In 2023, as part of our new German Exchange Program with Keene’s sister city of Einbeck, MC2 coordinated a 15-day-long workshop for where both MC2 and Einbeck students could learn the art of Geometric Glass making with local artist Hans Schepker. MC2 engaged in similar AIR residencies in 2015 and 2017 with Hans at both their Monadnock and Manchester campuses. Those were 1-2 week experiences during school hours that culminated in great success and pride on behalf of the students. They inspired similar art projects, including students engaging in stained glass internships. These opportunities were made possible by the Artist in Residence Grant provided by the NH State Council on the Arts.
This most recent collaboration allowed our community to explore 3-dimensional sculpture as they worked with Hans to create a unique stain-glass lamp, based on mathematically rigorous design and incorporating multiple individual contributions that come together as a whole. This workshop included preparation with the staff, laying the groundwork for artistic and mathematical skills.
Hans’s longstanding relationship with Making Community Connections Chartered Public School spans a decade of collaboration with him serving as a thought partner, internship mentor, and evaluator. Hans is a unique artist, specializing in his work’s mathematical rigor and artistic integrity. In creating a community lamp comprised of individual panels, we ensure that students will be able to stay true to the MC2 mission of personalized learning, while also bringing it all together in a community project.
We collaborated with our exchange group to prepare an event that was welcoming and inclusive. We were excited to share elements of New England culture with our German counterparts. In preparation for the residency, staff and students researched Hans’s work and other geometric art, including sculpture, architecture and 2-dimensional art.
Following the residency, students shared their learning to the larger community in quarterly Exhibitions of Learning. Every student who participated in this residency shared their experience with their learning team as well as the community partners invited to evaluate their presentations. Our work was highlighted in an article in The Keene Sentinel and showcased at the MC2 Maker Space (CoCreate) Maker Fair that fall.
More recently, this learning opportunity was mirrored back to us, literally, in the recent 2024 trip to Germany where the BBS school hosted a corresponding art project to further the global artistic connections between our communities.
Special Thanks to the NH State Council on the Arts for their support and guidance, and also Governor Chris Sununu, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, NH Senator Fenton and NH Representatives Germana, Fox, Jones, Newell, Filiault, Monteil, Toll, and Schapiro for their continued support of public funding for the State Arts.
