Students Partner With Arboretum to Promote Arbor Day, Earth Day Creatively
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 22, 2016) — Students enrolled in "A-E 120: Pathways to Creativity," one of the University of Kentucky Core courses, are collaborating with The Arboretum for Earth Day and Arbor Day on their final project.
The UK students, from a myriad of campus majors outside the arts, broke into teams of five to work together to create banners 6 feet tall x 18 inches wide that visually communicate about the various areas of The Arboretum — the Children’s Garden, the Home Demonstration and Walk Across Kentucky.
The banners were installed April 20-21, just in time for the observance of Earth Day today. The pieces of art will remain up through National Arbor Day, April 29, and the following day's Arbor Day event at The Arboretum. This year marks the 25th celebration of Arbor Day at The Arboretum and the theme is "Celebrating the Past, PLANting the Future." Festivities will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, April 30.
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 is focused on expanding student creativity and aims to prepare students for a range of disciplines. This semester's courses were led by UK School of Art and Visual Studies faculty members Beth Ettensohn and Marty Henton and art education graduate assistant Olivia Lussi.
The Arboretum was created in 1991 as a joint effort between UK and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. The mission of The Arboretum is to showcase Kentucky landscapes and serve as a resource center for environmental and horticultural education, research and conservation.
The UK School of Art and Visual Studies in the UK College of Fine Arts 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.
UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu