Musician shows art from collection to students By Jasiri Whipper |
Christian Thomas Lee made a name for himself in music as a classical guitarist who traveled the world. He recently made the trip from his home on the West Coast to share inspiration and hope in the form of art with hundreds of students in South Carolina. Lee paid a visit to College Park Middle School and brought with him several works of art from his private collection. |
|
His hourlong presentation, complete with two guitar performances, featured just a portion of his collection, which includes works by Pablo Picasso, Peter Carl Faberge´, Adolph Pirsch, Virgil Solis, Giovanni Battista Pasqualini and Clyde Leon Keller. Lee travels the country with his collection as a way to expose students to art, many of whom would not be able to view the pieces in a museum. His presentations are equal parts entertainment and education as he explains the histories of the pieces and the intricacies of line and perspective. College Park Middle astronomy teacher Dottie Adams was instrumental in getting Lee to bring his collection to the school. She learned of Lee through her father, Hal Adams, chairman of the Columbia-based Palmetto Arts Society, which sponsored Lee's trip to South Carolina. Hal Adams hopes his organization can sponsor, on a continual basis, his presentations in the Southeast. Adams believes exposure to art is key for young people who may not have another opportunity to see a painting from antiquity. "We just wanted to expose the children to beautiful things," Dottie Adams said. Portions of the collection have been viewed by more than 50,000 school-age children, according to Lee's Web site, www.artmercyhope.org. He began sharing his artwork with students nearly a decade ago when a young boy asked him to bring his collection to his school. He's been showing it ever since. "The value of the collection is sharing it with kids," Lee said after his presentation at College Park Middle. For his work, Lee was awarded the President's Call to Service Award in 2005 and the Points of Light Award in 2006, two national awards given to individuals dedicated to community service. "I believe children are facing a deficit of beauty," Lee said. That "deficit of beauty" leads to a lack of inspiration and hope among children across America, he said. "To bring beauty into the life of a child is to bring hope," Lee added. "I want students to go home inspired. I want them to be glad they came to school." By all accounts, Rose Diaz, 12, a seventh-grader at College Park Middle, was happy to be at school during Lee's presentation. She was most impressed by a Faberge´ styled ostrich egg that opens to reveal the Nativity scene of Christ's birth. "It was really amazing," she said. "I was really glad he (Lee) came to our school." Kira Rourke, 11 and a sixth-grade student, said she took away a valuable lesson from the experience. "I learned you can only really appreciate something when you learn what it's about." College Park Middle Assistant Principal Sissy Day said she is pleased that her students were able to participate in the presentation. "It underscores the importance of hard work and dedication to a task," she said. "It was a cultural experience they wouldn't have otherwise had," she said. |
To Return to Previous Page, Click Your Back Button or Click Here For Main Menu Page