Starting an art class can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. As a new student (young or otherwise), it can be hard to know what to expect, as a parent it can be a whole new adventure. Today, I thought you an I could reflect on this semesters first week here at US and Art!
One of the first things I noticed during the first week of class was the diversity of the students. There were students of all ages (From preschoolers to Seniors), backgrounds, and skill levels. This diversity made each class feel inclusive and welcoming. Our instructors warmly welcomed parents and students into the studio, helping them find their aprons and start a studio scavenger hunt.
(Dropping off your student? Want to know what to do while you wait? Here's a great idea👇) https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnhjO8urm2t/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Every class starts with our US and Art mantra: "My art is awesome because I am awesome." Classes declare this phrase all together each week at the beginning of class as a reminder that because they, as human beings, have an innate awesomeness, that means their art is innately awesome as well. (Repeating positive phrases builds new neural pathways in our brains and something we emphasize to build confidence in our students, even our adult students!🥰)
After students got settled in, they were introduced to the projects we will be exploring this semester. Our combination classes included: drawing, watercolor painting, acrylic painting, mixed media collage, and clay. All class projects (Combination or otherwise) will be based around this semester's theme which is "Once Upon a Biome." Each student received and labeled their own canvases and papers for each project. I was surprised by how much students already knew about art mediums and biomes, and was excited by how enthusiastic they were to begin learning more!
COMBINATION CLASSES: I got the opportunity to see our students' personalities come out through creative activities. Each student in our Amber Artists, Crimson Creators, and Blue Brushes classes showed us their "favorites" through drawing, and boy oh boy do we have some spunk and funk in our classes! I saw everything from pets and family to dragons, anime, and ninjas! We also played the "Squiggle Drawing" game, where students have to use creativity to turn a squiggle into something new. It as a lot of fun!
DRAWING CLASSES: One of the best things about art classes is they provide a great opportunity to learn from others. It was fascinating to see this week how everyone has their own unique perspective and how different people approached the same project. Our Drawing students explored drawing tools through a "pass the drawing" game, where each student has 30 seconds to add on to a drawing with a specific drawing tool (charcoal, hard and soft pencils, smudging tools, colored pencils, ect.) before passing it onto the next person. I was thrilled to see different styles emerge and students working together to create something new.
How exciting for us all to embark on this semester with each of our students, experimenting with different mediums and techniques and also looking forward to the opportunity to learn from our students and to see how everyone's work develops over time. I recommend taking an art class to anyone who is interested in exploring their creative side. Whether you're a beginner or have been creating art for years, there is always something new to learn and discover!