UK's 'Pathways to Creativity' to Bring Awareness to Environment
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2013) — As part of Earth Week, one of the University of Kentucky's Core courses is employing its students creativity to bring awareness to environmental concerns through artwork. The students' banners will be on display through May 3, on the fence around the CentrePointe 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 the environment under the direction of Beth Ettensohn, lecturer of art education; Bryan Reinholdt, part time instructor of art; and Marty Henton, senior lecturer of art education. The project features work from around 120 UK students.
The UK Core classes began installing their work at CentrePointe April 24 and completed the display yesterday.
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 and Henton are members of the faculty at the UK School of Art and Visual Studies in the UK College of Fine Arts, where Reinholdt serves as a teaching assistant in art education. 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 visual studies and art education.
For more information on the environmental campaign or the "Pathways to Creativity" course, contact Beth Ettensohn at beth.a.mosher@uky.edu or Marty Henton at marty.henton@uky.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu