Every year, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in collaboration with Golden Artists Colors hosts a special art residency for educators to enhance their personal and professional development in the arts.
Three educators were selected this year to participate in a two-week artists' residency in upstate New York through the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation. These educators were the proud mentors to students who received recognition in the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Elizabeth Stainton of The Brearley School in New York, New York was one of this year's honorees and told the Alliance, “Being chosen from a pool of applicants was a huge confidence boost and affirming. Being nurtured and pampered for being a teacher and an artist was a rare gift [...] My experimentation during the residency was uninhibited, freeing my creativity from old ruts and re-orienting for my work."
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards educators chosen for this residency used their experience to develop their own artistic practice. Elizabeth said, “Exposure to high-quality materials and learning how to use them gave me ideas and a fresh outlook, both for my own practice and for curriculum.”
The residency is based on the exploration of innovative uses of painting technology. Residents explored materials that challenge the way they think about paint and are introduced to materials that open up new channels for expression and the creative process.
Rebecca commented on how this changed her approach as an artist and educator: "I realize now that my rejection of acrylic paint in favor oils many years ago was because I was using low-quality paints. I now see the vast possibility of acrylics. I also enjoyed using Williamsburg oils, which are also new to me."
Be sure to encourage students to submit their work now through December.To learn more, visit www.artandwriting.org.
Scholastic
