designs for a mural to be painted on the side of Freedom Park’s restroom building.
There were roughly 35 seventhgraders and 35 eighthgraders who participated, while nearly the entire sixth grade entered artwork.
The initial planning and stages of this project began around January. There were many steps involved, including getting the township’s approval, getting the schools on board to get their students to participate in the design contest, launching the crowd-funding site and attempting to get sponsors for all of the costs such as materials, promotions, t-shirts and gifts for the kids.
At the center of all of this coordination is Livingston along with her planning committee, which includes Jim Rosanio, Gina DeSumma and Linda Calla.
Director of Parks and Recreation Beth Protocallis was also instrumental in coordinating and promoting this project with the Medford Town Council.
“We approached the council with the idea and felt that Freedom Park would be a perfect spot for the mural,” Livingston said. “It has a lot of activity that can raise a lot of awareness for the art center, and geographically, it is so close to us, we wanted to keep our relationship with them strong.”
At its regular meeting on May 5, the Town Council gave the Arts Center the approval to choose three winners after going through the submissions to make sure they were all appropriate to put up at the town park.
The winning designs have been chosen and will be projected onto the building by the art team and painted by all the students. There is also an adult art team from the art center who was able to rally some instructors, Dorothy Amsden, Molly Gummerson and Dave Bullock, to help with the painting process.
Livingston forwarded the winners to the principal and the art teachers, Nancy Ohotzke and Robyn Corum, because she thought it was appropriate for them to announce the winners to the students. However, she personally called each parent of the students who won to congratulate them.
“They were so excited and couldn’t wait for the project to begin,” Livingston said.
This process is scheduled to get under way on Saturday, June 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. In the meantime, Livingston is doing her due diligence as far as obtaining all of the materials and panels that need to be put up before this date.
“All things considered, we’re trying to raise awareness about the arts and engaging young people in a process that’s bigger than themselves,” Livingston said. “It’s so much more than just art. It’s learning a skill set, it’s looking at something and being able to read a little deeper, working in a group as a unit, learning how to start something and taking it from baby steps to the end where they will be transferring the image to the panels.”
Crowd sourcing will provide the funding for this project as well as sponsors. Hands-on volunteers are appreciated also. Visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/mac-mural-project for more information.
If all goes well, the vision is to repeat the project in three years with a new group of students.
