Starting in November, elementary students from the local community will have an opportunity to take group art lessons taught by Taylor Art Education and Pre-Art Therapy majors.
The After School Art program began over twenty years ago, created as a part of the ART 310 Elementary Art Education class taught by professor Kathy Herrmann, assistant professor of art. The class is designed to create an experience in which the students can plan, prepare and teach art to the children of the community.
“Some of my goals are for children to not only know how to create a work of art,” Herrmann said, “but to learn about different artists and their work, to learn about the artwork of other cultures and how art impacts all of our lives on some level.”
Two Taylor students will be assigned to each of the classes, divided by age group, and create lesson plans tailored to the grades of students they will be teaching. The students create four potential lesson plans, each teaching two for their respective class.
At the end of the four week program, the classes will have their own art displayed in an exhibition on Monday, Nov. 25. Their families and friends will be able to come and see the work the children have created over the course of November.
While the ART 310 class is offered every other year, there remain other opportunities for local students to learn art on campus. Personal tutored art lessons are available year-round, and a week-long art camp is hosted during the summer.
Herrmann and office assistant Cindy Reishus, who helps manage the enrollment of students into the program and camps, highlight the value of building connections between Taylor students and families in the Upland community. These programs also serve as a first step for any enrollees into the world of art in a positive environment.
“I still remember art I made in the third grade,” Reishus said. “These things follow you. The value is in feeling good about creating something beautiful.”
The four week program meets on Fridays, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 22 at 4 p.m.
