Program

The Institute of Jugglology’s Sand Juggling: A Study in Throwing Things residency is  designed to allow anyone to access the physical and psychological benefits of art through the practice of juggling.   My custom lessons guide students through the process of learning to juggle and then the students use those techniques to create a collaborative work of sand art.   By introducing students to a form of painting that most have never tried before, we can build an artistic process from the ground up that accounts for failure and success. Through the use of juggling as our paintbrush, we will also learn how perseverance in the practice of our technical skills affects our work.  

Juggling has the ability to be combined with almost any other discipline.   Juggling patterns created from the math of hair braids, pendulums tuned to notes that allow music to be played when they are juggled, and the use of a building's architecture in a juggling pattern are just scratching the surface of the combinations that are possible.  In addition to Sand Juggling: A Study in Throwing Things,  I also offer satellite workshops in math, music, physics, drama, and history which can be included in the residency.   The residencies and workshops are designed to be adaptable to any age range (toddler to senior citizen) or skill level (beginner to graduate level circus school) and conform to Arkansas & national learning standards in drama, fine arts, mathematics, physical education and health, science, social science.  I have also developed a teachers edition of my workshop that focuses on sharing what I have learned over the last twenty years as a circus arts educator.  Every student will learn the fundamentals of juggling and how to use it to enrich their lives.  We will also cover the history of juggling and sand painting including the varied cultural significance of the two activities over the last 4,000 years.  After the completion of the final sand painting, the students will have learned how to create an artistic process that works for them.  

I encourage the organizations I work with to set up an Art Juggling Club to keep students engaged after the residency.    I have lesson plans and activities to share with the club so they have access to weekly or monthly activities to take part in.  Residencies can range from one day to one week with month-long residencies available in the Northwest Arkansas Area.  

Background

Galen Harp is a world champion juggler based in Arkansas and working wherever gravity has an effect.  His work as the Institute of Jugglology focuses on using object manipulation to draw out and explore the relationships humans have with objects.   The Institute of Jugglology has performed and taught all over North America, including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, El Paso Museum of Art, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute.  He has opened for Cake, Peter Frampton, and Blues Traveler.  Galen has been awarded the Northwest Arkansas Entertainer of the Year award for nine years in a row, and in 2014 he won the world juggling championships judged by the International Jugglers’ Association.