In the classroom -- Artists provide first-grade fun at El Morro

Suzie Harrison

Art is everywhere in Laguna Beach.

There are almost always art events and exhibits in Laguna, both inside

and outside, day and night at museums and galleries.

If you are lucky enough to be a first-grader at El Morro Elementary

School, well, then art and artists will come to you.

Laguna Outreach Community Arts has been going to city schools for more

than two years and has been working on a mural project with Thurston

Middle School for four years. The artists go to the schools once a year.

Outreach artists are professionals who specialize in a particular

mediums and share their expertise by providing hands-on art instruction

with the budding Laguna artists.

“The neat thing is that this is community oriented and that makes it

special,” said Sherry Bullard, the community arts program coordinator.

On Tuesday in Cheri David’s class, the students learned about

printmaking by local professional printmaker Hedy Buzan Williamson.

Bullard and the school’s PTA liaison, Erin Bonsey, were there to

assist.

“By sending actual artists into the classrooms for the kids to meet

with them and work with them it conveys a familiarity where the kids can

put a face to art,” Bullard said.

The community artists tie the art lessons to a subject the class is

studying.

David’s class is studying the family. On the white board there was a

lesson where the students were to fill in the blank about how many

brothers and sisters they have and if they had a pet.

The printmaking class added a memorable cohesive element to the

lesson.

Buzan Williamson was working with the kids to make self-portraits and

Mother’s Day cards.

The children were asked several questions before they began their

self-portrait to give them an idea of what they should be contemplating

when they created their image.

“Does everybody have the same color hair?” Buzan Williamson asked.

“Ask your learning partner what color your eyes are. Where are your

eyes?”

The addition of art to the lesson plan is a natural one, David said.

“The art curriculum relates to part of the standards that the children

learn in first grade,” David said. “It helps the kids learn fine motor

skills, observation, listening skills and collaborative learning.”

Buzan Williamson brought a printer that an artist could use and showed

the class the process and told them that the only rule is that you can’t

write on the card, the cover where the art goes or on the portrait

because with a press words come out backward.

The class used French watercolor artist crayons and printmaking paper.

The artist also brought in a class picture of herself in the first

grade at El Morro 43 years ago and explained what it was like then and

that “girls could only wear dresses and skirts,” and she told some fun

stories about her classmates.

She explained and demonstrated how to use the press to transfer the

image onto the paper with hands-on, step-by-step instructions, including

how to apply the right amount of pressure to have the plate transfer the

image.

“I love my mom, I am excited to give it to her,” said Reece Barton,

showing his card and portrait.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot.

She may be reached at 494-4321.