PCAC hosts CCHS and SMHS art students for Art Enrichment Days

by Jane Harding

15 advanced art students and their art educator, Kim Varner from Cumberland County High School and 8 advanced art students and their art educator, Tristessa Luetkemeyer traveled to the Plateau Creative Arts Center on February 21 and February 23 respectively for a day of fun art activities provided by Art Guild members.

Evelyn Carpenter welcomed the students to a day filled with learning and inspiration, fitting with the Arts Center’s mission statement. Jean Burchette gave a tour of the Arts Center’s Sculpture Trail, and Jane Harding showed the students around the Gallery, the Endless Possibilities Fine Arts and Craft Shop, the newly updated host station and lobby, and the studio. Animal portrait artist, Cris Anderson taught a lesson using alcohol inks. Cris demonstrated a number of techniques and the students enjoyed experimenting on a practice surface. Students were able to create 2 projects, either a card or framed design using embellishments if desired, and a tile incorporating the use of stencils with alcohol ink. Retired art teacher and mixed media artist, Evelyn Carpenter taught a “Lunch and Learn” lesson on creating an art journal. Students were given a composition notebook and each created a cover using a variety of scrapbook pages.

Evelyn shared examples of ways to utilize their art journals; expressing emotions with paint and other media, creating goals, practicing art techniques, and more. The young artists worked with a variety of paper, watercolor paint, markers and glitter glue to create their pages. Photographer, professor and poet Jack Retterer provided a lesson on poetry, sharing a variety of examples and encouraging the students to create and share their own poetry. Graphic artist and mural painter, Bill Quillen closed the day with a lesson on enlarging artwork utilizing a grid system. Students enlarged a photo of Dolly Parton to practice the process. Interested art students will be able to participate in creating a mural on the side of the Arts Center with Bill’s instruction and supervision. The art enrichment days were organized by Art Guild member Pam Carter-Bergvin, and the lessons were assisted by members Mirta Lopez and Diane Hugg. Refreshments and materials were provided by the Art Guild through grant money from the Fairfield Glade Ladies Club and the Volunteer Energy Cooperative, and baked treats by member Billie Faye Brannon. The members of the Art Guild are happy to host this annual day with high school art students and hope it inspires them as part of their art journey.

a student’s art journal entry