State Award Given to Future Akin-Tillet's Lowrider Dream Bike Project
“Partnership is the plus in this project,”says Future Akins-Tillett, School of Art alumna, and Assistant Professor of Visual Studies, “and the changes that happen to those kids because of it.” Ms Future Akins-Tillett explains about the award-winning Lowrider Dream Bike project now in its fifth year. It employs the lowrider bicycle culture as a means to teach students while they make their own bikes and learn math, science, and design in addition. In the way of partners, Mrs Akin explained that many SoA students including Kyle McQuilkin (doctoral student in the FADP-Art program) inspired the program and was a tireless worker; Freddy Cortez, (Lubbock High 2007), David Wragg (BFA 2008, Visual Studies), Arthur Polendo, Michael Synatzske, and Daniel Rodriquez (BFA 2008, Visual Studies), other community workers Sam Tillett and several retired LPD officers were among the most dependable and hard-working volunteers
This project, a collaborative effort of Atkins Middle School, the School of Art, and T-STEM Center, has been awarded the Crystal Award 2009 by TAPE (Texas Association of Partners in Education). The group was recognized January 27th, in Austin at a banquet showcasing the exemplary partnerships statewide. This community award recognizes partnership with “a school that has demonstrated positive impact on student development in science, engineering, technology or math,” according to TAPE.
“As a direct result of this program, participating students have raised their math TAKS scores, while another became vice president of the student body, and another was selected Lubbock AJ Teen of the month for Atkins.” explains Principal Chris Huber. “One student said because of this project, she will go to college!” More on Lowriders here.
A third floor, four room walk-up in a 13th century building with no elevator or air conditioning on a record-breaking, sweltering hot day was Gilbert Jones’s, art history major, introduction to Florence, Italy, and Richmond American International University in London – the Florence program.
Jones chose to stay with a family. His hostess was an 85 year-old woman named Tosca who had lived in the building since the seventies and had been sponsoring students from abroad for the last 25 years and spoke only Italian. As a result Jones improved his Italian and the two became more like family. In fact, he commented, “I was expected to attend all her family events like birthdays and graduation. It was amazing!” Studying abroad enables students to experience their academic studies in a totally different environment while soaking up the local customs, culture, and cuisine, which Jones did!
He explained that he experienced that “movie moment” of having seen something in print. Then, for the first time, seeing the real thing as he turned the corner to that spectacular cathedral sight just as the bells were ringing. He found this to be true when observing the “real thing” in all the places he visited—Venice, Rome, Florence, Paris, and especially in Siena at the Siena Cathedral where he got to see his favorite artist’s, Duccio di Buonsegna, altarpiece. “It was breath taking!” said Jones. Three weeks on the coast of the Mediterranean swimming daily, with parties on the beach nightly, making friends for life, and various side trips like the one to London and another to Paris. While in Paris, “my new friends and I rushed through the Louvre in four hours and did all the touristy things like the Eiffel Tower. We decided to spend Halloween drinking champagne at the Moulin Rouge. I was fun, but I wished it had still looked like the Toulouse-Lautrec painting though.” 
Balistreri, Professor of Ceramics at Bowling Green State University. Entitled Room for Eleven, the exhibition will be presented in the Nomadic Gallery at the 2009 NCECA Conference in Phoenix, AZ in March. The exhibition will subsequently travel to the San Angelo Museum of Art during the April San Angelo Ceramic Invitational.