At Viewmont Elementary, fourth-grader Finn Llewellyn focused intently as he squeezed Elmer’s white glue onto pasta, carefully arranging it on a lid of a tan box. Near the pasta were beige paper cutouts of a gingerbread man and a Santa hat, forming the backdrop for a falling snow scene.

Finn was emulating the style of American artist Louise Nevelson, renowned for her monochromatic artwork and sculptures. During the art hour, Finn and his classmates had learned about Nevelson, her contributions and style before creating their own projects inspired by her work.

It is part of the Viewmont’s new art literacy program, which was introduced this school year. Similar to McMillan Elementary, parent volunteers bring an art cart into the classroom, provide lessons on notable artists and then guide students in projects which allow them to replicate and explore those artists’ distinctive styles.

Finn is enthusiastic about the new
program.

“I like exploring creativity because we don’t get to do it a lot in life,” he said. “I appreciate getting to think outside the box; I see a vision and am able to create it. I like this project for its simplicity and for celebrating snow this season.”

The program was brought to Viewmont by volunteer Rebecca Woolston, who was inspired after seeing the program at McMillan, where her son attended.

The program, created by Keersten Jensen several years ago, includes lessons on 48 different artists that rotate throughout the elementary years, with students typically studying eight artists per year.

“Last month was (Tommaso) Masaccio (an Italian Renaissance artist), and he did a lot of religious paintings, and also a lot of portraits,” Woolston said. “We taught them how to draw a profile of a face proportionally and they learned to understand proportions better.”

The program was launched in the fall, supported by the purchase of materials like pastels and paintbrushes using funds donated by parents. Organizing supplies for more than 450 students has been a logistical challenge, but the effort ensures that each student gets to experience a variety of art forms, she said.

“We had to figure out our supplies so all our students could do artwork for every artist this year. There’s a ton of legwork to figure it out, but also to make sure there’s variety in what they’re learning. We don’t want to do construction paper projects for three months in a row and we don’t want to spend too much money,” Woolston said.

The program was met with approval of last year’s principal, Jennifer King, and this year’s, Lia Smith.

“I’m grateful for the incredible efforts from Rebecca and our many parent volunteers involved in our art literacy program,” Smith said. “Our PTA and community see the importance of art in schools, and they have put in the time and effort to make this a possibility for our students. Saying yes to this program was an easy decision, and I look forward to support it for years.”

As part of the program, students will explore a range of artistic styles, from Henri Matisse’s collages to Salvador Dalí’s surreal paintings, and from Roy Lichtenstein’s comic art to Georges Braque’s mixed media. They will also experiment with different mediums, such as Amy Rigg’s Native American beading and John James Audubon’s nature illustrations.

“We share a couple paragraphs about the artist, some have videos about them, and then, we give instructions. We let them have most of the time to create like with Nevelson’s mixed media sculpture and collages. They’re using die cuts and noodles to create mixed media collages inside a little shadow box to make something new out of materials that represent something else,” Woolston said. “A lot of kids think art is just those who can draw realistically but I want them to understand art doesn’t need to be a certain way. It’s more of an expression and an opportunity to make art.”

Fourth-grader Azariah David values this freedom of expression.

“Through the program, I’ve learned to express my love of art, and it’s fun to do even if it doesn’t turn out the way I wanted,” she said. “I’m OK with that because I get the experience. My favorite thing was to draw a portrait of my friend, Amanda. It was fun and we kept laughing as we did it.”

Azariah’s teacher, Nic Scott, who is in his 29th year of teaching, appreciates how the program enhances both the students’ creative expression and their understanding of art history.

“They’re doing art projects which are similar to what these artists did, and they’re able just to be creative and experience getting their hands dirty, in a sense, to be able to share their creative expression,” he said. “What we do with art in class is more academically based, trying it into our already existing curriculum, like dioramas and shields, which we tie into our instruction and learning. This way, they’re learning about certain artists and styles, and it exposes them to different mediums.”

Woolston sees the value of having art as part of the curriculum.

“It’s an important part of your education and to stretch your mind. They’re learning fine coordination skills of adding tiny glue drops on pieces of pasta and putting it into cardboard. Those are important fine motor skills, but also, it’s being in an environment where this is part of the curriculum and not just fun, free time.”λ