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.
Lucy Harackiewicz of Westwood High School in Westwood, MA was one of this year's honorees and told the Alliance, “I received an email from one student who was excited and proud of her teacher! They love the idea that there are art opportunities out there for grown-ups.”
The Scholastic Art & Writing Award educators chosen for this residency used their experience to develop their own artistic practice. Lucy said, “all of our interactions were enthusiastic, eye-opening, informative, and friendly. Both the foundation and the factory were extremely welcoming. I felt happy being there every day because of generous and open people.”
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. Lucy commented on how this changed her approach as an artist and educator: "I will start the year using different materials in different ways. I feel confident that my enthusiasm for experimenting is going to translate into exciting lessons. As for my own practice, I picked up where I left off when I arrived home and have been working steadily ever since. I started many paintings at the foundation and will be working to finish them in the next months. My hope is that I will maintain a rigorous practice even after school starts. This is always the challenge. The profound nature of the residency studio time has increased my desire to keep it going just as consistently during the academic year.”
Be sure to encourage students to submit their work now through December.To learn more, visit www.artandwriting.org.
Scholastic
