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Washington students’ project celebrates history of county

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Courtesy of Washington School District

Students work on the Unity Project at Washington Junior High School.

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Courtesy of Washington School District

Students work on the Unity Project at Washington Junior High School.

Seventh-grade students at Washington Junior High School worked together with Rural Arts Collaborative teaching artist Michelle Sabol throughout the 2018-19 school year to complete a glass exhibit which taught the students not only art, but the history of the county they live in.

The public will have the opportunity to see the exhibit firsthand from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Center on Strawberry, 59 E. Cherry Ave., Washington.

The project involved Ms. Sabol coming to his class throughout the year to discuss and work on the project with the students after numerous planning meetings last year, Washington Junior High Art teacher Tom Bryker said.

The project involved separating the glass, working on the design and then gluing it all down, Bryker said.

Students researched why certain glass types were a specific color, what minerals were used to keep it clear, or how the sun turned some of the glass violet or how underground minerals made it rainbow colored.

Connor Few, one of the students in Bryker’s class, said the project “was really fun, and really delicate,” while Esah Bebout said he enjoyed “twisting the glass” and Amarah Sadler said, “it was easy to mold and work with the glass.”

Learning the history of glass-making was an added bonus to creating the artwork.

Sabol credits Kathy Cameron and the original Cameron Coca-Cola bottling plant for the glass.

“Mrs. Cameron and other family members unearthed the shards of glass from the foundation of the original Cameron Coca-Cola bottling plant,” she said. “The age of the glass dates from the late 1800’s to mid-20th century. The students have investigated how glass was manufactured at those times, the cultural and economic landscape of our community, and the nature of reusable and disposable commodities. The resulting four-by-five foot sculpture sculpture is entitled ‘The Unity Project,’ which seeks to harmonize shards of history and remake them into an artwork that is aesthetically modern, while paying homage to the greater importance of glass in our region.”

Cameron, who is also the founder of the Center on Strawberry and the Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, said she is pleased with the exhibit and its ability to “honor the history of the Cameron family and the Cameron Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Washington PA, 1889-1999.”

“It is exciting to have this exhibit created here in our town by students of Washington School District under the tutelage of talented artist Michelle Sabol,” she said. “This work proudly celebrates history, art and our local business and educational communities. We are proud to display this piece on the site of the original Cameron Bottling Company grounds in a welcoming community center. We are grateful to the Benedum Foundation and the Rural Arts Collaborative for making this possible in our community.”

In the fall of 2017, the Fayette County Cultural Trust received a significant grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to offer teaching artist residencies through the Rural Arts Collaborative Arts Education Project in multiple school districts throughout Fayette and Washington counties.

The funds were made available to the school districts through the Rural Arts Collaborative Arts Education Project, which is one of the initiatives of the Fayette County Cultural Trust.

One of the school districts to receive project funds was Washington School District to implement a new and innovative artistic and historical exhibit with teaching artist Michelle Sabol which resulted in “The Unity Project.” With the funding available, Sabol will remain next year to work with students on other artistic endeavors.

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