Collaborate Art

I really like the idea of including the community in a project or creating artwork that will enhance the community's awareness of art. There are many different ideas that come to mind when I think of community collaboration and the arts. I would love to do at least one community wide project with my students per year.
One idea that I think would be great for the community is to have students create a sign that welcomes people to the town or to the school (depending on the size of a town). I had the opportunity to grow up in a small town that was very community oriented. We have a welcome sign to state the name of our town. For this project I would include other teachers and community members. Not all schools have a shop class, but if there was one at the school I was teaching in, I would collaborate with the teacher to work with students in building a sign. The sign could be made of metal or wood, depending on the resources and equipment. I would then have my students work together to create a sign that would be used at the entryway of the town/city. If this was not possible, I would strive to place it at the entrance to the school. This project would allow students to feel pleasure and pride in their community or school. It would also ensure that many people see the artwork and enhance their awareness of the art program at the school.

Another idea is to have students create stepping stones (with stained glass) that could be used in various areas around the town. I would like the stepping stones to be places in a park, but this would vary depending on what the community offers. My mother works with stained glass and I have done a few stepping stones. I could have my mother come in as a guest speaker and talk with students about stained glass. The materials would be hard to come by, especially with budget cuts, but I know many places that would donate broken glass. Companies would also be much more likely to donate to a community project for students. Cement can be mixed easily and I have all the other materials needed for this project, so it wouldn't be too hard to execute. I would invite members of the community to come help with the project and would have a sign posted by the stones in the park to let viewers know that students made the stones for the community.