It made sense. Peter Gould - writer, actor, teacher, and all around renaissance man - chose to accept the 2016 Ellen McCulloch-Lovell Award in Arts Education with a slam poem. Enjoy this excerpt.

SLOW SCHOOL MOVEMENT
a slam poem by Peter Gould

Let me tell you all about the work I've done for the past forty years: this ARTS IN EDUCATION.

I'll tell it like a poem; like a work of art!

I call it, the SLOW SCHOOL MOVEMENT!

They say schools today, they're trying to reach, they're trying to teach, a student who no longer exists! So many students hooked by other bait, phones and screens and social networks and carried with them, a HUGE commercial influence upon their desires, their styles and habits of speech and dress and thought ... so that, when you try to HOOK a roomful of them with outmoded content you're doomed to be largely unsuccessful, except to a special few who may be more tolerant, more open, more curious, maybe they come from households where old-fashioned discussion and expression are the norm, BUT if you HOOK only those people you continue the existence of an elite class - What can we do? We artists are some of the ONLY people in the state who are both poised and equipped to make and bait the hook that will pull all children in: hundreds of school teachers have told me that for forty years.

SO, we're gonna have most of our students in the building from about 8 to 3; that's a lot of young human energy contained in a tight place ... so we have GOT to have arts activities ready and supported and paid for, of many different types, to be a CENTRAL part of daily education. The kids WILL pay attention. They WILL find means of true expression. They WILL behave. They WILL!

Read the entire poem and listen to a recording here.

When you present someone with an art experience or work of art, you honor the recipient with a meaningful gift, and you support a Vermont artist and our state's economy. Here are ten ways to celebrate the season and support the arts in Vermont:

1. Visit one of Vermont's State Craft Centers to find handmade, local treasures.

 

2. Delight a child with an art class or summer camp offered by organizations such as Helen Day Art Center, Southern Vermont Arts Center, River Arts, New England Center for Circus Arts, or Burlington City Arts.

 

3. Surprise someone with season tickets to one of Vermont's theater companies, like Lost Nation Theater, Weston Playhouse, and Northern Stage.

 

4. Plan a special arts excursion for a loved one; for example, a visit to the Shelburne Museum followed by a celebratory lunch.

 

5. Shop at a holiday artisan market to find unique items created by Vermont artists. A few examples are: Chandler Center for the Arts, The Art House, and Touch of Vermont.

 

6. Find the perfect work of art at one of Vermont's many galleries, such as BigTown Gallery, Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, West Branch Gallery, or  Bryan Memorial Gallery.  

 

7. Give a gift certificate for the Flynn Center, Town Hall Theater, or Paramount Theatre. More ideas here.

 

8. Donate to your favorite arts organization in honor of a special person.

 

9. For the film lovers on your list, consider tickets to the Vermont International Film Festival, the Green Mountain Film Festival, or the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival.

 

10. Last, but not least, give a Vermont Arts Council membership to to demonstrate your support for the arts in all forms and in every corner of the state!