Around 150 fifth graders from Troy Elementary School and Pike Liberal Arts School participated in an immersive field trip at Troy University’s International Arts Center (IAC) last month as a part of the IAC’s Trojan Junior Warriors program.
The program, which began in 2017, has become a staple field-trip opportunity that seeks to offer students a multi-cultural arts experience.
“Our purpose is to create a vibrant arts and cultural experience for our local fifth graders,” said Carrie Jaxon, IAC Director and Curator. “We want to ignite their passion for creativity and give them a chance to explore the world of art right here, in their own community. This program is about opening our doors and showing them that the museum and university are places they can always call their own. We hope they return again and again to the IAC to be inspired by our artists and exhibitions.”
Students created artwork inspired by “This Is Reading,” an exhibition featuring artwork by TROY professor Jill Magi, and were given tours by Jonny Farrow, Assistant Professor of Art and Design and artist of the exhibit, “When Corner’d Use the Wall.”
Additionally, they met with International Programs and Chinese student volunteers to make Chinese papercut artwork and learned about the Chinese dragon costume and dance traditions. They also learned about the Terracotta Warriors, screen-printed t-shirts with the IAC Trojan Junior Warriors logo and even got to feed the fish and turtles in the pond in the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park.
While on campus they ate lunch in Trojan Dining where Sodexo helps to support the cost of the meal through a price reduction.
“The schools involved have shared that this field trip is highly anticipated by the students, and we frequently receive feedback from past participants about how much they enjoyed the experience,” Jaxon said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to offer this enriching experience to our community, and we deeply appreciate the support from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.”
This marks the fourth year that the IAC Trojan Junior Warrior program has been supported through funding from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Thanks to this grant, the IAC is able to host the field trip at no cost to the participating schools, with all expenses, including transportation, teacher substitutes, lunch, and snacks, fully covered.
