PULLMAN The exhibition “Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers” at the WSU Museum of Art is drawing in thousands of students and adults from all over the region. In the past month more than 2,000 people have come through the Museum with thousands more expected. With generous donations to the Luigi Gastaldo and Flora Brevette Rosa Endowment for the Buy-a-Busload-of-Kids Program several hundred students from area schools have seen the exhibition and at least 1,000 more are already scheduled over the next month.
“The Museum of Art is incredibly fortunate and grateful to have a supporter like Eugene Rosa. Because of his generosity and dedication to arts education he has established the Luigi Gastaldo and Flora Brevette Rosa Endowment for the Buy-a-Busload-of-Kids Program. With this endowment the Museum can continue its commitment to getting K-12 students through the door to experience world class exhibitions,” said the museum’s Associate Director, Anna-Maria Shannon.
“Many people find art, especially abstract or provocative art, intimidating. This may even be more true of those who, by virtue of rural residence, have little or no exposure to the great museums clustered and distanced from them in urban areas. The best place to address this intimidation, the place to enliven the wonderment of great art, the place to plant the seeds of recognition that every great civilization has cherished the arts and science simultaneously is, I believe, in the minds of youngsters. I am pleased to play a small part in the wonderful tradition of bringing youngsters to the WSU Museum of Art,” said Gene Rosa.
Through the generous contributions from people like Eugene Rosa and Pat and Elizabeth Siler, many schools have been able to see world class exhibitions. We are pleased that the entire student body of Lincoln Middle School in Pullman will be coming to this exhibition. We would like to offer this program to as many schools as possible and continue to seek additional funding.
Lincoln Middle School art teacher, Shanti Scutt-Norman said, “After meeting with individuals from the museum, we recognized the impact a show like this could have on our entire student body who already have an environmental consciousness due to the Lincoln Environmental Action Program (LEAP). The visuals and numbers which Chris Jordan presents are so powerful and far-reaching that an opportunity to make this connection with our students could not be missed.”
“I think the Jordan exhibition is the kind of thing that really connects with students. The art itself is fascinating and interesting; that it enlightens difficult to grasp concepts is just a wonderful bonus,” said Paul Strum, superintendent of Pullman School District.
Students at Lincoln Middle School are currently working on recycled sculptures to go along with the Chris Jordan exhibition. They will be on display March 9-11 at the Museum of Art.
Gene Rosa and the Silers are excited at the number of students that will be able to see the exhibition. They hope the students will walk away with a greater appreciation for the arts and the environment.
“Some might be like me and say, ‘wow! This is for real, if we don’t do something about this now this is how it is going to be in the future, but greater’,” said Lincoln Middle School sixth grader James Riggleman.
