Myers artists learn through Studio Art class
Students given choices and options in their artistic journeys
Mrs. Berliner works with students in her Studio Art class at Myers.
January 26, 2017
Third graders don’t often get the freedom to do whatever they want in classes, but one place they do have some ability to express themselves is in art class.
However, even then the teacher usually leads the children and tells them what to draw, and how to draw it. Then the kids can be creative and try to add small details that separate their work from others.
While this is the standard, Myers Elementary school art teacher Mrs. Julie Berliner realized that this didn’t allow students to truly express themselves. That is why Mrs. Berliner implemented “Studio Art.”
Studio art allows the students to work on drawing, painting, printing, or fiber arts. Not only do the children get to create whatever they want, they also learn valuable skills in the process.
“They are learning from each other. They’re learning skills that are going to be valuable outside of the art room, as well as inside the art room, and they are also learning responsibility,” said Mrs. Berliner.
Third grader Chase Desch seemed to really like studio art.
“You can draw, paint, and other things. Right now I’m adding some paint to my painting,” said Chase.
Mrs. Berliner feels that studio art allows the kids to have fun with art since their busy schedules don’t always allow them to sit down and do art for fun.
“I think kids have such a variety of really stimulating things that they do in their recreational time that they kind of leave behind art, unless they are a really avid drawer. This provides a place to work on that skillset,” she said. “I don’t know if kids at home given free choice would pull out paints, or whether they would even have access to paints anymore.”
Even without the formal structure of a traditional art class, Mrs. Berliner feels Studio Art offers students valuable lessons in art that cannot be accomplished digitally and without human interaction.
“Kids have more access to things on screens and things that are digitally created, so it is good to come back to these basics,” Mrs. Berliner said. “Yes you can practice blending on a screen, but it is a different kinetic experience to do it with real paint.”
After a month of implementation, the studio art program at the elementary school appears to be working out. Kids are not only enjoying art class, but they are also learning valuable skills while doing it.
