Whitewater Valley Elementary welcomes our 2007

Whitewater Valley Artist in Residence Program

Whitewater Valley Elementary welcomes our 2011-2012 Artist in Residence

Debbie Brod, Visual Arts

Debbie Brod
Email: debrod@fuse.net
Website: www.debrod.com

Each residency is a journey. The energy and momentum that build from beginning to end of a residency can be joyous and empowering to everyone. I like helping people expand their view of what art can be, and what each person can do. My background is in painting and I particulary enjoy combining painting with the physicality of three-dimensional media. Materials from the community and its surroundings -- wood from attics and lumberyards, driftwood from the Ohio River, etc. -- are inspiring: they carry something of the lives of the people who used them, the energy of a place. I'm concerned with the materials used to make art in terms of their impact on the environment, and through recycling we can also explore alternative art materials, processes, and ideas. I like tapping into what is meaningful to people, and offering them materials and techniques with which to express themselves. Often, all our efforts are combined in a permanent installation to which everyone has contributed, expressing each person's particular energy and yet coherently combining all. I would like to do more work with people of all ages to help them realize art's liberating and therapeutic benefits.

My recent work includes elements from the living, natural world (e.g., growing plants, autumn leaves, cut flowers, water), as well as reclaimed/recycled materials. I'm interested in process, transformation, and how the human condition and the condition of the natural world are inextricably connected. A sense of community and collaboration is rooted in the work also, influenced by my work as an artist-in-residence. For example, in a recent exhibit at Ohio University Southern, I assembled and arranged a large collection of donated objects into a floor-based installation that invited direct participation: viewers were invited to become participants by perusing, selecting, and taking with them objects from the assemblage, thereby transforming the original installation, as well as receiving and re-circulating others' generosity.

I have a BA in French and Fine Art from Oberlin College, and the Sorbonne (Paris, France), and the University of Cincinnati, and an MFA in painting from the University of Cincinnati. Since receiving my MFA, I have exhibited my artwork regionally and nationally. I have received recognition for my artwork in the form of numerous grants, including fellowship grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Arts Midwest/NEA and the Ohio Arts Council. I have been an adjunct instructor at colleges and universities in the Cincinnati area, and since 1993, a member of the Art Academy of Cincinnati's Community Education faculty, teaching art to children, teenagers, and adults.

www.oac.state.oh.us

What is the Artist in Residence Program?

This is our 16th residency in 16 years. Past art disciplines have included traditional arts, theater, dance, music, visual arts, design arts, and media arts.

The residency is partially funded through our school receiving a state grant from the Ohio Arts Council, awarded through a competitive process. The OAC grant covers two-thirds of the artist's salary while he's here. The WVE PTA covers the one-third plus any materials needed. Thank you PTA!

Past Residencies include:

Studies have shown that students who participate in arts activities outperform their non-arts peers on standardized tests like the SAT, as well as have more self-confidence, better communication skills, and improved social interactions.

The Ohio Arts Council's mission is to build Ohio through the arts - economically, educationally, and culturally - preserving the past, enhancing the present, and enriching the future for all Ohioans.

We are fortunate to have a thriving Artist in Residence Program here at WVE!

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