Exploring ‘A Sense of Place’

This past week, Flagstaff Community Exploration took a small group of young children to the Clara M. Lovett Art Museum at NAU for a special field trip. This visit was more than just an opportunity to experience incredible artwork—it was a practice run for an exciting collaboration with NAU! We’ve been invited to teach a class on literacy and art to a group of Elementary Education students, and this trip helped us refine our approach.

The museum’s current exhibit, "A Sense of Place," explores themes of the Southwest, offering a perfect backdrop for our students to engage with art that reflects their own community. Each student chose a piece that inspired them, created their own artistic responses, and later shared what drew them to their selections. It was amazing to see the different connections they made—some were captivated by color and texture, while others found meaning in the stories behind the work.

With time to spare, we embraced a little spontaneous creativity, crafting mini sculptures outside of Old Main. Against the backdrop of NAU’s historic campus, our young artists shaped small works of art, adding their own playful touch to the university grounds.

This experience was a wonderful preview of what’s to come, and we can’t wait to bring the magic of art and literacy to NAU’s future educators!

Stay tuned for more updates on this collaboration.