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'Pathways to Creativity' at UK to Bring Hunger Awareness
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 5, 2012) — One of the University of Kentucky's Core courses is employing its students creativity to bring awareness to world hunger through artwork. The students' banners will be on display Dec. 7-15, on the fence around the CenterPointe block, located between Vine and West Main St. in downtown Lexington.
In partial fulfillment of their "Pathways to Creativity" coursework, collaborative groups of students researched, designed and painted murals on the theme of hunger awareness under the direction of Beth Ettensohn, lecturer of art education; Ann Christianson, part time instructor of art; and Marty Henton, senior lecturer of art education. The students also received motivational information from guest speaker, Janet Mullins, associate extension professor in the College of Agriculture. The project features work from around 120 UK students.
Class groups will begin installing their work at CenterPointe at 2-3:30 p.m. and 5:30-6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, and will finish the installation 8-9 a.m., 10:30-11:30 a.m., 1:30-3 p.m. and 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6.
The class will also be accepting food donations that will benefit God’s Pantry. Donations can be made outside the Dean's Office, on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building. Individuals and families are encouraged to make a can donation including, fruit, meat, hearty soups, vegetables, or boxes of pasta and rice.
As a part of their intellectual inquiry through the Core curriculum, every UK student is required to complete coursework in the area of arts and creativity. “Creativity adds to the vitality and relevance of learning and will translate into graduates who are better prepared to face the challenges of a dynamic society.” (UK CORE Curriculum, 2010).
UK Core is the university's general education program, containing a set of requirements that must be completed by students of all majors in order to graduate. These requirements are focused on critical thinking, writing, reasoning, ethics and global understanding, which faculty of the university feel are essential for students to compete in the global marketplace. The "Pathways to Creativity" course as discussed above is focused on expanding student creativity and aims to prepare students for a range of disciplines.
Ettensohn, Henton and Christianson are members of the faculty at the UK School of Art and Visual Studies in the UK College of Fine Arts. The school is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and art education.
For more information on the hunger awareness campaign or the "Pathways to Creativity" course, contact Beth Ettensohn at beth.a.mosher@uky.edu, Ann Christianson at akchri2@uky.edu, or Marty Henton at marty.henton@uky.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716
or whitney.hale@uky.edu
