Arts Learning

I worked with Duluth Children’s Museum and Boys and Girls Club Northland to present 11 performances, 15 puppet labs and 1 weeklong arts camp. Each performance began by highlighting examples of STEM in our puppetry. We then asked the audience to watch and listen closely so they could identify where, when and how they saw science and art overlap. After the show, we offered incentives (temporary tattoos, prize drawings) for people to report their observations via surveys. The evaluation report indicates that before the performances most respondents had not thought about the connections between science and art. After the show, they made a wide variety of connections, including observations about the science involved in set and puppet design, construction and content. In puppet labs, children and adults explored the scientific principles and processes involved in puppet making. Through video, photos and interviews, we documented participants’ scientartistic discoveries. 2: Admission to all events at the Duluth Children’s Museum was free. Additionally, we brought free puppet labs to two different Boys and Girls Club Northland branches. We were the only professional teaching artists making visits to Boys and Girls Club branches throughout the year. Although Boys and Girls Club regularly provides activities that boost participants interest in academics, our series of performances and workshops was the first time Boys and Girls Club integrated STEM with the arts. We also worked closely with Mentor Duluth and did significant outreach to thirteen different community organizations who serve low income youth. We made email, phone and in-person contact with program leaders, describing the programs and then providing each with print and electronic flyers to share with their constituents. Although the contacts responded enthusiastically and brought youth groups to some events, transportation was a persistent barrier to participation.