Each year, Estrella Mountain Community College and the West Valley Arts Council partner to offer local high school students the opportunity to design, develop and install a permanent piece of public art for display in the West Valley, all while earning college credit. This year, more than 50 applications were received and ten young women were chosen as apprentices for the 2009 installment of the Gallery 37 program.
During the 6-week program, the students study photography, graphic design, digital art, ceramics, sculpture, videography, editing, and public art. Also, because the students are working for a client, they are taught job skills such as resume writing, business etiquette, and public speaking. This year, the client was the City of El Mirage for which the students designed a sculpture for a new city park.
To begin, the students met with El Mirage city officials to determine what they wanted to see created for the park, followed by a visit to the park itself to see where the sculpture would be placed. Then, they began brainstorming as a group about what they felt would fit the needs of the city and what elements would be appropriate for the park, coming up with key words to help guide their creativity: "connectivity, unity, sleek, modern, and geometric."
Shelby Fisher, a student at Estrella Foothills High School, felt the program demonstrated the collaborative nature of college courses. "You get put in a room with people you don't know, and you have to work together to get it done," she said.
The group presented a digital rendering and small model of their final product at Estrella Mountain Community College on June 23. In the coming weeks, they will work with a local fabricator to create the actual sculpture, which will be installed in El Mirage in early August 2009.
"They really worked hard and dedicated themselves," said Jason Martinez, division chair for counseling and career services at the college and co-instructor for the Gallery 37 program. "We are all really proud of them."