Editorial
Front Page - Friday, September 11, 2009
KidzArt teaches children life lessons through creativity
Samara Litvack
After 20 years as a teacher in traditional classrooms, Lynda Pritchett had grown quite fond of the impact she could make on the lives of her students. She strongly believed that children, when exposed to specific methods of teaching, could develop strong senses of confidence and self esteem, and was determined to instill those qualities in her students.
She was skeptical when various trendy programs came through her classroom, but when she heard about KidzArt, a drawing-based visual arts program based out of Austin, Texas, her curiosity was piqued.
“I actually went to Texas and saw it in action,” she says. “Then I went back and got trained and it was just awesome. I knew it would be something great for kids in this area.”
After training, Pritchett bought a KidzArt franchise and started her business in September 2007. Now, through schools, community centers, churches and anywhere with a large enough interest, she brings her curriculum to different groups of children and teaches them the basics of drawing.
“We also teach them how to use all the basics that are nontoxic,” she says. “We don’t use Crayola or crayons, things that they normally use in schools.”
Instead, children are taught to use charcoal, watercolor, pastels, oils and clay through six-, eight- and 12-week courses. Classes are held once a week for the duration, and children who attend are taught to unlock their inner creativity. Pritchett says even children whose parents say they “can’t even draw a stick figure” do very well in the course, thanks to its unique approach.
“We teach them different techniques they can use on their own,” says Pritchett. “But we’re also teaching them problem solving, how to be creative. Some kids naturally just do not know how to create something, so we give them a start at that.”
That’s what makes KidzArt unique, she adds. The program teaches children to take risks, and that it’s OK to make mistakes. One way KidzArt reinforces this lesson is by having children draw with Sharpie markers instead of pencils. This way, stray lines cannot be erased. Rather, children must figure out ways to turn their mistakes into grand works of art.
By problem solving as simple as this, children gain confidence. By making strings of decisions, taking risks and solving problems, children leave KidzArt courses with strong self-esteems and confidence in themselves.
KidzArt also exposes children to forms of art they may otherwise have never known. Considering this, Pritchett and her crew put stickers on the backs of all their students’ creations that include any terms they have learned in their lessons.
“It kind of gives them an idea of what they’ve learned,” says Pritchett. That way, when they bring their artwork home, their parents will know what techniques they used and the children won’t soon forget.
“They are usually so proud of what they did.”
Since bringing KidzArt to Chattanooga, Pritchett says her business has grown increasingly. She started out early on with demonstration lessons in various places around town and has continued working to infiltrate the community.
“We’re doing an Oktoberfest at Coolidge Park in October,” she says. “That’s going to give us a little more exposure to maybe a community that doesn’t really know us yet.”
But KidzArt is already making quite a name for itself in some parts of the region. Apison Elementary brought Pritchett and her crew of five teachers in for half a year in the 2008-2009 school year as the school’s only art program. Two days a week, rotating every other week, each student at the school received KidzArt lessons, and the school year ended with an art show that was a huge success.
“We do art shows for schools as fundraisers where we actually go in and do an art lesson at the host school,” she says. “Then we have an art showcase night, where parents can come back and if the school chooses, they can actually sell the art pieces and use it as a fundraiser for their school.”
Pritchett says the art shows are a neat opportunity for the children involved, as well as their families. The artwork actually gets framed and put on display in the schools, and everyone gets a free art lesson in the process. KidzArt has held shows at schools in Hamilton County and North Georgia, and she is already getting more inquiries for the 2009-2010 school year.
Signal Mountain Christian School, for example, has contacted her about core art activities and is in talks with its board of directors to get the curriculum approved. Pritchett also has classes going at Alicia’s School of Dance in Hixson, as well as Gymnastics Center of Chattanooga in Ooltewah.
“I had done some summer work there with some summer campers and they were just thrilled,” Pritchett says of the Gymnastics Center. “The teachers said, ‘You know, this is the first time they’ve actually been proud of their work. It’s not left on the floor.’
“Their parents say, ‘Wow, did you do that?’”
The key to that “wow” factor, she says, is breaking each art lesson down into steps and
leading children at a steady pace through every single step. Then, she adds, they actually learn how to do it. As a result, they do it well.
While Pritchett says one day she would like to have a small art studio where kids can come and do KidzArt, she is more than happy to bring her program wherever she can in the region. She even does birthday parties and private events.
“We come in and do an art project and each child can take something home,” she says. “We just bring the service out to them.”
For more information
on KidzArt, visit www.kidzarttn.com. Pritchett says her Web site is currently changing, but she usually has all her class information posted, and her contact information is always available.
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