The Importance of Art & Your Child

There are few places in the area where you can find classes devoted solely to art. I have to admit I'm not much of an art buff so I welcomed the opportunity to question a local art school owner about the benefits of art instruction and what actually is learned in an art class. Her answers were an eye-opener to me and it was thrilling to see the maturity in these pieces by children. First, is a little about Debbie and her studio:

The Art Place is located in Englewood, right on the border of Tenafly. They opened their Englewood location 3 years ago, but it started out of Debbie Greenwald's home when she gave impromptu lessos to local kids. She has a background in fine arts, as well as advertising and graphic design. They offer classes in drawing, painting, fashion, concepts of art taught through famous artists called Mini Masters, cartooning, college portfolio prep, Exploring Art and children's book illustration as well as craft classes, weekend work shops and really unique birthday parties. Their philosophy is to only teach the technical aspects of art and leave the rest to the student's own creativity and artistic sense.

What are the benefits of art classes during a child's development?

There are so many benefits, it's hard to know where to begin. Just being able to express themselves in a positive, nonverbal way is so important. There are also more tangible benefits like developing fine motor skills. But what's most important, to me, is the life lessons kids can learn through art.  They learn that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer. We're constantly instilling that there is no right, wrong or mistakes in art. "Mistakes" are part of the process- an opportunity to go in a direction they wouldn't have taken otherwise, taking what they've created to a whole new level. 

What classes do you recommend as a good entry point for each age level?

For really little ones, nursery through kindergarten, I feel the less formal instruction, the better. At that age, it should just be about exposing them to different techniques and mediums and letting them go crazy. We offer a class for that age group called EXPLORING ARTS. They draw, they paint with various mediums, they do print making, paper mache and even paper making! They make sculptures and collages.The list goes on and on. It's a lot of fun.

For everyone else, I recommend our BEGINNER DRAWING class. No matter what you're interested in, from fashion to painting to sculpture, before you start you need to know the basic principles of art. We do have BEGINNER DRAWING for kindergarteners as well, since there was such a high demand for it. We teach them the basic concepts on a very basic level.

What signs can I look out for that would show my child has an aptitude for art?

First and foremost, a love of drawing. The kid who always brings their crayons around with them where ever they go and can always be entertained by art. Also, an attention for detail at an early age is a sure sign.

Are there any emotional/psychological problems that can be addressed through art? Do you have any real life examples? 

We have given private art therapy classes in the past. But what we see more of, is students who either aren't doing so well academically or are just unhappy in school. They need art as a way to shine. The very process of art making is a deep and personal one and because of that there are a great number of opportunities to help students build self esteem. 

What is the best way to encourage a love of art in my child?

Surround them with it! Art supplies, art books, museum trips. Every and anything you can think of.

What drew you to art? Any particular life experiences?

As a kid I was always drawing. It wasn't one specific event or experience that drew me to it, it was always just a part of me. It was also something I loved to do and excelled at. All the positive reinforcement was very empowering.

What would you say are your strengths as a teacher of art? 

First of all I really love kids and I love working with them.  I'm in total awe of them. I love how they look at things--the colors they choose and how free they are with their lines.  Most of all I love how unafraid they are and I really try to cultivate their fearlessness. I find the older the student, the more hesitant they seem to be--sometimes even afraid to put their pencil to the paper. I'm great at getting back that fearlessness they once had as a child.

How do I know what class to pick for my child?

That's easy, a simple phone conversation will do it. If you tell us a little bit about your child, we can help you choose a class.

What is your approach to teaching art concepts? Can you give me a specific example (pictorial?)

All beginner students, regardless of their age need to learn how to look at something before they can draw, paint, sculpt it, etc. We have a special method we use where each assignment builds on the one before it. We teach our students how to break down an object or a scene into simple shapes and lines. From there, we go on to other concepts. Each lesson builds on the one before it.

Lesson: Breaking Down Shapes  (done by a 1st grader)

Note the drawing is composed using a few simple shapes--rectangles, a parallelogram, squares,

 triangles, etc and simple vertical and curved lines.

Lesson: One Object in Front of Another 

(done by a kindergartner)

This is the lesson we teach after we show how to make an object look 3D.

This was drawn from a photo in which both the pears and the background were shades of brown.

Lesson: Texture (done by a 2nd grader)

Students were also asked to crop their image however they saw fit.

What kinds of things do kids learn in the drawing classes? 

Besides the technical stuff, like line quality, dimension, perspective, etc., we'll talk alot about color and style. We'll never tell them what colors to use, but we will speak about how certain colors make you feel or how a very bold style feels very different than a soft style. Students are encouraged to experiment with different techniques and styles. We also talk about how everyone sees things differently and that that's what art is really about. In the Beginner Drawing Class, the students all work from a photo of the same picture. We stress that they should only use the photo as reference, and bring what they see to their art. The results always amaze me.

This is the photo they drew from. 

I purposly picked something with drab colors, hoping it would inspire them to choose their own.

Below is what some 1st and 2nd graders

came up with.

Don't they get enough art already in their school? Why do they need another extracurricular activity for art?

Some schools have wonderful art programs and others have next to nothing due to budget cuts. The classes at The Art Place are very different than those taught even in the best schools. Our drawing classes really teach kids to draw. We teach them the same concepts we teach adults, but on a level they understand. Our classes are also very individualized. For example, we have a 4th grader now in a Beginner Drawing class that is very interested in fashion. We're choosing beginner assignments for her that lend themselves to drawing fabric without actually being a garment. For example, still lifes with heavy draping in the background. Right now she's working on a close up of a rose. Try finding a garment with more folds and flounces than that!

Can I try out a trial class? How do I set that up?

Quite often our classes fill up and have waiting lists. But if there is room in a class and someone wants to do a trial, we're happy to set one up. Just give us a call and let us know when you would like to come. There's a $40.00 fee that gets put toward the class if you decide to take it. You're also always welcome to come by and observe.

How about classes for adults? Do you have any offerings.

We have lots of adults who take private lessons in drawing and painting. But starting this November we're going to offer both morning and evening mini work shops in different types of crafts and drawing /painting techniques for adults. We're really looking forward to it!

What is your most popular class? 

Definitely the drawing classes. It seem to be what the majority of the students are interested and as I stated before, it's really the ground work for everything else.

What was your most gratifying moment as an art teacher?

It's always when they kids tell me that coming to The Art Place is their favorite part of the week.

Any of your former students take up art as a profession?

We haven't been around long enough to see any of our students graduate, but a bunch of students we've helped with their portfolios are now art majors in college. Sometimes the younger students tell me they want to be artists when they grow up. I look them straight in the eye and tell them they already are.

Comments

[elley]

what a great great piece!

[Air Yeezy]

I am seeing more and more lately on the importance of color or a color palette in comveying your brand identity. This summary from the Branding Strategy Insider is well worth a skim. and now pls come to my website and see my products ahout ari yeezy shoes,you will like them,come on!