In a collaboration across Rockland Main Street and beyond, student groups from RSU 13, Trekkers, Medomak Valley High School, and The Landing Place recently completed a workshop series with Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) exhibiting artist Kyle Downs and Director of Education Mia Bogyo. The program offered a unique opportunity to engage in a small group hands-on art project with artist Kyle Downs, whose collection “From the Collection of Lord Red” was on view Sept. ‘24 - May ‘25. Throughout the month of April, the pieces were exhibited at Rock City Cafe, culminating in a public reception of their work on Tuesday, April 29.

One of the student groups, RSU 13’s NOVA Program, met at the CMCA for two weeks during the winter, talking with Downs about his process and inspiration and working alongside him in the CMCA ArtLab studio. This workshop was part of a yearlong curriculum, which RSU 13 partners with Trekkers to build, and is “dedicated to taking students outside the classroom and connecting them to people and places within the community,” according to Diane Sternberg, Trekkers’ Program and Training Director. It’s now in its second year, and in addition to the workshop at the CMCA, the groups have hiked local trails, volunteered at AIO, learned about farming at Erickson Fields, worked with children at The Good School, went apple picking, and participated in Trekkers’ team-building activities.

For Downs, working with students isn’t new – he has offered workshops to high school and vocational students in Brunswick through a grant and has worked with college students in the past as well. “I think [art] relates to a lot of problem-solving in general, just like working with a simple puzzle.” In his own exhibition, Downs uses recycled basketball as the primary material, which involves “hours of careful cutting, gluing, and rearranging,” according to the CMCA. Downs has been experimenting with his process for a while, sharing “I was doing cut-up remix projects...since even when I was in high school, I did it with music and records, like sampling. That was the first way to think about using stuff that already exists to make new compositions, it’s like collage.”

At the start of the sessions, each group of students was given one deconstructed basketball. Downs says he chose basketball because it "is another raw material, but there’s an abundance of it...it's relatively easy to work, you need simple tools, there’s tons of them in schools across the country. People relate to basketball - they can see themselves in it....it’s a cool material because it has a lot of potential.”

The sessions had an impact on Downs. He says he learned he’d like to do more workshops that are “more consistent, because then you get to see what else students are interested in.” In working with NOVA, the sessions were about more than art. “Obviously it’s the best when you hear people getting into it, work up until the end, and there’s not enough time – that's amazing. But even today it’s nice to hear people that are open about struggle, because you don’t get that that much. It’s nice to be in a group of people where they are ok expressing how they’re feeling, like I don’t really want to do this, I’m having a hard day. And I’m ok hanging out, I’ll help. So that’s also really sweet, when people can be allowed to do that.”

CMCA Teen Workshops program connects students with contemporary artists through in-school workshops, critiques, and exhibiting artist workshops. In collaboration, CMCA orchestrates community artist instruction and provides opportunities to participate in extended workshop offerings. These programs are made possible through the support of Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Proctor Foundation, Davis Foundation and individual donors. 

For more information about CMCA ArtLab, visit https://www.cmcanow.org. For more information about Trekkers and its programs, please visit trekkers.org. 

About Trekkers: For 30 years, the nonprofit organization Trekkers has been dedicated to helping young people thrive. Through its unique 6-year mentoring and expeditionary learning model, research shows Trekkers helps students increase skills in resiliency, an ability to build positive relationships, and develop aspirations for the future. To learn more, visit the website at trekkers.org.