Art and writing students are collaborating to create watercolor paintings and summarize building records while learning research techniques and contributing to the Douglas County Historical Society colllection.

Hands-on, head-first

Students in writing instructor Beth Grbavcich's "College Writing II" course" are just beginning the project. Grbavcich has assigned students the task of searching for information through archives and books at the Superior Public Library and Jim Dan Hill Library at UW-Superior.

She wants students to learn hands-on research, even if it takes them out of their comfort zone.

"I don't think that research done sitting in a dorm room, sitting in front of a computer and putting a paper together, that keeps you in one chair for hours upon hours, is very fun or very interesting," says Grbavcich.  "And research and investigating and asking questions can be fun. And it can take you on a bit of a treasure hunt."

Plenty of practice

Art students will use the information they find to sketch, draw, and finally paint pictures of the buildings in art instructor Kathy Hubbard's "Introduction to Art" course.

Hubbard says some students are more confident than others.

"They're a little nervous about doing it and, of course, why wouldn't they be?" says Hubbard. "But, doing it in a pair, even though they're each doing their own drawing, I think will help. It'll help them because they can go and look at it together if they want. They can take pictures of it."

Perfect partnership

Douglas County Historical Society Director Kathy Laakso has been doing her own Superior structure research for the past few years.

"You have to look up and see the beautiful architecture that's left because a lot of the storefront level has been changed," says Laakso.

She helped pick out buildings on which students should focus on.

"One of them is the old Russell Creamery, which is now the Thirsty Pagan. There is the Carlton Building. There is the Woolworth. Frankie's Bar has a wonderful history; that's one of them, and Bob's Chop Suey House, which is a tanning salon now, and Bergstrom Electric on Ogden."

Laakso says the project benefits everyone involved.

All-around enthusiasm

Hubbard says she's excited about the project.

"They are doing something that takes them to a different level, which is that they're actually involved with a community organization," says Hubbard.  "They're going to be making something that's actually going to be part of that organization's possession and for them to take pride in their work because it's a real-life contribution they're making."

UW-Superior and the Douglas County Historical Society each plan to hold a reception in December, at which the student essays and artwork will be displayed. Following the receptions, the project will remain on display at the Douglas County Historical Society.

"College Writing II" and "Introduction to Art" are part of the Academic Service-Learning program at UW-Superior. Academic Service-Learning provides partnerships between UW-Superior and the outlying communities. These partnerships provide real-world, hands-on learning experiences for students and resources for their community.