By Banen Alazawi Staff Writer
Small schools sometimes have to make sacrifices. A small student population limits the size of the staff. Of the three schools on the Cody campus, only one has an art teacher and can offer art classes.
Thanks to the College for Creative Studies Community Arts Partnership, a group of 20 students from all three schools can attend Art Club after school two days a week.
Nakeisha Zirker is a parent who is glad her son, Cody DIT junior Ruben Bryant-Zirker, gets to participate. Zirker attends every session to help out.
“This program is very positive and gives students a chance to discover talents they never knew they had,” Zirker said.
Artists Sunshine Durant and Alia Harvey-Quinn conduct classes for Art Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays in an APL classroom. As they teach different techniques, students create pieces to decorate the schools. They have placed several paintings in APL and are designing a mosaic for DIT and a mural for MCH. The artists are also working with students on designs for three doors that will be part of the “Doors of Opportunity” exhibit at the Thumbs Up Detroit Conference and Exposition at Cobo Hall, March 12-14.
Cody DIT sophomore Samuel Bessiake came to Cody in November and was glad to discover the after-school program. He said having art classes was always important to him when he was at other schools.
“Art classes were like an incentive for me to come to school and get through a long school day,” Bessiake said. “So I was obviously a little disappointed when I heard there were no art classes at DIT.”
Bessiake joined the program this month, and Durant said it’s great to have him.
“He’s re-designing one of the doors for Cobo,” Durant said.
Students in the after-school program will be able to apply for one of 12 paid positions in a summer version of Art Club. Working four days a week, they will spend the summer creating works of art for public spaces.
