ARTWorks Fall 2010
ARTWorks serves a diverse student body that is respectful and welcoming of all.
The Aurora Public Art Commission (APAC), working in partnership with Waubonsee Community College (WCC) invites high school students who are Aurora residents or who attend Aurora schools to participate in the fall 2010 session of our ARTWorks dual credit scholarship program. The fall semester begins September 20 and ends December 16, 2010. This fall ARTWorks will offer Drawing 1 or 2 , Design 1 or 2, New Media/Television Production 1 or 2 (See descriptions and instructor biographies below).
ARTWorks is a fine arts career exploration scholarship program in which high school students work with paid professional artist/mentors from a variety of fields. Only Aurora residents or students who attend Aurora schools are eligible. Students must be 16 years of age or turning 16 during the class in order to participate. This rule may be waived for some participants, however these students must contact the Waubonsee Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Life (630) 466-7900, ext. 2969 no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the class. Note, some schools, such as West Aurora High, will not offer high school credit to ARTWorks students under the age of 16. However, these students will receive college credit for classes that they complete and pass. Students who have graduated from high school may not participate.
All ARTWorks classes are free of charge to students. WCC credit hours are transferable to most academic institutions. The classes are held for the full semester and most students receive full academic credit from their high schools and from Waubonsee Community College. In financial terms, it is important for counselors, students and parents to note the following comparables: A student who has completed an ARTWorks class has received the equivalent of a scholarship for $270, the cost of the class at Waubonsee Community College. If the student transfers this class to Columbia College that same scholarship is worth $1,863, the cost of the class at that institution. If the class is transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago it has a value of $3,255. Therefore, a student who takes four classes, for example, Drawing 1 & 2 and Design 1 & 2 has not only completed the pre-requisites for Painting or Sculpture, but has also received a scholarship of up to $13,020 or more.
Since 2003 the Aurora Public Art Commission has provided ARTWorks scholarships to hundreds of students. APAC has sponsored classes in television production, sculpture, historic preservation, historic preservation/public history, mural painting, drawing and design. The Aurora Public Art Commission is dedicated to providing ARTWorks scholarships to students from all Aurora high schools. As a public organization we consider this program to be a long term investment in the lives and the future careers of our young people.
ARTWorks was initiated under the principle that although students must be encouraged to pursue their dreams, a successful job-training program must also provide them with the resources to make informed and realistic decisions. ARTWorks instructors are working artist/mentors who are familiar with current trends within their fields. The mentoring system allows participants to see that the skills that they learn are valuable and can lead to successful careers.
ARTWorks serves students from every Aurora high school. Students are informed of the program by teachers and guidance counselors, and are accepted on a first come first served basis.
The deadline for fall 2010 registration is September 15, 2010. See below for information about registration. All costs such as books, tuition, basic art supplies and registration fees will be covered by the Aurora Public Art Commission.
ARTWorks Forms
- Hold Harmless Agreement
- ARTWorks Registration Form
- Waubonsee New Student Application
- Waubonsee Registration Form
ARTWorks Summer 2010 Registration Information
Note: Students will not receive receipts when registering for classes. Counselors are advised to give each student a copy of the schedule, which is, in effect, a receipt. It is the responsibility of the student to make a note of date, time and location.
Students interested in participating in ARTWorks must first speak with their guidance counselors. Only counselors may formally refer students to the program. Home schooled students may contact Rena Church at (630) 256-3340 or email rchuch@aurora-il.org.
All four forms are required for student participation, although students who have already completed an ARTWorks class or classes need not fill out the “New Student” form.
In order to register students must be 16 years old or turning 16 during the semester in which they are attending the class. Some students younger than 16 may participate, however students under 16 must contact the Waubonsee Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Life (630) 466-7900 ext. 2969 no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the class. Note, some schools, such as West Aurora High, will not offer high school credit to ARTWorks students under the age of 16. However, these students will receive college credit for classes that they complete and pass. Students who have graduated from high school may not participate.
At the completion of the courses most students will be eligible to receive a full semester of high school and college credit. Students who have taken first level classes, such as Drawing 1, may take the second level in the form of stack classes.
Stack Classes:
Stack classes are designed to accommodate students of varying levels.
For example, ARTWorks students who have previously taken Drawing 1, Design 1, or TV PRO I may take these classes again to receive credit for Drawing 2, Design 2, etc. Instructors will offer assignments appropriate to each level of study. Students must specify class levels on the registration form.
Due to the increasing popularity of ARTWorks classes, registration forms must be sent to APAC as soon as the students fill them out. If you would rather send the forms all at once you may fax copies to APAC or simply send an email (with the student’s name, address, grade and phone number) as each student registers. This will ensure that classes do not fill beyond their limits. Students will be accepted on a first come first served basis.
Counselors may send forms to: Aurora Public Art Commission, 44 E. Downer Place, Aurora, IL 60507. Phone: (630) 256-3340 Fax: (630) 256-3349 E-mail: rchurch@aurora-il.org
ARTWorks Fall 2010 Course List
Note: Students will not receive receipts when registering for classes. It is the responsibility of the student to make a note of date, time and location.
Drawing 1 or 2 (Prerequisite for Painting and Sculpture)
- Instructor: Jenny Evans
- Dates: September 20 through December 15, 2010 (ARTWorks exhibit and reception is Thursday, December 16, 2010)
- Time: Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-7:30 84 Hours
- Location: ARTWorks Building, 43 East Galena, Downtown Aurora
- Maximum: 21 students
- Minimum: 10 students
Drawing 1
Introduction to drawing: Emphasis on object representation through descriptive and expressive means. Control of line, value, and spatial illusion with a variety of black and white media. Drawing 2: Further exploration of drawing from observation. Color theory will be explored and a variety of color media will be used. Sketchbook/journal required at both levels.
Design 1 or 2 (Prerequisite for Painting and Sculpture)
- Instructor: Fawn Clarke-Peterson
- Dates: September 21 through December 16 (ARTWorks exhibit and reception is Thursday, December 16, 2010)
- Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 4:00-7:30 84 Hours
- Location: ARTWorks Building, 43 East Galena, Downtown Aurora
- Maximum: 21 students
- Minimum: 10 students
Design 1
The fundamentals of two-dimensional design: line, shape, value, texture and color are explored individually and in composition using a variety of media, such as acrylic paint, watercolors, ink, graphite, charcoal, and collage. Design 1 and Design 2 are prerequisites for courses in painting and sculpture.
New Media/Television Production 1 or 2
- Instructor: Carolyn Krainak
- Dates: September 20 through December 15, 2010 (ARTWorks exhibit and reception is Thursday, December 16, 2010)
- Time: Monday and Wednesday from 4:00-6:15 63 hours
- Location:ARTWorks Center, 43 East Galena, downtown Aurora
- Maximum: 12 students
- Minimum: 7 students
New Media/Television Production
This class is designed to introduce students to sophisticated multi-media techniques, new information delivery systems and community participation technologies. The course will provide experiences in multiple-camera studio production and location video recording. Students will learn production responsibilities, script and graphics preparation, set design, lighting, and talent/performance techniques, as well as the U.S. system of regulation and control of broadcasting. An equal component of the class will be analyzing and experimenting of new media; digital video, streaming video for web productions, web phones, etc.
Introduction to media literacy: Students will be expected to become active participants by critiquing and analyzing their own consumption and relationship to media culture, i.e. television, computers and incorporate this into a finished tv/new media product.
Instructor Biographies
Jenny Evans
Jenny Evans lives in Aurora, IL with her husband and children. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees of Art at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. Her work has ranged from drawing and painting to installation and video art. Ms. Evans has shown at the NIU Art Museum, the Nehring Center Gallery, the Jack Olsen Gallery, The Women’s Center, and Bad Dog Gallery of DeKalb, as well as the Ishikawa Cultural Center in Kanazawa Japan. Ms. Evans has worked as a muralist, videographer, high school teacher in Japan, and currently is an adjunct faculty member at Waubonsee Community College.
Fawn Clarke-Peterson
Fawn Clarke-Peterson lives in Aurora, IL with her husband and son. She holds a B.A. in History from Winona State University, MN and an M.F.A. in Ceramics from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. Additionally, she has completed extensive graduate level coursework in Art History. Her work has ranged from installation and functional art to drawing and painting. She is currently an instructor at Northern Illinois University and adjunct faculty member at The Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg. Recently, Ms. Clarke-Peterson has exhibited at the Chicago Arts District in Chicago, the NIU Art Museum and Pleasant Street Gallery in DeKalb, and Water Street Studios in Batavia.
Carolyn Krainak
Carolyn Krainak received a BFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1986 and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993. She also received her Masters In Education for certification from Aurora University in 2007. She is currently an instructor in the Aurora Public Art Commission’s ARTWorks program and a Reading Interventionist for the West Aurora School District. She has taught Art Appreciation at Aurora University, Waubonsee Community College, and Art History at University of ST. Francis, Joliet, IL.
Ms. Krainak has worked as a Multimedia Producer/Associate Editor at Cognitive Arts, Chicago, IL, as a video instructor at Columbia College, Chicago, IL. and as Video Instructor/Artist in Residence for the Community TV Network in Chicago. Here she instructed inner city high school youth in video production and theory, supervised students in production of Hardcover, an award winning biweekly teen culture program on cable TV, and coordinated and managed the artist in residence program funded by the Illinois Art Council. Ms. Krainak has produced six independent films, five of which were award winning.
ARTWorks Credo
An effective educator:
- Sees each student as an individual, with his/her own interests and expectations
- Recognizes that students learn in many different ways, and adjusts his/her teaching style accordingly
- Encourages each student to be self-directed, with the sense of responsibility, the initiative, and the positive attitude necessary for learning.
- Encourages each student to be a contributing member of the community, in order to instill in the student the belief that life itself is an important learning experience.
- Fosters the acquisition of social skills necessary for communications, problem solving, peer relationships, and decision-making.
- Understands that the purpose of education is to serve the needs of students, not educators, administrators, or the state.

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