Nurturing Creativity in Young Artists

My name is Emmali Simmelink and I am a member of the class of 2027 Whitman. I am undeclared, but hoping to do a double major in Classical Studies and Religion—two areas of study rich in social, written, and artistic history. This summer I was an intern with the Make for Joy art studio—a small business in downtown Walla Walla dedicated to providing local children with an education in studio art. From the start of the internship to now, I have learned about arts, the running of a business, and the value of quality communication in professional settings.

From Monday to Thursday, I start my day by opening the studio. Bright and early, a coworker and I prepare the small area for usage by groups of five to twelve children. This includes general setup: turning on lights, setting up the main screen with information, making sure sign-in sheets are ready, and more. We also prepare as many of the supplies as possible before students begin to arrive. This means selecting the appropriate materials for the projects we intend to teach and making them as accessible as we can to our students. 

When students arrive, we greet each child and whoever is dropping them off and send students to “warm-up” for our day of art with sketchbooks they can use to color, draft, and think through whatever artistic desire strikes their fancy. When it is time to begin, either my coworker or myself call our students to clear their areas and give us their attention. We discuss the project that we will work on for the day (or the first half of the day, depending on how many projects we can fit in), including the history of the style, the best ways to use certain materials and tools, and a basic overview of the process of creating their pieces. Once materials have been supplied to students, the real teaching begins. We go through projects step by step, using art terminology that may be new to many students and explaining different styles and techniques that will improve not only their current projects, but their future portfolios. Typically we take a break halfway through our three hour sessions, journeying out to the plaza downtown to enjoy some sun and a snack before getting back to work.

Once our morning group has gone home, we photograph their work and hang it on our wall or store it in the students’ portfolio bags that go home with them at the end of the week. Then we clean up—sweeping up eraser dust or clay pieces, wiping different paints off of tables, and cleaning supplies as needed. A short lunch break finds us ready to do it all over again with a different group in the afternoon. Busy! 

Each group changes each week and each week has a theme or set of themes. These have included “Wild West” (metal-worked mustang profiles, rodeo self-portraits, ceramic horseshoes, etc), “Passport to Paris” (clay gargoyles, croissant still-lifes, pop-art Mona Lisa, etc), “USA Roadtrip” (the Golden Gate Bridge in acrylic, polymer clay diner food, national park water-colors, etc), and many more—including weeks dedicated solely to specific mediums, such as ceramics and fiber arts. This means that my coworker and I must learn to not only do, but teach these projects with little to no supervision or preparation time. Luckily our projects have turned out wonderfully, no matter the age range or experience level of our students.