Wednesday, May 25, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Rickels honored at art ed conferenceDuring Abrakadoodles first annual conference May 1-3, dubbed Americas Most Colorful Franchise Conference, Pamela Rickels of Fayetteville was acknowledged with the Thumbprint Award for her outstanding achievements during Abrakadoodles first year in franchising. The dramatic backdrop for the event was the Crayola Factory at Two Rivers Landing near Easton, Pennsylvania, courtesy of conference host Binney & Smith, manufacturer of the Crayola brand. Abrakadoodle is a national innovator in creative art education, engaging children ages 20 months to 12-years old in wide-ranging art experiences. In conferring Pamelas award, Mary Rogers, founder and president of Abrakadoodle, remarked, Pamela is a dazzling Doodler, exemplifying innovation and boldness in reaching out in her community to deliver remarkable art education to youth in the south metro Atlanta area. Rogers painted the Abrakadoodle picture in her opening address, saying, This is a conference of firsts - our first annual conference with our first owners, highlighting our first artist of distinction, hosted with our first partner, Binney & Smith, our first 13 owners, the Doodle Dozen, and it all began on the first of May. In its first year of franchising, Abrakadoodle opened 38 franchises in 24 states and is serving thousands of children with creative art classes. Rogers reiterated Abrakadoodles philosophy, Every child has the potential to become a creative individual. Mort Solberg, nationally acclaimed wildlife artist and Abrakadoodles first Artist of Distinction, delivered a keynote address and also led hands-on sessions on his artistic techniques. Abrakadoodle features great contemporary artists, Artists of Distinction, as part of its instructional programs. These artists provide insights about their styles, creative vision and serve as experts. Mort Solberg paints in oil, acrylic, and watercolor and his techniques range from photo-realism to total abstraction. Mort's work is represented in such collections as the Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, and many private and public collections. Among the bright, new initiatives unveiled at the conference were Abrakadoodle Premier Programs, which include such glittering, innovative courses as Kids on Canvas, Doodle Drawing, Digital Doodles, and Portfolio Kids. Two recently piloted programs, Card Making Workshop and a Creativity Workshop for Parents, were also officially introduced. Ron Delong of Binney & Smith announced Abrakadoodles participation (at select locations) in the testing of its 2006 Dream-Makers curriculum. In 2004/05, Abrakadoodle was recognized with such monickers as a hot childrens art franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine. According to Entrepreneur's Franchise 500, the number of children's-learning franchise units grew 25 percent between 2002 and 2004. In the same period, children's enrichment program units leapt 55 percent. A Winter 2005 status on visual arts in elementary schools by the National Art Education Association reports that only 50% of schools offer after school visual arts programs and only 55% have a full time art instructor. According to the article, 25% of principals had cuts in their arts programs, and 33% anticipate future reductions, with even higher numbers reported among minority schools. Students reportedly receive more standardized test preparation than they do art instruction. Established in 2002, Abrakadoodle (www.abrakadoodle.com) classes deliver comprehensive art experiences that immerse students in a broad landscape of activities including painting, collage, sculpture, mosaics, and more. While Abrakadoodle emphasizes active learning, its presentation of students final projects with such products as FrameDoodles® have earned praise from parents and participants alike. The magic behind Abrakadoodle is the creative energy between a child and his/her art materials ignited by a well-trained teacher. Artist Lori Schue, author of the popular book series Artworks for Kids, and educator/award-winning franchise developer Mary Rogers, M.Ed, created Abrakadoodles imaginative national curriculum. |
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