I’m always struck by the way Sue Silverstein challenges her art students to look inward and figure out who they are and want to be. It’s not just a matter of sewing, drawing, and painting; Sue’s assignments all ask her students to go deeper, using art to reflect them and their lives so they can learn who they are.
The assignments make her students think. There is almost no silence or room for thought in their lives; more and more, they are coming to the art room in and out of scheduled classes to join in the search for creativity and self-awareness.
It’s a beautiful thing to see. I’ve known some of these students for several years now, and I see Sue’s art program as changing them as much as anything I’ve witnessed.
She is making them pause and think, two things they are rarely asked to do.
I hear them talk about their art all the time; they never had the time for that. The older students tell me they have had the kinds of tools and supplies the Army Of Good is shipping them. Thanks again.
Their names are Kloreen – flowers, Annabella, black painting, MueNa, pine branches and Katie, black and white graphics.
They drew portraits around their pictures. They were asked to do self-portraits, images of themselves. They took a selfie and then drew around it to draw themselves or paint themselves into the picture, explained Sue.
“I never took my nose out of my phone long enough to know what I looked like,” one of the students told me. “The art classes make me put my phone away and think.”
Students live in a world of distraction; they all text each other all day and check out Instagram and Tik-Tok; they live in a world of videos and endless messaging, most of which are meaningless. Sue forces them to look at themselves and step out of distractions and into a quieter, more reflective, creative world.
They aren’t in class because they have to be; they are excited by creativity and art because they want to be. Sue is always giving students natural gifts of imagination and confidence. To that, she is adding self-awareness.
So far, the students love it. And I love seeing it and sharing it. Thanks for your beautiful messages.
the art projects and artists are awesomely amazing…just wow. kudos to sue. she is a genius and the kids are showing up and showing off their inner selves. just beautiful. thank you army of good. I sent a box of trinkets…the self portraits are so important at this critical time of their lives. hooray for them. hooray for you.
I think your flowers will be fine…all that TLC and only for one night…the roots will survive even if you lose a few blossoms.
Nature bats last!!
Fabulous!!! This i s definitely what young people (and adults) need!!