Hooray for Creativity

The artist Henri Matisse once said, “Creativity takes courage!” The students at St. Martha have that kind of creative courage in spades. In the art room, their courage shows up as a willingness to step outside their comfort zones, try new techniques, and explore fresh ideas. 

One of my favorite ways to end the year with the lower grades is by making masks. It’s open-ended, joyful, and wonderfully messy. We use everything from found objects and glue to oil pastels and paint. Kindergartners made royal self-portrait masks, first graders created robot creatures, second graders crafted lions, third graders tried Picasso-style portraits, and fourth and fifth graders made dogs and cats!

I see visual art as the act of thinking creatively while using your hands to bring something new into the world. Whether it’s drawing, painting, sculpting, or assembling “junk art,” the process helps students grow in all areas of learning by building confidence, encouraging problem-solving, and supporting creative thinking.

As we look ahead to fall, we’ll kick off with drawing and soon be painting, weaving, collaging, and sculpting together! There’s a strong culture of the arts at St. Martha, and our students never hesitate to jump right in to creating and taking risks artistically.

I’m so excited to begin my 12th year as their art teacher. Here’s to another year of courage, creativity, and colorful messes!

- Liz Wylegala