Muscogee County arts leaders highlight student exhibitions, international exchange and community partnerships

At the Muscogee County School Board work session April 14, Dr. Virginia McCullough, district director for visual and performing arts, described a series of programs and community partnerships that she said increased student engagement and interdisciplinary learning across the district.

McCullough told the board the district staged a district-wide youth art month exhibition at the library and displayed about 2,000 student pieces over a week. She highlighted partnerships with the Columbus Museum and the library, and said the district hosted a sister-city cultural exchange from Japan in person this year after earlier virtual visits.

"We are building continuity and consistency across the district," McCullough said, citing a process-of-creation approach that ties visual art instruction to science and technology standards. She described classroom collaborations that included welding and metals work at Columbus State University, sculpture projects with working artists, and a planned installation outside Wynne Arts Academy based on student scientific research.

McCullough also cited an annual STEAM partnership with the Columbus Ballet, in which students receive lessons tailored to The Nutcracker performance and then attend with curricular connections to forces, simple machines and physical properties. She said the district has focused on using common instructional "tenets" so students experience continuity as they progress through grade levels.

Board members and attendees praised the exhibitions and community hosts. The district thanked library director Allen Harkness and Columbus Museum director Mary Ann Rickner for hosting events and supporting student work.

The presentation was informational; no formal board action was recorded during the session.