Viterbo University is holding an afterschool art workshop from Feb. 27 to April 23. It is running every Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on the third floor of the Fine Arts Center in room 317. This afterschool art workshop is run by its very own art education students of Viterbo.
The two students who are leading the afterschool art workshop are junior Cheyenne Sanders, who has a major in art education with a minor in special education, and sophomore Camille Olson, who has an art education major and psychology minor. These two art educators are looking forward to their after-school art workshop.
When asked what they were most excited about for the workshop Sanders responded, “Seeing the different talents of the students.” Olson responded with, “Getting to know the different students around the area.” The maximum number of students who are able to participate in this workshop is 20. There is a total of 18 students participating. The focus of this after-school art workshop is painting. Sanders and Olson could choose whatever medium they wanted to teach for the workshop. “We could choose whatever we wanted to do. I chose painting and she was undecisive,” said Sanders.
Sanders was asked to explain what the workshop is and what the students are going to be doing, and she replied, “Well, it’s a painting workshop pretty much but I mean, they’ll be learning other stuff like color theory. The basics. It is fourth to eighth grade and we’re starting out with the basic principles of art and then we’re going to be using all of their small projects to turn into a final project of their learning, which are along the lines with the state standards.”
Sanders and Olson have done a lot to prepare for this workshop. When they were asked to go over the planning process they responded, “Lots of lesson planning. Eight of them to be precise. We have to make a lot of examples. So, we made a drawing choice board for when the students get done early, or whatever. And it gives them more opportunities to do art outside of our projects. When we start to make the examples there is a lot of prep work such as for the mini projects.”
The afterschool art workshop is required as part of an art education degree to graduate. Sanders was asked why it is required and she replied, “It’s part of our degree. We have to learn how to teach children in elementary, middle, and high school. So, I guess this workshop targets high elementary to middle school range.”
The after-school art workshop is a big step towards Sander’s and Olson’s future in teaching art. These two future art educators are looking forward to teaching students how to paint.
