The teal’s on the bus
The Oregon Coast Art Bus offers colorful adventures for all
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
Once the wheels started turning on the idea for a new mobile arts-learning system, it wasn’t long before the crew at the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts made the Oregon Coast Art Bus a reality.
“It all came together pretty quickly, so we moved fast,” said OCCA Visual Arts Center Director Tom Webb. “It’s going well as we learn what to continue and what to let go.”
The bus will bring creative learning projects to students with both private and public events throughout Lincoln County until the first week of September. The next public stop will be at the Newport Public Library on Friday, Aug. 27, from 9 am to noon.
“The bus stop consists of four tables,” said Arts Education and Special Projects Manager Sara Siggelkow, “and at each are blank or prepared pages-depending on the kid. They choose which one is the most exciting. Some have information about animal tracks, some about birds. At the end, they get to put the pages they created together. There's something so special about giving a kid a book, even if they made it, it’s theirs and they can do whatever they want with it.”
Siggelkow said that she and the volunteers have fun with the way they engage the kids to learn about animals.
“They love learning little facts like that beaver teeth never stop growing or the porcupine floats because of its quills,” she said. “Kids always think it’s hilarious that porcupines fall out of trees all the time and get stuck on the way down.”
After the in-person work, the kids get two projects to do at home, based on STEAM (science, technology. engineering, arts and mathematics).
“They learn how things hang and create 3-D paper sculptures,” Siggelkow said. “We’re basically sneaking in teaching science concepts under the guise of just having fun.”
The project is designed to address the “opportunity gap” — educational challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic — and will continue with private and public events focused on underserved youth populations.
The first bus tour launched mid-August.
“Kids had parents with them at the opening and they got into the projects just as much as the kids did,” Siggelkow said. “Many commented on how long it’s been since they did something as a family, which surprised me, since it seems like families have pretty much been stuck together for the last year. Many were also excited that it was free and, for a lot of groups, that’s a big deal. A big part of this is that no matter who you are, you can participate.”
Funds from the Oregon Community Foundation’s K-12 Summer Learning Fund were used to purchase the bus, a 2000 International TransCam previously owned by the Jefferson County School District and then a private owner in Florence.
“The grant allowed us to buy the bus and the goal is to continue working on it so that it can also serve as an indoor classroom once the rainy weather returns,” Siggelkow said. “We bring everything with us and will stay free or as low-cost as we can get it.”
The Art Bus helps bridge gaps created by distance and transportation challenges too.
“It helps us remove some of the barriers to arts participation and creates more equity and access which is critically important right now,” OCCA Executive Director Jason Holland said. “Over time, we plan to build partnerships with community organizations across Lincoln County and beyond, to bring our high-quality arts programs right to their doorstep. OCCA’s Arts Bus is fueled by creativity and innovation and you never know where we may show up next!”
Overall, the bus has met and exceeded the expectations of those involved.
“From my and our volunteers’ perspective it's been amazingly rewarding since you can see the results and they are so positive,” Siggelkow said. “Exposure for kids while they are still kids is so important.”
For more information, go to Coast arts.org/artbus.