October 11, 2000
Wild about art
Dozen students attend art center Wild Sculpture class
By Carol South
Herald Contributing Writer
It was a riot of color, textures and styles Saturday afternoon at the Grand Traverse Art Center.
The dozen students in the Wild Sculpture class turned their imaginations loose and, using the simplest of materials, created vibrant fish-like sculptures.
For three hours Saturday, instructor Merrily Bauer guided students as they created their own sculptures out of driftwood and paint, inspired by the works of artist Laurel Burch. Mounted on a driftwood base, the sculptures blazed with color and intricate designs, many surpassing even the most exotic of fish.
For the students, the chance to complete a concentrated, in-depth art lesson was a treat - one worth giving up a Saturday morning.
"I like painting, mostly, and I like working with nature," said Kevin Nesbit, 10. "I'm starting to get into art more than usual, I am more interested in painting than drawing."
An art educator for 22 years, Bauer believes it is crucial to have art students work both with natural materials and in sculpture.
"Sculpture is real important to children because it gets them looking at things from a three-dimensional perspective," said Bauer, who gathered the driftwood from area beaches. "The brain will not develop without working in three dimensions; today kids look at so much Nintendo, TV and computers, which are all two dimensional."
Wild Sculpture is the second class in the Creative Child Art Class series offered this fall and winter by the Grand Traverse Art Center. Taught by Bauer for the past eight years, the course is geared to children ages 5-12. Each of the 16 weeks features a different artistic medium, giving students a broad introduction to a variety of styles and media.
Even the youngest students jumped into the spirit of creativity.
"I love art, I do art every day," said Kayla Craig, 5. "I am only missing two classes this year."
Bauer and some Art Center volunteers work with the students for a three-hour block, giving them in-depth exposure to each medium. At the end of a session, students have a finished project to take home, which, Bauer noted, parents and grandparents have been known to spar over who gets to keep.
"I give a real energetic demo at the beginning and then guide them in the media," said Bauer, who spends five hours of prep time before each class gathering materials and designing the session.
"Then we play music and enjoy the process of creative problem solving. The lesson is like a seed planted for more painting in the future."
Many of the students come back year after year, deepening their technique and proficiency in each medium as they get older. Bauer said she works to keep ahead of her students, always learning and growing artistically herself.
"I have to keep changing and growing with the lessons," Bauer said. "And I encourage the older students to work with the younger ones and help them, they like that role."
Bringing art to the community and providing an opportunity for hands-on learning is central to the mission of the Grand Traverse Art Center, said director Sherry Dillard. Focusing on youth is equally important, since art has been shown to enhance other academic pursuits.
"We have had so many parents come to us and said their child does not get enough art in schools," said Dillard. "We have kids coming from all around the region for these classes, they carpool together from Kalkaska or Benzonia."