StIV111, z • DYANSEN Nsteful a.rt PREVIEW AT 6:30 PM collectors for 15 Infs. FINE ART AUCTION AUCTION AT 7:30 PM • 0 • 6r4 • BIRMINGHAM, MI. THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH • THE TOWNSEND HOTEL 100 TOWNSEND STREET F. JOAN GOLDBERG Auc. Lic.#794o1 Including custom•framed works ' Original paintings European & Latin American Modern Master prints I Signed•and•numbered popular lithographs & serigraphs Sculptures & Objects of Art in a variety of mediums • I Bidding ranging from S50•S10+ All major credit cards • Phone bids accepted Art From The Heart A volunteer group hopes to bring a love of art to students throughout metro Detroit. FRANK PROVENZANO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS AUCTIONEER- 1-4 Call toRSVP& 8001 ()50.6003 to request a free auction catalog: Fax: 2121 ill.0966 • • S25.00 off your purchase if you present this ad, POTTERY ♦ PAINTINGS ♦ JEWELRY ♦ W hether it's cubism, im- pressionism or any oth- er "ism" doesn't matter. An "ism" by any name is just a label put on a work of art, an academic distinction to inter- pret the art and artist. What matters is whether art inspires those who inspect its can- vases, textures and forms to open up — to learn to listen to their own inner artist in the making. At least that's the hope of volun- teers of Art in the Schools (ATS), a Detroit Institute of Arts com- munity educational program that reaches more than 300 schools and 30,000 students in grades 4- 6 each year. Through its range of slide pre- tion," said Mr. Niemi, who noted that the DIA also offers museum tours for students in grades 3 through 12. By reaching out to public and private schools, ATS provides a way for teachers to enhance lec- tures on history and social stud- ies. But ATS also sets out to teach students that the beginning of understanding art comes with at- tempting to understand them- selves. The program's nontradition- al approach is intended to en- courage students to ask: "What does art mean to me?" "Museums and art can be in- timidating if you really don't think you have the appropriate perspective of world cultures, Mr. Niemi said. In many ways, it just might be the students' initial ex- posure to the pluralistic Ameri- can society. A 23-year ATS veteran, Doreen Millman has watched the evolution of the 28-year old pro- gram. For years she has honed her lecture, which introduces stu- dents to works at the museum. Typically, she begins her pre- sentations with the image of Rodin's "The Thinker," (a replica erected at the DIA entrance). During her two decades of vol- unteer work, Mrs. Millman, a West Bloomfield resident, has given presentations to schools in nearly every suburb. She said FURNITURE UNIQUE ACCESSORIES FOR THE HOME 32800 FRANKLIN ROAD ♦ FRANKLIN, MI 48025 TUESDAY - FRIDAY 10 A.M. - 5 PM. SATURDAY: II A.M. - 5 P.M. • (810) 851-9949 Departing Daily Back To Your Childhood Sharon Herman at Harlan Elementary in Bloomfield Hills. `ATouch of Poisoizlvy © Warner Bros. Authorized Dealer 60 Animation Art Gallery • Cartoon Collectibles "IF IT'S CARTOON RELATED, IT'S AT THE ANIMATION STATION" Westchester Square 550 Forest Avenue, Plymouth • (313) 455-0190 sentations and discussions, ATS docents bring the art of the DIA to young students throughout metro Detroit. Since state funding to the DIA has been reduced, some believe the museum has cut back on its community educational pro- grams. More accurately, the DIA re- organized its education depart- ment and recommitted itself to spreading the word about the power of art as an educational tool, said Steve Niemi, a staff ad- viser who serves as a liaison be- tween ATS volunteers and the DIA. "ATS is a way for us to let the schools know about the DIA and to teach them about our collec- language to discuss the art," Mr. Niemi said. "But once you get the students to open up, then looking at the art in itself becomes a means of self-expression." Each year, 12 new docents are accepted into the ATS program. The training includes a year of attending weekly lectures on the various galleries in the museum and presentations given by cur- rent docents. Generally, docents have back- grounds in art history and are typically volunteers at the mu- seum. While CD-ROM, on-line ser- vices and videos provide a popu- lar means for students to explore the terrain of a global communi- ty, the ATS presentations offer a that for the less wealthy school districts the ATS presentation may be one of the students few "exposures to art." Mrs. Millman, who also vol- unteers at Temple Israel, often shows the relationship between symbols used in art and history. If students are studying Ameri- can history, she might get their attention by talking about a teapot that once belonged to Paul Revere. Or in an explanation of a medieval painting she might tell students how parables were presented on canvas. Sometimes the ATS docents' biggest challenge is reminding students that there was "history" before television, video games and computers.