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##Art Programs – Conversation Lesson

Joe: Hey, I just saw some of Sophia’s newest artwork. She…Robin sent me a picture of a painting that Sophia did. It’s a still of like a bowl of fruit, y’know, like you’ve seen a lot of projects where they do some… Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: …still…

Kristin: Yeah, sure, I did those even in art classes.

Joe: Yeah, I remember doing that also when I was younger. But she’s really got some talent there, y’know, and I’m really glad to see that they’re encouraging her to explore it, y’know?

Kristin: Yeah, and that she seems excited about it. Remember, she had painted something for me one Christmas.

Joe: Yes, when we went and visited.

Kristin: She wrote, or painted my name on it but she misspelled my name.

Joe: Yeah, everybody seems to do that.

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: But it’s great to see and, y’know, I think you were the one who told me that it was an after-school program that she was doing this artwork in. It wasn’t in school, right?

Kristin: Yeah, no, it was…it was some place where Robin was taking them because Anna was doing it, too. And, I don’t know, maybe they have art classes in their school but this was specifically painting or something, I’m not quite sure.

Joe: Oh, y’know, when we were kids, I remember that there were art programs and music programs in every elementary school in the United States back then. But now it seems to only be the schools that are, well, I was going to say the schools that are more affluent, but it’s probably more that schools that aren’t affluent, like schools that are lower income, they’re the ones who probably have these programs defunded. Because I keep hearing about art programs and music programs being defunded from schools. But, I mean fortunately, y’know, Anna and Sophia still have it in their school, but I think in a lot of schools, they are being cut. Because I think their school is, y’know, upper middle class.

Kristin: Yeah, that’s unfortunate. And it’s not just elementary schools. Like we had art classes and music, I think music, in middle school.

Joe: Yeah, we did, too.

Kristin: I don’t remember middle school as much, but definitely high school, I remember there was the chorus group. There was definitely art. There was one art teacher. I took several of his art classes in high school. But I don’t even know if he’s still, well, he’s probably retired at this point actually, but I think that they may, his position may have been cut. I think my mom was telling me about that.

Joe: Well, I’m not surprised. Like I said, I keep reading articles about it and this isn’t something I’m just now reading articles about. It’s something I’ve been reading about for 10, 15 years at this point. It’s really unfortunate because, y’know, for me, some of my first exposure to playing instruments was in a music class at school. I remember I first learned to play the drums and the saxophone. I mean I didn’t…I didn’t continue more than like one semester. But, still, it gave me a chance to see if I was interested in it, y’know? And I really wish I would have stuck with it. But at least I got the exposure to it.

Kristin: Yeah, but you know, as far as playing an instrument, you could do that then in the band. Like we had a band in our middle school and a band in our high school. Music classes were more singing.

Joe: Right, but, those were more after-school programs, y’know, to be in the band, that was something you did after school. We actually had music class.

Kristin: Well, we had music class, too, but actually the…I don’t remember, I don’t know about high school, but I was in the band in middle school and we met during school. That was a period.

Joe: Hm.

Kristin: That was one of my classes was during school.

Joe: And then, y’know, also some of my first attempts at painting, y’know, which I don’t do now but, y’know, when I was a kid my first exposure to that was in school. Y’know? Or playing with clay. That was another thing.

Kristin: Yeah, I mean creativity is so important and I think it’s really…it’s really necessary to nurture that in kids and even teenagers. But it’s very telling when you see that like…like in my high school, there was one art teacher for the entire school. And I don’t think we had a music teacher, well, there was a chorus teacher, one chorus teacher for the entire school. And I think, I remember elementary school, I think it was the same…like one art teacher for all of the students. It just wasn’t very important, obviously.

Joe: Yeah, they didn’t really place a lot of importance on it and, y’know, if you really wanted to get into it deeper, like you were really interested in it, it usually meant you had to pursue it outside of school. Like fortunately, when I was growing up, my father was really into helping us do things with pottery. Now I don’t know if he was really into it beforehand, but we bought a kiln so we could fire the things that we made. And we had a wheel to spin things on. And also, sometimes we would buy things that were already made and we’d fire them in the kiln and we’d paint them or put decals on them. And, y’know, for things that were really nice, like I remember a couple of times we did this and I think there are one or two of those things that are still at my parents’ house. Because, y’know, my dad did them and they’re really nice. But, I mean, who has a kiln at their house when they’re growing up? I remember like we had to be really careful. My father wouldn’t let us get too close to it because I mean you would really severely burn yourself. And that kiln, to this day, is still working. John has it.

Kristin: Well, that’s funny you said who has a kiln at their house growing up. We didn’t have one growing up but my parents have one now and they have a pottery wheel.

Joe: Well, your dad was an art teacher.

Kristin: Yeah, but he bought the pottery wheel and the kiln for my mom. He thought she’d start throwing pots and she hasn’t. She doesn’t do it. She doesn’t use it.

Joe: Does he?

Kristin: No. No, he…well, no, when he works with…when he does sculptures, he actually just builds by scratch from hand. He doesn’t use the wheel. He’s not making pots.

Joe: Well, y’know, art has always been a major part of your father’s life, y’know, as an art teacher and as an artist. I mean, I have to imagine that, y’know, that must have been something that he wanted to share with you or teach you about, right?

Kristin: Oh, yeah, absolutely. In fact, I can remember whether I’d be sick and I’d have to miss school, I would go to school with him and then I would, while he would be teaching his art classes, I would sit there and I would…whatever they were working on, whether it was drawing or painting, I would do the same. I can remember another time going, we were living in Michigan and he was teaching art in a high school, and I can remember going there and making a Darth Vader face out of clay. And then we fired it and then, y’know, this was probably me just getting out of school earlier than him and going there and having to stay with him until he finished and we could go home then. So I would just be bored, nothing to do. So here I am in an art room and I would just start making stuff.

Joe: Well, it’s great that your dad has continued even as he’s gotten older, y’know, with his art.

Kristin: Oh, absolutely.

Joe: I mean, and it’s really unfortunate that he’s no longer teaching that class at the senior center. Y’know, I mean what a great way for him to connect with other people and share some of his expertise and also have some people really have a creative outlet that maybe they never had before.

Kristin: Yeah, I don’t know what happened with that but at least he’s getting his creative outlet by acting in plays now.