Creating 'sensational 'art (4 photos)

NEWS RELEASE

HURON-SUPERIOR CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

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Students in the A.C.E. and S.S.P. classes at St. Theresa Catholic School in Sault Ste. Marie displayed the results of Sensational Art, a year-long visual arts program, supported by the Arts Education Project and sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council.

“We felt this type of program would be ideal for the students in these classes. They really enjoyed the various mediums that they worked with over the year and developed a great bond with their instructor. We hope to be able to offer this type of program again next year,” said A.C.E. teacher, Melanie Rector.

Sensational Art saw local artist Taimi Poldmaa deliver the program, which is specifically designed for students with special needs. The project focused on exploring the five senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Classes included creating art with acrylics, watercolours, tempera, oil pastels and soft pastels.

“It was a pleasure to work with these students. Over the year, you could see how they developed new skills, hand-eye coordination and self-confidence,” said Poldmaa.

“The end result of this program speaks for itself. It’s obvious the students paid close attention to the lessons they received. The works of art they created are tremendous,” said St. Theresa Principal, Joe Chilelli.

The students were very happy with what they learned and shared their works to celebrate the end of the year.

“I really enjoyed learning art from Taimi. With her help, I created a sunset using pastels and paint. She also taught me how to create different drawings by using different colours. Taimi is an excellent teacher who made learning art more enjoyable,” Kendle, age 9.

“I enjoyed mixing different colours of paint together to create the paintings. Taimi taught me how to make art by myself,” Colin, age 13.

“I really enjoyed Taimi’s art. Learning from her made me more confident when doing my own artwork. I learned that in art you can take your time without rushing because if you rush, it won’t turn out as good,” Sara, age 13.

“Taimi made art class interesting and fun, she taught our class how to become better artists. My favourite activity was making a sunflower picture,” Jaron, age 11.

“Taimi is an excellent art teacher. She taught us how to create different types of artwork by using mixed mediums. I really enjoyed making a spooky night tree,” Destiny, age 9.

The year of weekly classes also saw the students paint a Field of Flowers, a Lake Superior sunset with acrylics, and Lake Superior pebbles into ladybugs, create collages with leaves, explore special effects techniques and, as a tribute to Georgia O’Keefe, a giant sunflower with soft pastels.

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