Students and staff from Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center in Estes Park will participate in the maintenance of the Chapungu Zimbabwean Stone Sculpture Park in Loveland. At the onset of each Eagle Rock trimester, students and staff partake in EagleServe, a Service‐Learning initiative. The maintenance of the Chapungu Park is the latest of these Service‐Learning initiatives.
Founded by Roy Guthrie, as African Art Promotions Inc. in 1970, Chapungu Sculpture Park has pioneered the promotion of Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture (Shona Sculpture) and has built up the most important permanent collection of this work in existence. From its humble beginnings as a small gallery in the capital city, Harare, to the 20 acre sculpture park in the outskirts of Harare, and now to its North American location, Chapungu has remained steadfast to its mission statement which includes the promotion of Zimbabwean stone sculptors through various mediums, to increase viewer awareness of the expressive power of contemporary African artists, and to raise awareness of the depth of traditional African cultures.
The Sculpture Park features eight different sections: custom and legend, the role of women, spirit world, the elders, village life, nature and the environment, the children, and the family. The entire collection is comprised of eighty plus pieces of varying size, color and weight.
Eagle Rock’s dedication to aesthetic expression has led the school to take frequent visits to the Sculpture Park in the past, and now its dedication to Service‐Learning brings the school back with a different purpose in mind: spring cleaning and maintaining the collection for all to appreciate and enjoy. With this project, Eagle Rock hopes to promote the appreciation of art from around the world while inspiring students and staff to volunteer within their local communities.
Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center is both a school for high school age students and a professional development center for adults, particularly educators. The school is a year-round, residential, and full-scholarship school that enrolls young people ages 15-17 from around the United States in an innovative learning program with national recognition.
The professional development center hosts educators from around the world who wish to study how to re-engage students in learning, keep them in school, get them graduated, and help them go on to make a difference in the world.
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For more information on the Chapungu Stone Sculpture Park visit:
http://www.chapungusculpturepark.com