Museum on Wheels

Artmobile celebrates its 30th year with ‘Origami: Unfolding the Secret.’

By: Jillian Kalonick
   Although Bucks County Community College’s traveling
outreach museum, Artmobile, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, times
are not so different than when the program began, says its director, Fran Orlando.
   "Artmobile was born in the mid ’70s, right
around the time of the energy crisis," she says. "We were getting
gas only on odd or even days. Here we are, 30 years later, and we had another
summer of high energy and gas prices. It makes it difficult for schools to have
trips, and Artmobile is still providing this economical museum experience."
   The program has been bringing art to the community
since 1976, attracting more than 21,000 visitors a year and traveling to K-12
public schools in Bucks County and beyond. Artmobile will make a public stop
at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pa., Oct. 28.
   The current exhibition, Origami: Unfolding
the Secret, features more than 100 pieces of folded paper artwork
from China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Russia, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada,
Holland, Japan and Hong Kong. The works are mostly drawn from the collection
of author and educator Barbara Pearl, who teaches math at the college.
   "Barbara uses it as a teaching tool for math
concepts and multiculturalism, and that seemed like a perfect fit for Artmobile,"
says Ms. Orlando, who also serves as director of exhibitions at BCCC. "Our
approach is always to present art to students, but to connect it with subject
areas in their curriculum."
   Ms. Pearl, who lives in Yardley, Pa., and teaches
basic algebra at BCCC, uses origami as part of her program Math in Motion, which
integrates mathematics and origami into other subjects. She presents teacher
in-services and student workshops throughout the world, and has more than 1,000
pieces in her collection, which has been displayed at the Franklin Institute
and the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Central Library, and will be donated
to the Japanese House and Gardens in Fairmount Park.
   "I wanted to create a program where every
child counts," says Ms. Pearl. "I use this art form as a teaching
tool… My vision is that Math in Motion would be part of every child’s grade
school experience. I feel students can use it to as a tool and have a better
attitude about mathematics and learning."
   In programs catered to students of all grades,
Artmobile’s educators teach students about the history of origami, how it varies
in different countries and cultures and the mathematical concepts behind the
art form. Students are able to create their own artworks and experiment with
hands-on exhibits such as matching games and tangram puzzles.
   "Many of Barbara’s pieces are rather small
— the smallest is a tiny elephant, less than an inch in any one dimension,"
says Ms. Orlando. "Folding something that small is a feat. A local folder
made an elephant out of paper that is 9 feet square, and it’s 3 feet high. It’s
fun that the largest and smallest pieces are both elephants."
   The boxes, cranes, stegosauruses, flower bouquets,
fans and more are ideal materials to use in teaching shapes, angles and dimensions,
making learning math "tactile and fun," she says. Origami is also
an accessible art form.
   "You’re making something from a material
that’s very simple and everyday — one of the points that we make is
that you don’t have to use beautiful origami paper," says Ms. Orlando.
"It could be recycled paper. It’s going from a flat, rather mundane piece
of paper into an object of some beauty or something that moves. I think that’s
really exciting — it’s something that any kid can do, and yet there
are masters who are legendary. You can make something with just a few folds
or you can make something that takes 100 folds."
   Though there are many museums that have a mobile
component, Ms. Orlando says that to her knowledge, BCCC is the only community
college to have a program like Artmobile.
   "Schools have come to rely on having Artmobile
because it’s a wonderful museum experience for students… and because of the
small amount of time that students are out of the classroom," says Ms.
Orlando. "If they go to a museum, they’re out of school most of the day,
and we bring the museum to them.
   "We provide a teacher’s manual at schools
we visit so they can incorporate the experience into their curriculum,"
she continues. "There’s a tie-in to language arts and usually math, and
lots of social studies. I’ve always felt that it’s a mistake to teach art as
if it was something that is separate in the world. It’s so much a part of our
lives that I like to present it that way to students."
Artmobile will make a stop at Pennsbury High School, 705 Hood Blvd., Fairless
Hills, Pa., Oct. 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., as part of Senator Conti’s Kids Fest, which
will also feature a Franklin Institute science show, a Philadelphia Zoo show
and children’s fingerprinting by the Bucks County sheriff’s department. Free
admission. For information, call (215) 504-8531. On the Web: www.bucks.edu.
Barbara Pearl on the Web: www.mathinmotion.com