Three adults joined forces to to give children an unusual education in art, film and history.
Bill Bray is President of the Georgia Fine Arts Academy, Pat Gordon is a teacher at Rocky Mount Elementary School and Hamilton Craig is a filmmaker. The three shared ideas which led to a documentary film based on the work of Gordon's students. The film debuted before a packed house on June 25 at an Atlanta Fulton Public Library System Branch in midtown Atlanta.
Gordon taught history, art history and research to her 4th grade students through a unique project, which Craig turned into a documentary. Students described their intellectual and artistic process, from "I chose Colin Powell because I thought he was somebody else," to "I chose Mahatma Gandhi because I'm Indian and I admire his philosophy of nonviolence," to "I used the style of Rodin 'cause I can't draw."
The most poignant interview was with a girl who chose Anne Frank as her portrait subject. She said as long as we remember Anne Frank she is not entirely gone. The most peculiar combination was a portrait of Picasso in the style of Norman Rockwell.
According to Bray, "Students in Gordon's class were assigned to choose a "brain" in history whom they admired and paint a portrait of that person in the style of a famous artist. In the film students explain their choice and the reason they chose the artist whose style they used. The film captures their excitement in having the opportunity to participate in this dynamic and innovative approach to teaching.
Hamilton Craig, director of the film, is a writer at StandOff Studios in Lincolnton, Georgia. The filmmaker won prizes for Shelter, a 15-minute film which won him the first place prize in screenwriting at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005, followed by Combustable Russ, a 6 minute film which won him the first prize in screenwriting at SCAD in 2006. He lives in Athens, Georgia." Bray arranged for the world premiere of the film at Art Spot at Peachtree Branch Library. Art Spot is a joint venture of Georgia Fine Arts Academy, Asolare Fine Arts Academy of North Carolina, and Peachtree Branch of the Atlanta Fulton Public Library System.
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