Artist In Residence

Randy Fein - an accomplished artist and noted arts instructor who works in clay and mixed media - spent two weeks in May and June with the elementary students of SAD #44 creating and installing ceramic mosaics at the Crescent Park, Andover and Woodstock Elementary Schools.

HANDS ON ART EDUCATION

The impressions of elementary school always stay in our minds. The opposite has recently happened in Bethel Area schools and is about to be unveiled, thanks to an innovative Artist-in-Residence Program through the Mahoosuc Arts Council.

With the guidance and vision of Ceramic Sculptor, Potter and Arts Instructor Randy Fein, the impressions of dozens of MSAD #44 fourth and fifth graders will be left for many future generations on three clay relief murals at the Andover, Woodstock and Crescent Park Elementary Schools. The largest mural is slated to be unveiled at the Crescent Park School (CPS) June 17, 2009.

“Concepts of Creativity” is the theme that Fein choose to inspire the students, who helped to construct and design large tiles with three-dimensional textures and shapes using whimsical images embodying creativity in music, dance, theater, visual art, poetry and more.

“It is through these creative endeavors that kids really find true meaning,” said Fein, who credited Mahoosuc Arts Council Chairperson and CPS Art Teacher Tera Ingraham with making this Artist-in-Residence Program possible.

Ingraham worked for over a year piecing together the program which included three extended trips Fein made to the area to work with over 550 pounds of clay and more than 70 children. The clay consists of a self hardening type used in Andover and Woodstock and conventional clay for CPS which has a kiln for baking clay. All three pieces will be hand painted by the students with acrylic paints under Ingraham’s direction.

Fein is an accomplished Ceramic Sculptor, Potter and noted Arts Instructor who presently teaches Ceramic Art at Unity College. She owns Mountain Studios in Lincolnville and is part of the Art Space Gallery of Rockland. Fein’s work has been exhibited in local, national and international exhibitions and is held in public and private collections. Fein has been awarded more than 18 public art commissions to create mixed media and ceramic relief tile murals for libraries, colleges and other public gathering places, including Babson College in Wellesley, MA, Castleton State College in VT, Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, and The Vocational Center in Westbrook, ME.

The Mahoosuc Arts Council is nonprofit organization which works to support and advance the arts and humanities in the adult communities and school systems of the Greater Bethel Area with the support of MSAD #44, Gould Academy and many local businesses and individuals

Fourth and fifth graders work on a four-foot round mural. From left: Randy Fein, Kylee Hentschel, Lisa Gammon, Taylor Merrill, Cassidy Smith, Dharma Damon, Hunter Field-Nadeau, Alan Theriault, Sara Anderson, Alex Duclos, Carl Cuff

Jacob Michaud, Alan Theriault, George Wheeler, Cheryl-Ann Thurston work on individual tiles.

Crescent Park Art Teacher and Mahoosuc Arts Council Chairperson Tera Ingraham (right) works with Randy Fein to paint on the finishing touches before the mural is prepared for installation.

Dozens of fourth and fifth-grade students in Bethel worked on ceramic relief murals with Artist Randy Fein as part of the Mahoosuc Arts Council’s annual Artist-In-Residence Program. Front row: Cheryl-Ann Thurston, Lisa Gammon, Taylor Merrill, Hunter Field-Nadeau, Dakota Hutchins, Jacob Michaud, Alex Duclos, Carl Cuff Back row: Dharma Damon, Cassidy Smith, Tera Ingraham, Brianna Vitale, Elijah Bowley, Alan Theriault, Sara Anderson, Kylee Hentschel, George Wheeler, Josh Crosby and Randy Fein.