Press Release
From the Office of
State Representative
Gale D. Candaras


February 21, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE….
Contact: Candace Ouillette Gaumond: 413.599.4785

PULLING TOGETHER

Over one hundred and twenty students who attend Wilbraham preschools have recently Pulled Together, with the help of local artists Don Blanton and Sheila Spear of Distinctive Art Studio in Springfield, to participate in creating a large-scale work of art, which will be unveiled in the Brooks Room at the Wilbraham Public Library on Saturday, February 2nd, during a reception for the young artists from 3:00-5:00PM.

This educational art project is the result of a unique partnership of public and private preschools in Wilbraham. Preschools throughout the town collaborated in a guest artist program to introduce an organized art instruction element to the curriculum of each school. The preschools, Episcopal Church of the Epiphany Preschool, Burch Tree Nursery School, Minnechaug Regional High School Child Study, The Kid’s Place, and Mulberry Childcare and Preschool, invited Blanton and Spear to bring their ArtEsteem program into the preschools to display and discuss their artwork, and to involve the children in an art project. The children’s artwork has been incorporated into a large painting by Blanton, which measures over ten feet long and bears the title “Pulling Together”. No one other than the artists has seen the finished painting. At the unveiling on February 2nd, students, parents, teachers and others will be able to see how each school and student contributed to the final project.

Just as the children of the various preschools connected together to create this piece, the painting is meant to inspire teamwork in the community and beyond. In the process of creating art, the Wilbraham preschoolers are also learning that they can accomplish far more by working together than they can alone, and the pride and ownership that they feel is immeasurable.

ArtEsteem is a program developed by Blanton that is designed to get children involved in the arts, where they not only gain artistic skills, but develop greater confidence in themselves as well. The program has reached children in a wide variety of settings, including Shriner’s Hospital, studio classes, inner-city programs, and public schools, including the Children’s Study Home in Springfield, which offers a separate educational setting for emotionally and behaviorally challenged children. At present, ArtEsteem programs service over 200 children per week in the Springfield area.

The “Pulling Together” Guest Artist Program is supported in part by a grant from the Wilbraham Cultural Council a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council a state agency and through the generous sponsorship of the following local businesses: BankNorth Massachusetts, Country Bank for Savings and Friendly Ice Cream Corporation.

The Wilbraham public and private preschools involved with this project hope to continue this partnership offering an interpretive art element in their curriculum and to work together on an annual project that will include contributions from students at each school.

Please contact Len Surdyka at (596-8208) or Don Blanton at Distinctive Art Studio (782-2608) if you have any questions.