Artists in the Making

Funded Apr 6, 2023

Thank you so much for your generous donations. It allowed our class to lift off and truly flourish. Without it, we would have been limited to what they could work with and learn how to use. My students gasped in awe when they each got a large sketch pad. Many have never gotten to use paper of that size before. I remember vividly on our first day of using charcoal how mesmerized they were -- testing out its texture, scratching away at the paper to see how dark it can get, practicing how to control its values, and exploring how to use it. Many discovered how easily messy it can get, but liked how easy it was to create shades. They were all very excited to use the acrylic paints and produced fantastic landscape pieces with it. We were able to learn color theory and color pencil shading techniques with the tools we received. They learned how to mix paints and try to replicate shades of colors they saw on the reference photos. We were able to learn much more in depth about the tools and spend a few weeks with each tool as a result.

They surprised me every day with their growth. Their class period was the highlight of my day with their eagerness to learn more and everyone's supportive nature. With tools they could use at will, it created a sense of exploration and safety to try new things. At the end of each day, many wanted to stay extra beyond the class period, drawing more, and not wanting to clean up just yet. It was always the school admins and safety agents coming to tell us everyone needs to go home. I wish we could have met for a longer period of time as well! I hope the success this first studio art class is evidence to let our school continue offering it for years to come.

The school year has come to an end, so I encouraged them to take some supplies home to continue working and learning with them. Attached are photos of them in action using the supplies that had been donated. We are grateful and thankful for your generosity. Without it, this wouldn't have been possible.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Che