Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
School district lends a hand to Chester County Art Association
WEST CHESTER » Chester County Art Association recently received a helping hand from West Chester Area School District with their ongoing construction project. CCAA has been undergoing renovations at their main West Chester facility since 2015 in their art galleries as well as the creation of a new photography darkroom and digital lab, improvements to their ceramics and printmaking studios, a new gift shop, and three new offices. A new library was also built so students would have access to research materials while taking courses at the association.
“The challenge with the shelves in the library was that all of them had to be custom fit for the room,” said CCAA Executive Director Wendy Kershner. “There were shelves of different lengths and depths. Plus, the books are so heavy we needed to double up the shelves to properly support them. As a result, we ran out of the shelving that was originally done for the library spaces.”
CCAA longtime volunteer and informal librarian Melanie Baer came up with a solution and thought it would be a great idea to collaborate with area teachers and students to build additional shelves. She reached out to West Chester Area School District Supervisor of Science and Technology Education Dr. Paul Joyce who sprang into action.
Joyce put out the call for help to district teachers, and East High School’s Woodworking and Materials teacher Tim Moore answered that call. Moore recruited junior Alexander Lyle to build the shelves. Lyle, a secondyear wood shop student, jumped at the chance to help. The project took about a month a half for him to complete.
“I think it’s really cool to have been a part of this project,” said Lyle. “I love helping out, especially when it’s for a good cause like assisting Chester County Art Association.”
The Woodworking and Materials class is open to all high school students. Kids learn how to use hand tools, power tools, and stationary machines safely to construct and finish quality projects made of wood, metal, plastics, and other materials. Students also tackle product design, assembly, and finishing at progressive levels of complexity and challenge.
“The West Chester Community is extremely supportive of WCASD curricular programs and most importantly our students through organizations like the CCAA,” said Joyce. “We are so grateful for the community support of our schools. It is thrilling when we can give back to the community.”
CCAA provided the wood and all the materials needed to make the additional shelves.
“It’s been a really positive experience,” Baer said. “We are very grateful to have students help out on a public project that will go into a community building that other students will be able to use for many, many years,” added Kershner.
CCAA was founded in 1931
by several prominent artists and community leaders, including artist William Palmer Lear, renowned illustrator N.C. Wyeth, and Christian Brinton, an internationally-known art critic and early promoter of the Modernist art movement.
Now in its 86th year, CCAA continues to serve as a community-minded organization that has grown tremendously to include a range of classes and exhibitions as well as free outreach art programs. These include popular summer day camps, satellite facilities at the Exton Square Mall and The Garage in Kennett Square, partnerships with other community organizations, and vital scholarships for children who are most in need.
“I think that everyone is an artist in some way,” said Kershner. “They just need to figure out what resonates with them and bring it out. I also think that now more than ever our world needs a lot of creative thinkers. We help to keep that going.”