We are so excited to share our art and creativity with you.

This web site will continue to grow over the school year, so
keep coming back to see what we have been doing.

Any Comments Please email Mark Wagner at :
mw@heartsandbones.com

Introduction: Last year I was an Art Docent in my kid's 3rd grade class. I am a professional free-lance artist who is working on many creative projects and at the same time being a dad. I volunteer at Franklin where I have two small kids, helping to keep art and creativity alive in the school since federal funds for all the arts are basically extinct.

I ran one of my drawing classes and was shocked to see that half the kids couldn't draw at all. I mean basic shapes. I know enough about art to know this was not a good thing. Art is a way of seeing and understanding the world, which is essential to our understanding of ourselves as human beings and our connection to nature.

I took on the class as an experiment. I showed up once a week for the rest of the year. I was amazed to see how quickly the kids picked up new ways to draw and see. They were so excited and so was I. We had a wonderful time.

Kappi Hommert, who was the Art Docent helper, and the teacher, Mrs. Andrew started to talk to me about the possibility of being the art teacher at Franklin next year. And here I am.

Twenty Six Reasons Why Art Is Good For Kids
1) Art develops both sides of the brain.
2) Children who make art read better and do better in math and science.
3) Allows children to express themselves and learn about who they are as individuals.
4) Art builds self-esteem and is empowering: “look what I made.”
5) Art is something to share: it builds connections to friends, family, and community.
6) Art teaches risk taking and learning from one’s mistakes.
7) Art teaches the use and care of tools, and builds relationship to the material world.
8) Art develops hand-eye coordination and higher-order thinking skills.
9) Art teaches open-ended thinking and creates an environment of questions rather than answers. In art there is no right or wrong answer.
10) Art teaches children that there can be more than one solution to the same problem.
11) Art nurtures the human soul.
12) 33% of children are visual learners.
13) Art develops focus and increases attention.
14) Art provides a common ground to reach across racial stereotypes, social barriers, and prejudices. An artist’s palette has many different colors.
15) Art steps out of the limitations of time and allows a child to be present to the moment.
16) Art is beautiful.
17) Art opens the heart and mind to possibilities.
18) Art is a way to see and understand the world around us.
19) When art is integrated with other curriculum areas children become more engaged in the learning process.
20) Children can share and reflect on their art to learn about themselves, each other, and the world they live in.
21) Art teaches one to explore playfully without a preconceived plan, leaning from accidents, being surprised, getting beyond the fear of mistakes.
22) Art awakens the imagination and allows the magic to flow.
23) Art creates direct observational skills, leaning to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, seeing things that otherwise would be missed.
24) The earliest evidence we have of humanity is through sculptures, rock carvings, and cave paintings.
25) Art develops instincts.
26) A Van Gogh painting sold for 83 million dollars.

Original Parent Announcement

Artist-in-Residence
Franklin Elementary School - Pilot Program
With Mark Wagner 2004 -05

Please join us in sponsoring professional Artist and Franklin Dad; Mark Wagner as he becomes the first Artist-in-Residence at Franklin Elementary School in Alameda during the school year 2004-2005.

Mark will serve as both art teacher and artist to kindergarten through fifth grade children. He will be at Franklin 3 days every 3 weeks, teaching art to each class for one hour for a total of 8 sessions per classroom. Art classes will focus on both technical skills and the creative process. Additional projects will include a large chalk drawing and mural, computer generated art, music and film, as well as a web site sharing the project for Franklin’s friends and family.

This pilot Artist-in-Residency program will build upon MOCHA (Museum of Children’s Art) models and will connect with class curriculum throughout the school. The Art Docent program will be reviewed and updated. Our goal is to create a working model for an artist to be connected to a school where art and creativity are taught to enhance a child’s understanding of themselves and the world, and to create a long-term evolving visual arts program at Franklin and other schools in the district.

“Art is not just a pretty picture. Art is something that is made while being creative. Being creative is a way of seeing, thinking, and feeling, that enables a child to connect and interact with the world, seeing and understanding the connections to all things, using their imagination, and experiencing a deeper meaning in life. Creativity is the oil that allows all things to flow.” Mark Wagner

Mark has been a professional artist for over 20 years. He has worked as an Illustrator, Fine Artist, Graphic and Web Designer, Art Director, and Production Designer. His current career focus is creating Concept Art for feature films. He worked on Terminator 3 and Hallmark Entertainment’s recent 4-hour mini-series called DreamKeeper. Mark has taught in art schools, graduate school, and in State Prison. He has been creating art with kids for years and has two children at Franklin (1st and 4th grade). Mark has an MA from JFK University and a BFA from Pratt Institute. As a free-lance artist, Mark has come to Franklin with the unique opportunity of being able to continue his professional career and dedicate time and energy to the school. His art, resume, and other creative projects can be seen online at: www.heartsandbones.com

Please join us in funding this creative project and make a difference at Franklin Elementary School, in Alameda as well as for our future. Federal funding does not exist. Local grass roots relationships with parents and the community are the only way to establish this wonderful opportunity.

Other Projects
• On-going web site linked to Mark's site available to kids, families, and the Alameda community based on the art being generated at Franklin.
• Creativity Workshop for Art Docents
• Consultation with Art Docents, review monthly portfolios and advise
• PTA presentation – fall and spring
• Assemblies
• Field Trip to Mark’s Studio
• Creation of Art in and around the school
• Mural for Open House
• Documentation of the year’s experience and production of a book for continual development of an Artist-in-Resident program. This document will be shared with other schools.

Monetary Donation

We are always raising money to fund this wonderful project. We thank you for anything you can contribute.

Make checks out to:
Franklin Elementary School – PTA
1433 San Antonio Ave., Alameda, CA 94501

$50 ____________
$100 ____________
$500 ____________
other ____________

Letters of Recommendation

Mark Wagner is an extremely talented artist who is also a vibrant, charismatic role model and teacher. Using a multicultural perspective, he skillfully shows students new artistic tools and techniques to encourage expression through a variety of materials including chalk, clay and technology! Mr. Wagner has a unique gift for nurturing student creativity and individuality. As a result, our kids develop confidence and pride in their artistic accomplishments.

Shirley Clem, Principal, Franklin School

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It has been my pleasure to welcome Mark Wagner into my classroom every Monday morning as our Art Teacher. He is a wonderful artist and an excellent teacher who recognizes the special artistic talents in every student.

As the weeks progressed it was evident that every child in my class felt confident in their own artistic abilities. This was due to the encouragement they received from Mr. Wagner. He empowered them to embrace their own unique talents and feel proud of their accomplishments. Every student in my class now feels that if they don’t like the way one of their pieces is turning out they will simply turn it into something else. I no longer hear, “I can’t draw!” What I do hear is, “I want to be an artist when I grow up.”

His curriculum developed as the weeks progressed. He taught the students how to warm up using their dominant and less dominant hands, how to draw faces, hands and figures. They also learned about using shapes to draw animals and to draw the world and to use cross-hatching to produce three-dimensional shapes. Mr. Wagner has a gift for making what he teacher’s seem easy which in turn allows every child the opportunity to achieve success.

He also demonstrated how he incorporates technology with his art. The class was fascinated with this aspect of his work and began to realize how the computer could be used in a totally different way.
I was able to use what Mr. Wagner taught us throughout my curriculum. We had in-depth discussions about the comparisons between artists, authors, composers, and illustrators.

My class and I have been given a gift this year and it is my hope that this gift of Mr. Wagner will be shared with all of Franklin School and that every child will be given the opportunity to work with this very talented man.

Pam Andew - 3rd grade teacher