Guest Contributor | Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy: Arts Education in PUSD

Why are those sixth-graders at Eliot Arts Magnet Academy creating clay bowls and little oil lamps, then smashing them into shards? This mysterious episode lies at the convergence of history, art and archaeology, as the Altadena school was preparing its historic artifacts project.

More about the broken crockery below, but for context consider the vibrant state of arts education throughout the Pasadena Unified School District. With energetic guidance by Karen Anderson, our Arts and Enrichment Coordinator, PUSD is a model in Los Angeles County, named an Arts Equity District.

PUSD elementary schools offer these programs to every student: Theater and Dance Explorations intrigue the little ones, TK – 2nd grade. K through 6th graders join the award-winning My Masterpieces, an immersive arts curriculum with a visit each year to one of our community’s cultural institutions. The Huntington, the Pasadena Museum of History, the Gamble House, and a walking tour of public art are among the destinations. In a recent year, 9,000 students, 300 teachers, and ten arts institutions took part.

Middle school students see a live performance each year in the Open Stage program, with theater arts techniques infused into their daily lessons. Meanwhile, elementary school music is soaring: in ten years, it has increased from 15% to 90% participation. PUSD high schools offer arts courses and art-focused career academies too numerous to be listed here.

More components of this District art ecosystem: artist residencies have existed in PUSD for at least 35 years. These professional artists are resourceful folks from our community who serve from six weeks to an entire semester, teaching techniques and adding creativity to students’ problem-solving skills. Art therapy helps to enhance mental health for students and staff.

Always at hand is the vibrant DAT-CAT, possibly one of a kind in public education. The District Arts Team (DAT) includes PUSD art teachers and administrators. The Community Arts Team (CAT) is representatives from about 20 local arts-related organizations (museums, orchestras, the Playhouse, and more). Their teamwork is impressive, as they meet monthly to share ideas.

Those pottery shards highlight the principle of arts integration. Core subjects like history, math, science, and English can be interwoven with music, theater, art, or material culture, giving an added dimension. At Eliot. sixth-grade teacher Bethel Lira set her students to creating period artifacts while studying the history of Greece and Rome, China, Egypt and Mesopotamia.

They made paper and inscribed it with ancient characters. They broke their clay vessels, then passed them to other students to reconstruct in the manner of archeologists. This extensive project was mounted in an exhibit by Denise Seider, artist in residence at Eliot, and financed by a teacher grant from the Pasadena Educational Foundation.

Ms. Lira captures the joy and importance of all these PUSD arts: “When students make art, they make memories! As they continue to grow and mature, they will remember the art experiences, not the tests that society weighs so heavily. . .art gives many more students the opportunity to actually be and feel successful.” Come one, come all: a world of art awaits the students of PUSD.

To learn more or watch videos of our students in action, visit gopusd.com/arts .

All are welcome to attend PUSD’s No Boundaries, the 17th annual student art exhibition on Friday during Friday, April 29, 2022 from 6-10 p.m. at the Paseo Colorado (280 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101). The event showcases hundreds of works by students from all PUSD schools and is free to the public. The exhibition is open April 30 through May 8. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday: 3-6 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday 1-4 p.m. For more information, go to gopusd.com/arts

Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy is President of the PUSD Board of Education.