Coming to the aid of art in school

Man spearheads effort to raise funds to keep art program at Edison Elementary School

Gene Davis, DDN Staff Writer

Friday, May 1, 2009

Maile Kilen, age 6, a kindergartner at Edison Edison Elementary student paints a picture in class.

“Thinking back to elementary school, what do you remember about it?” asks Randy Thomae, a father of two who is leading the fight to save Edison Elementary’s art program. “Art, gym, music — those are the things you remember.”

Thomae is doing what he can to make sure students at Edison Elementary can have those same memories. Due to a 2-percent across-the-board budget cut for all Denver Public Schools, Edison’s program that provides art instruction to 575 kindergarten-fifth graders is on the chopping block.

Need to raise $60,000

Thomae is trying to raise $60,000 by May 28 to ensure the art program stays. Through a series of fundraising events like Friday’s scheduled Oakley Local Artists Series — which will feature one-of-a-kind Oakleys that have been fancied up by local artists — and the First Friday event going on at Metro Frame Works — which is hosting an exhibit featuring 30 pieces of art created by Edison students — Thomae has helped raise $17,502 so far.

“I think it’s clear to everyone how critical art is to children,” Thomae said. “We don’t just want to have kids who know how to follow instructions and be mindless automatons. That’s not how we’re going to succeed in the 21st century.”

Helping future customers

Melanie Lunsford of Metro Frame Works, 4400 Tennyson St., said it made sense for her business to help out Edison because the school’s students make up a large part of Metro Frame Works’ customer base. Along with holding the First Friday event and donating all of the profits from it to the Art For Edison foundation, Metro Frame Works provided 30 art panels, paints and glue so the kids could have material to work with.

“For us to have customers in the future, kids need to grow up knowing what art is about,” said Lunsford.

Schools being measured on CSAP scores are a big reason why programs like art are the first to go because of budget cuts, said Thomae. However, just because art isn’t as quantifiably measurable as subjects like math and science doesn’t mean it’s not as important, he added.

“There are lots of kids you might not reach if you don’t have an outlet such as art or music where they can express themselves and be good at something,” he said. “I think it’s pretty clear that many students learn in many different ways.”

Inspired

Thomae, a former entrepreneur, took on the stay-at-home dad role when his two kids were born. When he heard about Edison losing its art program, that entrepreneur itch started up and he began looking into how he could help. After working nonstop at the school to try to raise funding and awareness for Edison’s art program, Thomae said he was amazed with how bad the situation with overall school funding is.

“There’s just not nearly enough money there,” he said. “Everyone works so hard just to get paid so little money. It’s insulting the way we treat the teachers and the school with the budget. It’s practically criminal.”

To learn more about saving Edison’s art program or to donate directly, visit ArtForEdison.org.

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