4-H and UW-Stout Art Education Collaboration

Community Finds Value in 4-H and UW-Stout Art Education Collaboration
By Zachary Rozmiarek

Three area 4-H programs will again partner with the UW-Stout Art Education Program to bring art lessons to area youth. This is the sixth year of the program. It is open to all youth in grades k-12 in Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire Counties. The sessions are virtual for youth in grades k-6, and in person on the UW-Stout Campus for grades 7-12. This collaboration is continuing because of the benefits it gives to the community--both UW-Stout art education students and youth participants.

In previous years the program was funded by a grant from Arts Integration Menomonie. When that grant ran out, the area 4-H Educators had to find other sources of funding. “We really wanted to keep the program going,” says Rachel Hart-Brinson County 4-H Educator in Eau Claire County. “When we collect feedback from the participants, it is always positive. The virtual aspect provides access to some folks who struggle to make it work for in-person meetings. When we heard that the funding had run out, we immediately started to brainstorm creative solutions. This year the program will be funded by the area 4-H Leaders Councils, with hopes to find more grant funding in the future.”

The value that community members find in this program is the driving force to keep it going. When asked for feedback, parents shared positive comments, such as, “They grew in confidence in their artistic ability and in themselves,” and, “she loves art so it was fun for her to be with other kids who loved art.”

Allowing the younger youth to participate over zoom is another aspect of the program many parents enjoyed. One participant stated, “It gives her something to do one night a week that we do not have to leave home for.”

Presenting the majority of the program virtually also allows the 4-H Programs to invite community members who are not enrolled in 4-H. Chippewa County 4-H Educator Jordan Blue states, “when we present the sessions over Zoom, we don’t have to worry about having enough space for the youth. This allows us to invite all of the youth from the three counties. Of course we hope that they love it so much that they want to enroll in 4-H, but that isn’t our main goal. Our main goal is to help them fulfill their sparks of creating art.”

Youth in grades 7 and up meet in person for a variety of reasons. First, the art that they are doing is more complex, and doing it over zoom would be more difficult. It also gives the youth a chance to experience a college art classroom. “One of our focuses in 4-H is career and college readiness,” states Rachel Hart-Brinson. “Giving youth the opportunity to spend time on a college campus helps them imagine ‘this could be me’ and get more comfortable thinking about college as a next step.”

This year, the Art U Program will be presented on Thursday nights at 6:30 from February 12 until March 12. There is a fee of $5 for 4-H members, and $10 for non-members which covers the cost of supplies. Registration closes on January 13. To register, or find more information you can visit go.wisc.edu/artu2026, or contact your county 4-H Educator:
Jordan Blue, Chippewa County jordan.blue@wisc.edu
Rachel Hart-Brinson, Eau Claire County rachel.hartbrinson@wisc.edu
Zachary Rozmiarek, Dunn County zachary.rozmiarek@wisc.edu