Q&A with Dr. Anne Marie K Pai from Broad Street School About the Impact of YA’s Arts Lab
Broad Street School participated in a residency with teaching artist Gail Scuderi to install mosaics at their school.
Broad Street School in Bridgeton, NJ recently completed an Arts Lab residency. The school worked with many artists who provided 1-5 residencies and assembly performances. A standout workshop was with teaching artist Gail Scuderi, who worked with chronically absent students in grades K-4 and 5-8 on a mosaic art project and installation. Mr. Migdoel Rivera, Jr.’s 8th-grade math class collaborated to create a glass mosaic depicting the Fibonacci Sequence. 65 students participated in the mosaic workshop, and overall 678 students were impacted by Arts Lab. Dr. Anne Marie K Pai, Assistant Principal, shared insights on the residency’s impact.
Q. How did you first hear about Arts Lab and what inspired you to apply?
A. I first learned about Arts Lab through our longstanding partnership with Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA. Broad Street School has a history of using arts integration to support student learning, and I have seen firsthand how the arts can help students connect to academic content in a meaningful way. When Arts Lab became available, I saw it as an opportunity to continue that work while connecting the grant directly to the goals and needs of our school. Over the last two years, we have used Arts Lab intentionally, not simply to provide an art experience, but to bring the arts and core academic content together. As a former art and technology teacher and now an assistant principal, I continue to believe that students need different entry points into learning. Arts integration gives students an opportunity to create, collaborate, problem-solve, and demonstrate their learning in ways that may not always happen in a traditional lesson.
“Arts integration gives students an opportunity to create, collaborate, problem-solve, and demonstrate their learning in ways that may not always happen in a traditional lesson.”
Q. Thinking about your most recent Arts Lab with Gail Scuderi, how did you decide which artist to work with and what inspired the project?
A. Gail Scuderi and I have worked together on various site-specific installations in glass and ceramics through previous Artist-in-Residency grants. Because of our past work together, I knew her skills and experience would help bring the vision for this project to life. I wanted to connect the eighth-grade math objectives, including the Pythagorean theorem, with visual arts objectives through a piece that illustrates the Fibonacci sequence. Gail’s expertise with glass, ceramics, and site-specific work made her a natural choice. The goal was not to teach math and then add an art project. The goal was to unite the math and art objectives so students could see and experience the mathematical concepts through the artwork they were creating. The project also allowed us to use the architecture of Broad Street School as part of the learning. We wanted the completed work to remain in the building as a site-specific installation that students could continue to observe and learn from after the residency ended.
“The goal was to unite the math and art objectives so students could see and experience the mathematical concepts through the artwork they were creating.
Q. Can you share a story about your experience with Arts Lab?
A. One of the things that stands out to me is seeing how motivated students become when arts integration is used. Students who may not always connect with content through a traditional lesson become engaged when they can work with their hands, talk with their classmates, make decisions, and see how an academic concept applies to something real. During the residency, students were not just completing an art project. They were discussing mathematical concepts, solving problems together, and making connections between what they had learned in math and what they were creating in art. Watching students collaborate and explain the reasoning behind their work showed us that they were engaging with the content on a deeper level. These experiences also give students something to look forward to at school. For some of our students, especially those who are at risk or struggle with attendance, that sense of connection and excitement can be especially important.
“Students who may not always connect with content through a traditional lesson become engaged when they can work with their hands, talk with their classmates, make decisions, and see how an academic concept applies to something real.”
A. How did Arts Lab impact your school, students, and/or
community?
Q. Arts Lab has impacted our students academically, socially, and in their connection to school. Students are motivated to attend and participate when they know they are going to be actively engaged in meaningful, hands-on learning. When the math objectives and art objectives are intentionally connected, students can see the real-world application of concepts that may otherwise seem abstract. They learn to work collaboratively, discuss ideas, solve problems, and explain their thinking. At the same time, they are building confidence and developing communication and social-emotional skills. Arts Lab also gives us another way to reach students with different learning needs. It creates opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know through creating and doing, while still maintaining strong academic expectations.
Q. Can you describe the completed project and how it has impacted the school’s physical environment and community?
A. The completed artwork is more than something beautiful to display in our school. It becomes a learning model. Students can come back to work, observe it, identify the patterns and mathematical relationships, and engage with the content on a deeper level. That is one of the reasons site-specific works is so meaningful to me. The learning does not disappear when the residency ends. The artwork becomes part of the physical environment of Broad Street School and can continue to be used by teachers and students in future years. It also gives students a sense of ownership and pride. They can look at the installation and know that their learning and creativity contributed something permanent to their school. Families, staff, visitors, and future students can see the work and experience the connection between mathematics and visual art. The artwork left behind becomes both a record of student learning and a resource for continued learning.
“The artwork left behind becomes both a record of student learning and a resource for continued learning.”
Q. What are your parting words about Arts Lab?
A. When our School Annual Planning Committee meets to plan for the following year, we always discuss ways the Arts Lab grant can support our school goals. We look at where our students need support and then think about how the arts can help us reach those goals. Sometimes that means making cross-curricular connections to improve learning by bringing the arts and core content together. It may mean using Arts Lab mini residencies to motivate our students through SEL and hands-on experiences. We also look for opportunities to engage our families through evening events, assemblies, and one-day workshops. Arts Lab can also support our work with students who are chronically absent. We want students to come to school and be engaged, motivated, and excited about learning. When students can work with professional artists, collaborate with their peers, create something meaningful, and learn core academic concepts through the arts, school becomes a place they want to be. For us, Arts Lab is not an extra. It is another tool we can intentionally use to support academic achievement, attendance, SEL, family engagement, and school climate. Each year, we ask ourselves how the arts can help us reach our students and families and help our students experience success. That is why Arts Lab continues to be an important part of our planning at Broad Street School.
“For us, Arts Lab is not an extra. It is another tool we can intentionally use to support academic achievement, attendance, SEL, family engagement, and school climate. Each year, we ask ourselves how the arts can help us reach our students and families and help our students experience success.”
Apply now – https://forms.gle/kyh2nXf6utC7xWy57 . For more information, visit https://yanjep.org/grant-funded-opportunities/#arts-lab.
Made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Arts Council on the Arts, a partner organization of the National Endowment for the Arts.