Above: Art teacher Leslie Rosenberg MAT ’07, second from right, inspired her students by bringing them to Western Carolina to meet conceptual artist Mel Chin, center.
When activist and conceptual artist Mel Chin visited Western Carolina in spring 2009, K-8 art teacher Leslie Rosenberg MAT ’07 realized an opportunity to engage her students in a service-learning project.
Chin, who lives in Western North Carolina, is known for collaborative artwork with environmental, political and social themes. His latest work is the Fundred Dollar Bill Project, a nationwide effort to highlight the issue of lead-contaminated soil in New Orleans. The project encourages individuals – especially students – to design a “fundred” dollar bill; templates are available online at fundred.org. Working with dozens of collection points around the country, Chin hopes to deliver 3 million bills to Washington later this year. Along with the delivery, he and his supporters will request an even exchange of money and services from Congress to support solutions to lead-related health and quality-of-life issues challenging New Orleans.
Rosenberg, who teachers at Summit Charter School in Cashiers, prompted her seventh-graders to get involved in the Fundred project. “I think it’s a really positive experience for students,” Rosenberg said. “I’m a huge fan of art and social justice.”
Her 15 students responded with enthusiasm, creating a lesson plan about the project to present to the rest of the student body during April’s Earth Day celebration and planned to expand their efforts to the surrounding community, relatives and friends. Summit is collaborating with WCU faculty members Marie Cochran, assistant professor of art, and Erin Tapley, associate professor of art education, to collect 7,000 bills by November and is listed on the Fundred Web site as a collection point.
A meeting with Chin during his visit to WCU helped the students understand the dangers of lead poisoning and the importance of their involvement to the larger Fundred project. “Meeting Mel Chin gave the students a sense of ownership over the project,” Rosenberg said. “He told them this is a young person’s issue, and that if the government hears from young people, it’s more likely to listen.”