I’ve had the pleasure of teaching art to students of Bradley Schools for the past six years, thanks to a partnership between Bradley Schools and Newport Art Museum’s Coleman Center for Creative Studies, my employer.
For more than a decade, this partnership has allowed the Bradley Schools to bring arts education to students and inspire creativity in young minds while fostering positive social and emotional skills that reach beyond the classroom. What I teach there, beyond the elements and principles of design, is building a language of communication.
One exercise we use is to have students stand up and share their work with the class. Someone in the class identifies something positive about the piece and describes what they appreciate. The presenting student then receives the compliment by acknowledging it and saying thank you. Being able to identify and accept something positive is an important life skill, and one with which even adults can struggle.
I believe art also has the power to encourage students to take risks, to learn from their mistakes, and to become more resilient in the face of adversity. I always say that mistakes are opportunities. It's better to start by making a ceramic pot that falls apart because it teaches you how far you can really push the materials. This kind of thinking has wide applications, so I always teach my students to be patient, persistent and to learn from mistakes.
Helping students see themselves as a part of a larger, supportive community is also central to my work. As part of Autism Awareness Month in April, we’ll be working with Trinity Rep to bring two days of improvisational theater classes to Bradley Schools for children on the autism spectrum. During the classes, those students will reflect on the experience and create a collaborative art project, which will be unveiled at an end-of-month exhibition. Students and their families can view the work and open a dialogue around issues their fellow students face.
In May, we’ll be engaging with the community at large, bringing high school students to the Newport Art Museum to craft bowls on the potter's wheel for donation to the Rhode Island Food Bank’s Empty Bowls project. In turn, the RI Food Bank will come to Bradley Schools and talk to students about what they do and how our contributions will impact the families it serves. I want my students to understand that their work can become bigger than themselves. They can affect the world in a positive way.
When I get up in the morning, I know the work I'm doing is helping. Every day I get to see the positive impact art can have on these kids, and witness so many 'ah-hah!’ moments in my students. Ultimately, my hope is that through my teachings, students learn to not only take risks on their work, but to take a risk on themselves. When that happens, it is the greatest reward of all.
(The artwork on this page was created by a student from the Bradley School.)
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