2005 Student Artwork Gallery Principal funding by Dawn Maria Amos, an art education enthusiast. Mrs. Amos is a descendent of a prominent local family with close personal ties to Antoinette, Edith and Leo Carrillo. Companion funding from the: Wells Fargo Foundation, Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club and 70 members of the Friends of Carrillo Ranch, Inc.

INTRODUCTION

The eighth successful year of the California History and Art program for fourth graders has in more recent years featured three exciting, educational components: (1) a field trip to the magnificent 27-acre Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, (2) a unique on-site Art Stop at the conclusion of the tour, and (3) a follow-up, half-day classroom workshop in the use of oil pastels to forever capture visions of individual students’ rancho experiences. Due to the vagaries of weather and the availability of trained docents, the number of available Park visitation dates between late September, 2004, and late April, 2005, was limited to 30 of which 26 were ultimately utilized. A like number of campus workshops was conducted by a professional instructor who complied strictly with California curriculum standards for graphic arts education. The integrated program was offered to all elementary schools within Carlsbad’s city limits without any charge of any kind. Four school administrations were involved: Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos and St. Patrick’s. The city provided the field trips and Art Stops and the Friends underwrote the cost of the instruction for the classroom workshops. The Friends expenses were covered entirely by the private sector grants and spontaneous member donations noted above. Thus, during the 2004/05 academic year 26 classes representing approximately 900 students from 10 elementary schools participated. A small increase to 30 classes is anticipated for the coming year. HOW IT WORKS IN DETAIL Prior to a scheduled field trip a class receives comprehensive information on Leo Carrillo - including his career as an actor and his long dedication to public service - and the history of the Rancho de Los Kiotes via a 12 minute video produced by the Friends. A subsequent 90 minute tour of the rancho is conducted by docent-volunteers recruited and trained by the Park staff. Immediately thereafter the group (students, teachers and chaperones) is directed to the historic Carriage House converted temporarily to serve as an open air classroom. A professional instructor - funded by the city - spends 45 minutes reviewing the fundamentals of pencil sketching to record first impressions of the field trip. Each student receives a souvenir copy of An Introduction To Carrillo Ranch - a 30 page booklet with photos, text, map and one of Leo’s poems - published by the Friends. The sketches are carried back to the classroom as a starting point for the more extensive oil pastel workshop to follow a few days later. During the half-day classroom session students from all walks of life - from the affluent to the economically distressed - from every ethnic and social background - produce a stunning array of artworks, all within the constraints of a 3-hour timeframe of discovery and imagination. The professional art educator chose the five best creations from each class. For 2004/05 these totalled 130 candidates for a winner designation. An independent panel of working artists then selected the 26 Best-Of-Class artworks displayed in the Gallery below. In a separate review of the runners-up the city’s Volunteer Curator for Carrillo Ranch chooses one additional artwork to become the coveted 2005 Curator’s Choice. It may be viewed in the Gallery presentation to follow. Enjoy. SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES The Friends of Carrillo Ranch, Inc. has sponsored art education classes in the Carlsbad area schools since 1998, well prior to the opening of the Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. The work of these budding artists “in the early years” who had no opportunity to actually visit the rancho is quite remarkable. Please be sure to visit the individual 1998 - 2003 Galleries. The Friends believes this to be the longest running, privately funded program of its kind serving Carlsbad’s fourth grade students.

ART & CALIFORNIA HISTORY
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Carrillo

Lexi Grieshaber	Candice Lee
V Rick Richardson	Cole Simmonds

Joe Aumuller

Chloe Cattle

Jefferson

Justine Fegan
Brandon Taber

Magnolia

Shawnee Bryan	Jaycee McNally
Tanner Wrisley

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Campus Classroom Instructor
Wendy Woolf

Best-Of-Class Judging
Carlsbad-Oceanside Art League (COAL)

Support Services
Gemological Institute of America (Carlsbad)
Anderson Stationers (Encinitas)
JPrel.com (Carlsbad)
SelectNet Internet (Carlsbad)
A/V Consultants: Janice and Paul Payne (San Diego)
DVD Design: Don Larson (timeoutofmind.com)

The Friends does not solicit or accept taxpayer funds. Its California History and Art program serves all elementary school classes within Carlsbad’s city limits who are able to complete a docent-led field trip at the Park.

Want to be a field trip docent-volunteer? Contact the Park staff at 476-1042. You will receive all the necessary training.

Want to join the Friends? Return to the homepage and click on “Become a Member.” It’s easy.

Be sure to visit the 2005 Curator's Choice