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Artful Learning Update: What Will Your Legacy Be?
Posted December 16, 2025
What Will Your Legacy Be?
By Patrick Bolek
Taking a cue from Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, the maestro would turn on the podium and pose a question to the audience, such as “What makes music funny?”, “What makes music symphonic?”, or “What makes music American?” The Artful Learning team asked a similar question of the teachers at the Arkansas Arts Academy, which has ascended to Legacy School status after three years of rigorous and inspiring Artful Learning training. That question was “What do you want your legacy to be?”
Each staff member created symbols they hand-tooled onto a foot-long piece of copper to represent their influence on their students, their work as educators, and the academy. This exercise was more than symbolic; it directly expressed the academy's vision to foster critical thinking and creativity in students, aiming to achieve measurable improvements in problem-solving skills across the curriculum as part of the Academy’s collective legacy.
Tooled copper is an ancient art form and is a marvelous medium to work with using a repoussé technique (translates as 'to push through creating a raised relief'), yielding stunning results that resemble poured metal from a foundry. This experience fostered curiosity and deep engagement with the art form, allowing participants to appreciate the skill and creativity required to craft these beautiful copper pieces.
Arkansas Arts Academy teachers and family members spent a day augering nine holes, three feet deep, to cement nine ten-foot black wooden poles on which the copper was affixed, creating gleaming towers of copper. Over time, students will add to their teachers’ contributions to these totems, eventually covering them completely. As a final touch to the installation, four outdoor speakers were installed around the space, creating an immersive and contemplative sonic environment. Dedicating Leonard Bernstein's "Make Your Garden Grow" from Candideconcluded the experience.
Honoring the teachers for their commitment to the Artful Learning approach to teaching by creating this art installation demonstrated to the community the profound impact of arts integration. As the installation unfolded, students paused to trace their fingers along the copper tiles. Over time, students will contribute their own tile to complete the coverage of all nine columns.
This simple act of reflection has a ripple effect, inspiring community members to engage in dialogue about the value of mentorship and teaching. By doing so, the installation becomes an evolving narrative. This standing question beckons every visitor to share, reflect, and contribute their unique experiences to the growing legacy of our shared educational journey.
So now, we ask you, the reader: “What will your legacy be?”
For the past 30 years, the enduring educational legacies of Leonard Bernstein and his son, Alexander Bernstein, have reminded us that the arts are a gateway to rigorous thinking. At Arkansas Arts Academy, Artful Learning has demonstrated the profound impact of arts integration on student engagement and academic performance.
Patrick Bolek is honored to serve as the Executive Director of Artful Learning, marking his 23rd year with the model.