Art grows the imagination

WORLAND – Jackson Hendrickson, former Worland resident, visited the Worland elementary schools on Sept. 9 and 10 to teach the students about legal graffiti art at the request of an old friend and as part of his pilot to a program he plans on submitting to every school in the country.

Hendrickson is trying to keep art in the hearts and minds of elementary students as more and more schools are pulling art from the curriculum, especially in the town where he grew up. "When you have a community that takes art out of the elementary program in school, you're putting a block on imagination and expression. For me to hear that they've got art only 10 times throughout the year, they've got it in the middle school and the high school, you've got to understand from the time when we are in kindergarten until fifth grade those are the most impressionable blossoming years that we have as kids and to have them on these little electronic devices and not in a drawing pad, its stunting that imagination," Hendrickson said.

"I had art the whole time that I was growing up from kindergarten all the way through high school. Some of the big influences artistically were Mrs. Harder, Mrs. Quinn, Mrs. Hill and definitely Mrs. Mills and, of course, Mrs. Therman. My mom is a big artist too, she always really pushed me to not be playing the Nintendo or the Atari but to be drawing. My mom really showed me that I could express myself (through art), "he said.

"I've lived in places all over the nation and of course in the bigger cities you see more art. You see them aiming to develop that part of it (imagination) because that's a good way to address issues with younger kids who might not be able to say what they're feeling but ... they can draw it," Hendrickson said.

Hendrickson's program, which will be mainly legal graffiti art, he hopes will influence children in a way to get them off their electronics and back into art and imagination.

"I have a bunch of artists set up, it doesn't have to be me (performing at the schools). I can call Kansas City, Saint Louis, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia or Colorado. I can call one of my artists and say 'hey guys, go to this school,'" Hendrickson said.

People are beginning to understand the method behind the madness. "I was prevented from going ahead and painting on the actual wall of the school because someone brought up the fact that it might bring thugs in. It's that kind of mentality that's actually preventing other diversity and businesses coming in to help with community growth. I know I've already caught a lot of skepticism and a little bit of a bad rap, 'is he vandalizing the town? What's his deal?'" Hendrickson said. "The more I do and the more we talk to folks about it, the more they actually start to see it (understand). That's why it's starting to get more of a positive reaction," he added.

Growing up in Worland

Hendrickson grew up in Worland on Obie Sue Street and went to West Side Elementary School. "All us neighborhood kids, we used to drink gutter water and ride our big wheels, it was good times," Hendrickson said.

While in high school, Hendrickson used his artistic abilities in a different way. "My job when I was in High school was at the radio station, I started a program called after hours, it was a show that, we basically had smashing pumpkins, Marilyn Manson and stuff like that on a country radio station that had been country my whole life," he said.

He continued his education in the Worland school system until his parents got divorced in 1997 as he was beginning his senior year. "My mom and dad got divorced and my mom moved to Virginia. I went out to Virginia to follow her shortly after I started my senior year. When I got to Virginia, when I reenrolled to high school to try to finish out, I was already eight credits over what I needed to graduate. Which should tell you something about the Worland schools. I only had to take one class which was great," Hendrickson said.

"Hidden" graffiti art

While Hendrickson was here Sept. 9 – 10 he did six or seven legal graffiti art paintings with most on the west side of town because that's where he grew up. "There are six or seven legal graffiti art pictures placed in town. My hope is that the kids will spend time outside looking for them instead of on their electronic devices," Hendrickson said. When they get back from looking for the pictures, "I would like to see them in a sketch pad instead of an iPad," he added.

On Aug. 15 Hendrickson posted on Facebook that he had created an 8' X 8' painting that he split into 32 pieces in the hope that the finders would get together and put the pieces together as a community. The post on his Facebook page goes as follows, "I have strategically placed 32 paintings around town. You are welcome to them, but know this: First of all, if united, they make an 8' x 8' painting, so I reckon' y'all would have to get together to see that. I started with a bright and loud tag that said "Wild Love," and then painted a universe over it. I split it into 32 pieces, and sent it around the town to remind you how beautiful the things you have around you really are. I thought you might need that in times like these." Hendrickson has been disappointed to learn that the finders have not gotten together to put the pieces together.

Hendrickson's Business

Hendrickson lives in Tennessee and owns his own construction business called Dream Decks, which creates high end decks across the nation. "I put art into pretty much everything that I do. I own a construction company where I build really high end decks and they are all artistic. My construction company is just as nationwide as the graffiti. I have built high end decks from the East Coast to the West Coast," he said. His website is http://www.dreamdeckspert.com and the website name comes with a cute story.

"My daughter was 3 when I was building a deck with a lot of 45 degree angles. She was taking my slack and building what looked like seven little houses stacked up on a board. I asked her what she was building, 'is that a neighborhood?' She said, 'no it's a development.' She stops what she's doing and she says, 'daddy, you're an expert at building decks, right?' I said, 'well yeah, I'm pretty good.' She said, 'well does that make you a deckspert?'

Hendrickson's wife is Amanda and she works as a social worker in Tennessee. He has two daughters, Joselyn, six and Cecilia, two.

"Worland is such a good, good community. Being gone and just coming back and forth through the summer time and just seeing what bits and pieces I get to see and actually talking to some of the old retired teachers as well. There used to be that no child left behind. It takes a village to raise a kid mentality. Where if we had a bad student it wasn't just one teacher all the teachers would look into it, it was a community thing, it really, really was," Hendrickson stated.