Welcome Families & Supporters of the Arts!
The Art Lab is a place where creative experimentation is encouraged, but this heavy lifting of the imagination can be exhausting. Our art students will need all the support they can get!
FIVE WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR YOUNG ARTIST:
Ask about their Art
Your students will be working hard each class to create something that is meaningful to them, using a variety of materials. Invite them to share their work with you.
Make Something Together
What better way to understand your student's artistic process than seeing it in action! Try something simple and fun to start, like using the "wrong" colors in a coloring book.
Be Specific in your Praise
Middle school is when students can fall into the "I'm not creative" trap. Being specific about what they have created or accomplished can help a student develop their skills and confidence, while avoiding the pitfalls of more generic feedback, like, "That's great!" or "I love it!"
Experience Art!
Get out! See some art! Go to a show! Check out a museum! Volunteer in the Art Club! Sit-in on an art class! There's no better way to spark a student's imagination than to experience the world around them!
Try these 3 Magic Words:
"I Wonder If..."
Artists are emotionally attached to their work, so a comment like, "You should have..." or "I would have..." can be harmful. Instead, try to start your statement with, "I wonder if..." You'll invite discussion rather than an argument!
Back-to-School Night | A Virtual Event
"I'd like to help out.
How can I get involved?"
"HOW CAN I STAY IN THE LOOP?"
Weekly Spotlight
Each week a student artist is highlighted in our middle school’s newsletter, the Monday Morning Minute. Click the button above to subscribe to this helpful weekly resource.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Icons designed by flaticon.com