The Minnewaska Laker Basis has gained a key reward to its Endowment Fund, in honor of two retired art teachers, Susan Fossen and Ivie Cooley. The Artwork Suite at Minnewaska Place High School will be named in their honor.
“We are thrilled to be recognizing these two legendary art lecturers who designed this sort of a positive influence on so lots of learners,” claims Karna Peters, President of the Minnewaska Laker Basis. The nameless donors of this reward are also tough other folks to match it. If others donate in honor of Susan Fossen and Ivie Cooley with gifts totaling $5,000 or extra, the donor will match with an further $5,000 to the Endowment Fund. Donations very easily can be produced electronically by the Minnewaska Laker Foundation’s website at
Susan Fossen and Ivie Cooley initial satisfied and became mates at Concordia School in Moorhead, wherever they each took various art lessons, which include art historical past from extended-time professor Barbara Glasrud. At the time they experienced no concept that 1 working day they would be training artwork together at Minnewaska Colleges.
Ivie Cooley commenced instructing at Villard in January 1972, 50 a long time in the past. She instructed Sue of an prospect to teach in west central Minnesota. And that calendar year she released Sue to her partner-to-be, Ivan Fossen. Sue worked in different educating positions and in the long run, when Ivan was employed as the Glenwood Law enforcement Chief, she used for a placement and was hired to educate at Minnewaska in 1988. The two mates then commenced a partnership training artwork for various years at Minnewaska. Ivie retired in 2007, right after 35 several years of educating, and Sue retired in 2014, soon after 27 full many years of teaching.
In their teaching of art at Minnewaska, at the main was a grounding in artwork background and the fundamentals of drawing. Sue says, “I am happy of our artwork heritage method that we integrated into all of our courses. If you took all the classes we offered you would have obtained a thorough study of art historical past from prehistoric to submit-contemporary artwork. Tons of the jobs were being intended to incorporate the art background of that class.”
Sue Fossen
Sue normally takes pride in a number of various artwork initiatives at MAHS, which include the pursuing:
–An yearly all-school art exhibit, in which all the kids’ functions have been displayed (about 2500) and 150 merits have been awarded by a community artist. The young children hung the show and it filled the whole compact health and fitness center at MAHS.
–Field journeys to the Walker Museum and the Minneapolis Art Institute.
–Participating in all the nearby and regional pupil artwork reveals, in which college students obtained several awards.
–Being awarded a CAPP grant that they utilised to further more the Artwork method with equipment and several artists in residence.
–Teaching Superior Placement lessons which give pupils faculty credit rating if they meet up with the criteria. A lot of students reached the credit, which was important mainly because it was a pretty rigorous program.
–Sue generally opened her art space at lunchtime for little ones to hold out or perform on tasks.
–She began Wednesday night time “Open Art” from 6-9. It was open to college students and adults. This method is nevertheless likely on today.
–Sue did personal portraits of students at article-promenade for a lot of years.
–The architect who designed the MAHS constructing questioned Sue Fossen how she would like the space organized. Later on he explained to her that they have integrated her artwork place structure in many of the educational institutions they built.
–Sue took 15 university groups to Europe and one excursion with students to Chicago.
–After retiring, Sue taught on-line courses for University of Minnesota Morris as the methods teacher for artwork training learners, and she also had about 8 college student art academics from U MN Morris.
Susan claimed that her philosophy in training was great simple drawing, color mixingmand design and style concepts. Present them the terrific artworks of the earth. Elevate art to reveal its long lasting worth in the environment. Then work on initiatives which will all be observed by the public and their friends. Sue claims “It was a wonderful occupation and I still hear from several previous learners.”
A different emphasize of Sue’s profession was training Sharaya Schwardt, a student at Minnewaska who was a nationwide Scholastic Arts winner. She won 5 awards in New York Town. Sue accompanied her on a journey there wherever her name appeared in a comprehensive-website page report about the honor. The award program was at Carnegie Hall with host Sarah Jessica Parker and specific guest Usher. They hosted an artwork clearly show at Parson’s Artwork University and lit up the Empire Point out Building in gold in honor of the winners. Sharaya was also honored in Washington, D.C. The art display was held in the Federal Training Building. Sharaya went to college or university on a lot of scholarships she won with her artworks. She is now performing on her Masters degree.
Ivie Cooley
“What an prospect it has been to be part of the Minnewaska College District and have these a resourceful and enjoyable occupation,” explained Ivie Cooley.
As a junior high art teacher, Ivie encountered most each and every college student to go to Minnewaska. The junior higher program was powerful in building drawing competencies, mixing paint colors, practicing brush strokes, molding clay and of training course art history.
She reported “I beloved to see the pride college students expressed in their art do the job and their pleasure to exhibit their do the job at the spring all-school artwork demonstrate. Seventh graders normally submitted a grasp copy art painting, a clay pop artwork piece and clay pinch pot. The eighth graders drew their self-portraits and a clay cylinder pot as well as a mythological sculpture. There have been lots of soon after school hours place in with artwork students to make positive each pupil accomplished their artwork projects before the art present deadline.”
“Because of students’ publicity to art record I remember listening to of their satisfaction at pinpointing artists’ functions at museums or other encounters. It was often delightful to see moms and dads respect the artwork of their kids and proudly shown in their households,” said Ivie.
Susan Fossen and Ivie Cooley enriched our college students and our community with a deep comprehending and appreciate of artwork. To this working day they discuss with fondness of their students–the enjoyment college students had in studying the heritage of artwork, and observing pupils acquire this kind of delight in their artwork.
Laker Foundation President Karna Peters says “It is wonderful to see Sue and Ivie honored in this way. We actually have been privileged to have experienced these instructors in our university program, and we are immensely grateful to the anonymous donors who are recognizing Susan Fossen and Ivie Cooley with a contribution to the Laker Basis Endowment Fund, entitling them to long lasting naming of the MAHS Artwork Suite in honor of Susan and Ivie.” The Foundation encourages others to also donate in their honor, and to discover more about the Laker Basis Endowment plan on the Minnewaska Laker Foundation’s web page at https://www.minnewaska.k12.mn.us/foundation/
For a lot more details or questions, contact Greg Uhde, the Foundation’s Vice President and Chair of the Endowment Committee, at [email protected]
About the Foundation’s
Endowment fund
The purpose of the Minnewaska Laker Basis Endowment Fund is to:
• Elevate a substantial amount of money of money.
• Make investments and protect the principal.
• Use the earnings created by the principal to greatly enhance and help college district systems and amenities.
The fund earnings would be utilized for goods “above and beyond” the objects that are typically funded in the faculty funds (for case in point, classroom textbooks, household furniture, servicing expenses, consumable items and staff members progress are compensated for by the college and not as a result of the fund). The fund will present long lasting financial support for the Laker Foundation’s mission to guidance student excellence. The original purpose of the Minnewaska Laker Foundation is to elevate $3,000,000 by January 1, 2024.
