Program inspires students to bring out their inner artist

It’s quite possible that the next Emily Carr or Leonardo da Vinci is sitting in a classroom at Pleasant Corners Public School, just waiting to be discovered.
Martintown-area artist Karen Spinney recently brought her program, Art for Kids, to the school in an effort to give students a greater appreciation for the arts.
Principal Roxane McDonell, who is no stranger to Spinney and the work she does through the Art for Kids program, was more than happy to welcome the artist into the school community.
“I, myself, have a background in arts and I am very interested in developing the arts (in schools) wherever I go,” she stated. “Karen’s program is amazing…having seen how it worked in other schools I was at, I didn’t hesitate to bring (the program) here to our students.”
Spinney, who has been teaching the Art for Kids program for 15 years now, said the idea to create a program of her own came from an art project her daughter brought home from school one day.
“When my daughter was younger, she would bring home these projects they had worked on at school,” she explained. “Of course, the projects were very sweet and nice, but I knew my daughter, and the other children, could do so much more, if given the chance.”
After developing Art for Kids, Spinney said she began teaching the program on a volunteer basis at her daughter’s school. Word began to spread and eventually, Spinney was asked if she could bring Art for Kids to other schools in the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB).
Schools hold fundraisers, McDonell explained, to help cover the costs of Spinney’s time and expertise.
Spinney said the two-week program is designed to “develop art knowledge” among both students and teachers. The program runs as an integrated unit and includes a cross-curriculum theme.
“The theme we used here at Pleasant Corners was Myths and Legends of Canada,” Spinney remarked. “Each grade took a specific legend or myth and developed it using all the different subjects and components of the curriculum.”
After studying their legends and myths, Spinney said, each grade created an individual art project that depicted what they had learned.
“We used all different mediums,” she commented. “We used oil (paint), acrylic (paint), chalk pastels and paper mache (to name a few). We also explored a variety of genres such as impressionist landscapes, folk art and graphic work.”
The art work now adorns the walls and hallways of the school and pays homage to such well-known legends as Ogopogo, the mythical creature that allegedly lives in Okanagen Lake; Loup Garou (werewolf); and Nanaboozhoo, the Ojibway trickster and cultural hero, to name only a few.
“This is a tremendous program,” McDonell said. “It allows students who may not be as academically strong as others to shine and find something they’re really good at. It’s amazing how many children discover they have amazing talent through this program.”
As Spinney pointed out, “No child fails at this program.”