Our podcasts were ‘unveiled’ at the New Orleans Musuem of Art last Friday night.
Hailey in front of Mounted Warrior, Yoruba Peoples
Malik R. in front of the Royal Memorial Ancestor Figure, Bangwa Peoples
Eva L. in front of Pathological Figure, Olmec Culture
To access the podcasts, you dial a phone number (504) 799-0176 and then access the appropriate extension. Once connected to the extension, you will hear the voices of my Scholars describing an artifact. My Scholars are Famous!!! I am so excited for them. Three of my podcasters (and their families) came to the unveiling Friday. For many of them, this experience has been the first time that they have been to the Museum of Art and I am thrilled to have played a part in this.
When I agreed to do the project, I had no idea the lasting effect it would have on the students, the museum and myself. It was a Win-Win situation all around. It took patience, juggling, and more patience as we adjusted our existing schedule to accomodate recording and re-recording time but it was well worth it.
The students who ACTIVELY participated have grown and matured and blossomed before my eyes (and ears.) We started off with timid, quiet voices and ended up with Audacity experts who now speak with conviction and authority. WoW!!! My kids had an opportunity to work closely with adults in creating this project, another new experience for them. They were given control over their productions and their opinion and judgment was given full credence. With our guidance and direction, created recordings that we are all proud of.
The Museum has a product that they are proud of and we have plans to do more projects together in the future. The Museum Personnel know that it is important to reach out to the community, and this project gave them a great way of doing this. My kids will return to the Museum with friends and family to show off their work. How great is that?
And Me…. I was proud to be considered for the project so I immediately jumped on it. I thought that allll of the students would want to jump at the chance to make podcasts for the Museum, but I could not have been more mistaken. They ran from it. The volunteers that I did get, I got because they wanted to be pulled out of class and spend extra time with me. Ahhhhh. At the ‘unveiling,’ I was washed with motherly pride at the sight of their names on small placards attached to the Museum walls declaring that a West Jefferson Student had produced a podcast for an artifact. (Yes, I cried motherly tears.) I was overwhelmed by the thought that they had grown from scared Freshman to the creators of podcasts that are now part of the Museum’s exhibit.
Whatever their initial reason for volunteering, they have all gotten so much from this experience that they want to know when the next project is coming around.
Here is a list of the Podcasts they produced. I have most of them housed on SoundCloud.com.
| Artist Information | Student |
| Archangel Michael Triumphant, Sculpture, Unidentified | Dante T |
| Archangel with a Matlock Gun, Calamarca | Malik R |
| Dancer in Green, Degas | Lanicha L |
| The Good Shepard, Tanner | Lanicha L |
| Marie Antoinette, Vigee-Lebrun | Malik R |
| Mother and Child in Conservatory, Cassatt | Gloria G |
| Mounted Warrior, Yoruba Peoples | Hailey M |
| The Park of Saint-Cloud, Robert | Eva L |
| Pathological Figure, Olmec Culture | Eva L |
| Poro Society Rice Ladle, Dan Peoples | Stephanie J |
| Portrait of Estelle, Degas | Lanicha L |
| Portrait of a Young Girl, Miro | Stephanie J |
| Royal Memorial Ancestor Figure, Bangwa Peoples | Malik R |
| Seated Warrior, Colima Culture | Malik R |
| Suit of Armor in Domaru Style | Eva L |
| Three Women of America, Catlett | Eva L |
| Whisperings of Love, Bouguereau | Gloria G |
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