MIDDLE SCHOOL Clay Cottages Of Hope M Melody Weintraub aya Angelou once said, “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” Teaching students that their art can shine a light for others in need can be a valuable lesson that goes beyond technique, skill, and cur-riculum. Teaching students to make art with visual impact can change their world, but teaching students to care can change the way they see their world. As president-elect of the Ten-nessee Art Education Association (TAEA), I learned at an NAEA Southeastern Region leaders meet-ing that there were art teachers in North Carolina who had lost everything due to the devastating hurricanes that swept through their region. Southeastern Region vice-president Meg Skow asked us to look for ways to show support. I looked around at my classroom with all of my neatly sorted supplies, shiny floors, and student artwork, and thought about how that was lost in one day for so many of my col-leagues in the Carolinas. I began to think of ways my students could get involved in raising support for art classes in North Carolina. Envisioning Luminaries Remembering the theme for our upcoming TAEA Fall Conference, Celebrating Community through Art, I envisioned luminaries in the shape of clay cottages adorn-ing the tables at our TAEA awards dinner. I approached my school and shared my vision, and they gra-ciously donated the materials. After creating the mockup of a cottage, I designed a template and asked my Students cut holes in their luminaries to place candles inside. Students ’ Clay Cottages of Hope collection. 30 JANUARY 2020 SchoolArts
School Arts Magazine January 2020: Page 32
