Week 7

By 1 pm today, The Art Experience was a buzz of excitement.

This week, being Spring Break for Pontiac Public Schools, 14 students appeared for Open Studio. Their mothers brought them so that they may have them experience art and challenge their creative mobility.

All of the students were very positive and excited about being there. A couple of them came to The Art Experience the Friday before and already knew what they wanted to create. They grabbed old records and started painting decorative designs. The others, fumbling about at first, soon started painting and experimenting. They rummaged through bins of items and were searching not only for inspiration but also for materials that you could not find at home.

From paint, to paper, to glitter, to ribbon, to beads, markers, and the list continues. Each one created a different projects and explored endless possibilities.  Many started out with paintings and soon developed complex abstract works of art.  They communicated amongst each other and found ways to challenge their creative thinking process.

As the day continued forth, they talked amongst themselves with exuberating demeanor, they started to share what they were creating and why. Over hearing a conversation, one of the girls stated, “I could come hear everyday.”

Soon, it was not just the children that were excited about making projects but the mothers as well. They started to join in the creating process and started looking for materials for themselves as well as their children. They encouraged and brought forth inquisitive thoughts on what could be produced.  

Soon, one of the mothers started asking about hosting a birthday party at The Art Experience while another started communicating how she would love to bring her daughters Girl Scout troop here.

This week I was able to notice a different atmosphere. Individuals were coming here to explore and try something they have not tried before. They had the opportunity to discover and be apart of a group dynamic and work together to discuss problems and ideas. They gathered their strengths and fashioned ways that geared them to think and express creatively. All and all, they were able to come to a secure environment that allows art activities for children and students to occur.