Tri-Rivers empowers students with Teach Arts Ohio grant

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Caption: Tri-Rivers Interactive Media students had the unique opportunity to work closely with professional illustrator, Jerzy Drozd, above, to develop their storytelling and artistic skills. 

 

Tri-Rivers Career Center’s Interactive Media program recently completed a highly successful program funded by the Ohio Arts Council’s Teach Arts Ohio grant, according to Josh Ebert, one of the program’s two instructors.

“The grant awarded with public funds provided by the state enabled the school to bring in a resident artist to teach our students the art of visual storytelling through creating and publishing mini-comics,” explained Ebert.

Over the course of one semester, students in Tri-Rivers’ Interactive Media program had the unique opportunity to work closely with professional illustrator, Jerzy Drozd, to develop their storytelling and artistic skills, said Jeff Davidson, also an Interactive Media instructor.  “The program was highly successful, with our students not only learning valuable technical skills but also gaining confidence in their creative abilities.”

Ebert said the program was not only beneficial for students, but also had a positive impact on the surrounding community. “Students were able to publicly showcase their work at the end of the semester. Through a partnership with the local comic store, Thunderfury Comics, they hosted an event in honor of Free Comic Book Day, which drew a large crowd and generated a great deal of positive feedback. This not only provided students with valuable exposure, but also helped to promote the arts in the community.”

“We are excited about the success of this program and grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Ohio Arts Council through the Teach Arts Ohio grant,” said Dr. Charles Speelman, superintendent of Tri-Rivers Career Center. “The impact of this program has been far-reaching, not only for our students but also for the community as a whole. We look forward to continuing to provide our students with unique and valuable educational experiences like this in the future.”

The Teach Arts Ohio grant is part of the Ohio Arts Council’s mission to foster and encourage the development of the arts and cultural opportunities in the state, said Davidson. “Tri-Rivers Career Center is proud to have been selected for this grant and looks forward to future collaborations with the Ohio Arts Council.”

For more information on Tri-Rivers Career Center or the Teach Arts Ohio program, please contact Ebert or Davidson at 740-389-4681 or visit Tri-Rivers’ website at www.tririvers.com.