Early Art Inspiration

Katy Smith first fell in love with Art as a small child. She loved Fridays in elementary school because most of her teachers used Art as a fun, Friday afternoon activity. She remembers two times in particular where Art came alive for her in the classroom. The first was in the third grade. Her teacher informed the class that she was giving her students open access to the Art supplies and two hours of class time for them to create something of their own design. She would then be choosing the best of the artwork to submit for a student Art show sponsored by the local Arts Council. Smith ended up winning First Place for her watercolor painting.

The second time was in the fifth grade when an Artist-in-Residence from the Children’s Creative Project came to the class a couple weeks in a row to teach pastel painting. It was the first time Smith had met a real professional artist. She soaked up every bit of information the artist shared with the class and was inspired to keep creating. Thirty years later, Smith returned to teach through the same Artist-in-Residence Program in the same school district. Sometimes things come full circle, as they did in this case. This is why these programs are important to keep in our schools. These kids are the next generation of artists, needing instruction and inspiration to go on and make their mark in the Arts too.