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About WVS, Inc
History
About the Beasties |
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The Wyoming
Valley School is established as a vibrant
venue for the
exchange of knowledge in the arts, letters and sciences.
Offering an educational forum and physical space where creativity and
the arts can be experienced, practiced and exhibited, the Wyoming
Valley School, Inc. will serve multiple purposes:
a) To promote the arts, letters and sciences in educational programs
for children, young adults and their families.
b) To create a physical space for local artistic community members to
share their knowledge and talent with the general public.
c) To preserve and maintain the architecturally significant building
and re-open it to the general public by utilizing it as an educational
center.
Refurbishing and maintaining the 1956 Frank Lloyd Wright designed
school building as an educational center in the Wyoming Valley will not
only preserve and restore this significant piece of architecture, it
will also provide the Wyoming valley and surrounding communities with a
space to enhance arts education and creativity.
Innovation and creativity continues to grow in the Wyoming Valley and
River Valley area, home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s National Historic
Landmark site Taliesin, and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of
Architecture. Adjacent to the Taliesin property, the renowned American
Players Theater performs its repertory year-round to large audiences
from several states and Wisconsin K-12 school children.
An impressive number of area artist studios, as well as organic
agriculture and sustainable living initiatives blossom in the greater
valley and are the results of the longstanding, forward thinking
heritage of the valley.
The new concept of the Wyoming Valley School, Inc. offers the necessary
physical forum to bring young students and their families together in
pursuit of creative education, while paying homage to Frank Lloyd
Wright, utilizing his building for its original intent.
The overall concept of the Wyoming Valley School, Inc. dovetails
directly into Wisconsin State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster’s
proposition: "Despite clear research that shows how vital the arts and
creativity are for all students, access to the full range of the arts
is continuing to decline in Wisconsin. Revitalizing our arts education
programs and infusing creativity throughout the curriculum is critical
for our students' success." (January 2009).
Wyoming Valley School, Inc is a Wisconsin registered not-for-profit
501c3 organization. Contributions made to Wyoming Valley
School, Inc. are tax deductable.
History
The building, built in 1957, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who
donated his design (and 2 acres of land) to the Wyoming School District
in honor of his mother, Anna Lloyd-Jones Wright. She had been
a kindergarten teacher and taught him his lifelong love of learning.
The school opened in 1958 with 46 students in grades 1 through
8. After consolidating with the River Valley School district
the building was used by the district 4th graders until being closed
for good in 1990. The building then changed hands several
times but mostly remained empty.
In August of 2010 the school was given to the not-for-profit Wyoming
Valley School, Inc., by Jeff Jacobsen who developed an admiration for
Wright.
What are the "Beasties"?
THE YARD BEASTIES
BORN DURING THE LATE 1960’S
FROM THE HANDS OF CREATOR DENNIS PEARSON, A MADISON NATIVE.
As a talented painter, Dennis supported himself through college, from
Milwaukee’s Layton School of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was consistently
drawing one particular image however, making many drawings of his
unique, make believe animals during this time.
He slowly developed this animal, experimenting with the shape in
different mediums, eventually creating a paper-mache sculpture.
Since his brother had a shop to repair corvettes with fiberglass, they
joined forces to cover the paper-mache animal with fiberglass designing
a durable lightweight animal…. and that is how the first
beastie was born.
Pearson displayed his artwork at venues around Milwaukee, including the
Milwaukee Art Museum’s Lakefront Festival of Arts. Slowly
they have traveled to places including Belgium, Israel, New Zealand and
Mexico. Their charm is universal and the rest is history.
The beasties roaming the yard here at the Wyoming Valley School have
migrated here from North Park in Spring Green.
For more information or to seek adopting your very own beastie contact
Denis Pearson’s creations at www.delindgallery.com
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