Art Chowder July | August 2017, Issue 10

Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics As a fortunate working local artist, East Farms STEAM Magnet School has allowed me to make a home with the 415 students who attend this amazing school! STEAM is an acronym for Science, Tech- nology, Engineering, ARTS and Math. Most schools stick with STEM (all left brain teaching) but we like to say at East Farms we added the “A” for ART because half a brain is a terrible thing to waste. Public art holds a special place in my heart for several reasons. It’s free to the public and it’s for everyone; it creates community pride and it is a healthy sign that the public environment is acknowledged rather than ignored. Spokane has a few of my public art sculptures, including the big red stiletto shoe in the downtown mall. I wanted my students to know the importance of taking pride in their community, raising awareness for a cause through visual art, and experi- encing the rewards of creating a public art piece. Most times promoting art of any kind is like rolling a boulder uphill, but not this time; every piece of the “A Community of Hope” project went together like a fine tuned ma- chine. The student’s Public Art project grew into a community collaboration that I per- sonally have never experienced before. Last year our family lost a very special per- son to cancer, my sister-in-law Karen Sul- lens. When she was first diagnosed with breast cancer she came to me and said, Photo Credit: Rogue Heart Media “One out of eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer; I’m the one in eight - I got it so you don’t have to.” Those words should give you an idea of what kind of women she was. The only way I know how to deal with grief is to make art, and so it began. I felt the need to create something for Karen and for so many friends and co-workers who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was time to create art that would honor women and men who had been affected. I approached Annette Long at Avista Corp and pitched my idea about creating a student public art piece. Avista and the Steam Plant have been long-time supporters of the arts at East Farms. Every spring for the past few years the Steam Plant has invited the stu- dents to exhibit their art work for one night. When the students walk into the art exhib- it and they see their work hung in a public place, watching them fill with excitement and pride never grows old. Not only does Avista support East Farms students as art- ists, but they also help support breast cancer awareness. July | August 2017 19

Art Chowder July | August 2017, Issue 10 | Page 19