Movie Night!

Happy 2012! On January 1, the Youth Art Team took over Laura's basement for pizza and a movie:

Any guesses which movie we watched?

Selling mugs & other Youth Art Team products!

Members of the Youth Art Team spent several hours selling their work to help raise money for upcoming projects. Their goal was to earn $500 by the end of 2011 in order to meet the matching challenge (click and scroll to see video).

They did it! Watch this space for the official numbers:

** DETAILS TO COME **

Night #5 – Who were the Five Sullivan Brothers?

The Youth Art Team opened the final official night of the fall session in their sketchbooks with sketch prompt: Hero.

Then, the team sat in on a Five Sullivan Brothers crash course. First, students sharpened up their World War II knowledge:

Then through a short video tour, students learned that the Five Sullivan Brothers grew up on the very blocks where the Youth Art Team meets while in session – in Waterloo's historic Walnut Neighborhood:

The Youth Art Team found out that the Five Sullivan Brothers decided enlist in the U.S. Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor – and that they insisted on going together. George, the eldest brother, explained to their mother, "Well, I guess our minds are made up, aren't they fellows? And when we go in we want to go in together. And if the worst comes to the worst, why we'll have all gone down together."

Then, the Youth Art Team learned about the Battle of Guadalcanal where the Five Sullivan Brothers and nearly 700 others were killed in the sinking of the U.S.S. Juneau:

Members of the team heard stories of life back in Waterloo after the community received news of the brothers' death, and students listed as many places as they could that are named after the Five Sullivan Brothers in our community: Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, Sullivan Park, Sullivan Avenue, Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum...

Sullivan Park, also within blocks of the Youth Art Team's meeting space at Harvest Vineyard Church, is home to the Five Sullivan Brothers Memorial:

Then it was the team's turn to hit the books and to start thinking about how they will turn everything they learned about these five brave brothers into a play for their spring production:

Finally, groups presented their research and ideas to the team:

Night #4 – Community Research!

The Youth Art Team started the night off with a sketch prompt for their sketchbooks: "Waterloo."

Having finished their drawings for the mug, the team got a glimpse at how the compilation of their work was coming together on the mugs:

And then, it was time to research. The team scoured books containing stories and photographs portraying Waterloo's history:

We wrote some initial ideas from students on the board:

Then we hit the road! Off to the Waterloo Public Library where expert local historians had culled through the archives to find the Youth Art Team some choice material. Students split into five teams and raced to choose their favorite topic. Then, they dove into their research:

Once each group wrapped up their research, the whole team headed back to present their research and make the case for their topic.

Group One | National Cattle Congress:

Group Two | Lou Henry Hoover

Group Three | Five Sullivan Brothers:

Group Four | The Green Goddesses:

Group Five | Mary Melrose Hanna:

Another decision made through a voting session! The Youth Art Team's spring production will be a tall tale about...

The Five Sullivan Brothers of Waterloo!