The Rural Alliance for the Arts is again committing over $32,000 this school year to educate over 4,000 students in Batesville area public and private schools. RAA's Arts in Education Program brings professional artists into the area schools to integrate the arts into the existing school curricula, reports Batesville High School art teacher and Arts in Education committee member Amy McCabe.

It has been cited in the past as a model for this type of program by the Indiana Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts.

This year, Batesville Community School Corp. students are experiencing a variety of arts activities through the generosity of this program, the John W. Hillenbrand Vision Fund for Quality Education and Rockwood Foundation.

BHS ceramics students are creating a huge clay tile mural that will cover the hallway walls near the cafeteria. Each student in Batesville public schools will have the opportunity to create a tile illustrating what is most important to them about the community. The roughly 2,000 tiles will collectively spell out "We Are Batesville Bulldogs." Advanced art students will have work with BHS graduate Claire Kohlman in January. The graphic design major will help students think like designers as they learn to use Illustrator software.

Batesville Middle School Art Club members recently wrapped up a project that was started in April 2008. Artist Judy Dominic taught students how to work with rattan, vines and bamboo to create large sculptures in the form of grids and orbs. One orb is almost 5 feet long.

They were created to become an "environmental installation" for Brum Woods. All pieces were installed Oct. 15, thanks to Peg Neth, K.C. Conaway, Sheri Focke, Mary Kay Cambron and the Batesville Parks and Recreation Department. The public can now view the artwork as they walk the woods trails.

Artist Chaz Kaiser is working with eighth- grade students in Wayne Lanning's industrial technology classes. “Together they are creating some fantastic lantern sculptures. Students use stained glass, copper wire, wood and solder to make these professional looking pieces,” McCabe says.

Starting in February, seventh-grade art elect students will get a real studio experience. Artist Rebecca Davies and students will be using acrylics to paint on large 36-by-48-inch canvases. A studio with easels will be set up in the extra art room. Students will discuss how horses have been portrayed in art throughout time. They will experience and photograph real horses in order to get reference points for their paintings.

Seventh-grade art elect students Zach Brower, Jake Roper, Jarett Hooten, Anna Meyer, A.J. Connelly, James Ault, Noah Gausman and Evan Bohlke recently sent their handmade ornaments made out of recycled materials to the Statehouse in Indianapolis as part of the state superintendent of public instruction's "Reading Tree." They used cloth, beads, wire, sticks, walnuts, cotton, etc., to create one-of-a-kind ornaments.

Batesville Primary School students enjoyed a convocation in November featuring mime artist Reed Steele and one Dec. 15 with Cathy Morris. Her two high-energy, fun performances showcased electric strings doing Latin American jazz music. Jazz Indiana helped underwrite Morris’ performances.

All third-graders made pots with favorite potter Don Edwards’ expert assistance in November. A pottery auction will be held during the spring square dance to raise money for clay and glazes next year.

Seven large paintings made by BPS students and residents at The Waters of Batesville were auctioned by auctioneer Bob Wessel before the holiday concert in December. The event raised money for the food pantry, McCabe says.

Rex Oxley of Harrison, Ohio, was the visiting artist at Batesville Intermediate School in September, according to BIS art teacher and Arts in Education committee member Rebecca Davies. He had recently completed an amazing work of art – a 6-foot-square mandala comprised of natural materials. “The community was fortunate to have this work in the Batesville Memorial Public Library in May 2008 so that many students and community members could enjoy this work firsthand,” she points out.

Oxley worked with all fourth- and fifth-grade students for three weeks in their art classes. He related stories about his years of art making and the process of creating the mandala. The students made observational drawings of natural objects that were also used in the making of the mandala. The artist helped the students slow down and truly see and appreciate the natural objects in their hands and to recognize both the fragility and the strength of the organic form. Oxley was chosen as the artist in residence there “because he so exemplifies that driving artistic spirit that pushes through to transform inspiration into being,” Davies notes.