Juls Rathje embraced a common approach to all the projects she rolled out for her art students at Genoa and Heritage middle schools this year: creating meaningful connections.
After students spent last spring in isolation at home because of the pandemic, Rathje sought opportunities where they could create pieces that were a part of something bigger than themselves. They include:
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Artwork for spacesuits, joining more than 50 countries in the project for the Space for Art Foundation
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Artist trading cards with students in Natchitoches Magnet School in Louisiana
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An art exchange with students from Cameroon, Africa
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Watercolor postcards to local retirement communities
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A “kindness” mural with artist-in-residence, Vicki Murphy
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A chalk walk featuring positive messages, inspired by a similar activity during Westerville Central High School’s annual Arts Alive event.
Rathje received multiple grants that supported several of the projects and brought different artists, including former Westerville principal Jan Fedorenko, to work with students. Specifically, she received grants from the Ohio Arts Council, the Bette Marschall Foundation and the Genoa PTSA that made all these projects possible.
“I want them to see art as everyday life,” she said. “By exchanging with students in Louisiana and Africa and through the spacesuit project — I want them to see how it unites us. Their message matters to people and all over the world. I want them to see that art is important, that it’s valued.”
She hopes students will reflect on their work next year and be proud of the work they put in.