2025 Residency at Hope Community Academy school

Marie Olofsdotter taught a poetry and a pop-up bookmaking residency at Hope Community Academy this spring 2025. The students had a lot of fun using their imaginations to create their own works of art and poetry with the help of Marie. Here are a couple of animal photos created by the students.

Below is a poem written with the students and assistance of Marie.

I am the clouds playing with the sun.

I am the creek flowing with the wind.

I am a flower waving through the grass.

I am a child running with the gentle wind.

I am a bird flowing with the sky.

I am a twig clinging onto a tree.

I am a hill growing with the growing grass.

I am a butterfly soaring with the colorful birds.

I am a waving plant with the growing roots.

I am a dragonfly soaring with the clouds.

I am a dog that plays with the wind.

I am a blue monarch butterfly playing with the sun.

2025 Residency at Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!

Puppeteer Mark Safford showed off his talents by bringing his handcrafted puppet costumes to Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture. Adapted from Hmong story, The Farmer and Tiger, Mark and the elementary school students put on a performance about the farmer and the atrocious weeds that would come to eat his crops with fun animal costumes and props. Below are some photos of Mark and the students performing!

The East Side Arts Council actively looks for ways to employ local artists and to bring them into the classroom environment.

Arts InFusion is ESAC's award-winning program that uses the arts to boost learning of core curriculum.  Using an innovative working method, ESAC brings arts integration residencies and projects to East Side schools.  

We currently provide residencies for Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture, Highwood Hills Academy, Hope Community Academy, Nokomis Montessori North Campus, and Creative Arts Secondary School.  

To see more of our residency work from years previous please visit our archive!