Art Classes Prove Essential in the Current and Post-Pandemic Classroom
Painting Pandas is passionate about art. It’s why we were created. Art is important and art matters. In society. In homes. In business. And in schools. In fact, research shows that art classes are not only beneficial but should be considered fundamental programs in schools and places of learning. Perhaps no time has shown this to be the fact as today’s topsy-turvy world.
After nearly two years of lockdowns and remote learning, many schools are opening up to in-person classes, which for many is good news. The somewhat bad news is that many students are grappling with social and emotional effects of being isolated for so long and are struggling with coping with being around others again. Schools are doing everything they can to address this and there’s one place that’s proving highly beneficial in perhaps a most unlikely place: the art room.
Studies have found that art classes can be an oasis of not only creating, but learning. Some of that learning is academic, such as hand-eye coordination, problem solving, and spatial skills; while some, especially in today’s class settings, are proving to reverse issues the pandemic and at-home learning may have caused. As one principal told npr.org, coming back together and resocialization for students is requiring more support and schools need to be ready and able to supply it.
Indeed, most students are eager to be together again but may be wrestling with some pandemic- induced emotions such as anxiety and social unease. Making art can help reduce back-to-school worries by allowing students to express themselves in a safe place while stepping out of their comfort zones.
Painting Pandas is proud that our virtual classes enable students ages 5-12 in grades K-5 th to do all of the above and our latest and future classes promise more of the same, including through our winter session themes “Art & Literacy,” “Art Around the World,” and “Everyday Objects” as well as our spring session of “Terrific Transportation,” “Exploring Emotions,” and “Surrealism.” And in a slight twist of a pandemic silver lining, our virtual classes also allow students to interact with their fellow virtual classmates unmasked. Being able to actually see each other’s faces and facial expressions is critical to socialization and hearing others compliment your work increases self-esteem and confidence.
Painting Panda classes also introduce many historic artists and world leaders that our students may otherwise never learn about as well as art history that centers on Black, Hispanic, and female artists.
Art teachers have a unique opportunity to take what is messy or chaotic and make it pretty and orderly. They also possess the ability to channel and guide their students’ emotions and feelings while encouraging them to put it all on paper, in paint, or even in sculpture in a most nonjudgmental way.
“We are very much needed,” James Haywood Rolling, Jr., former art teacher and president of the National Art Education Association, told npr.org. “Art, drama, and music classes allow kids to tap into their creative superpowers. Art class is often a school’s oasis.”
Painting Pandas’ former Art Educator Ms. Foster could not agree more. An impassioned lover of both art and teaching, Foster’s lesson plans include drawing, painting, molding, and a host of other art techniques, but she also includes art history and an educational component in each lesson plan. If the kids are drawing polar bears, they’ll also learn all about the big white animals. If they’re learning about bees, they might read a book about them. Thinking and learning beyond the crayons and swizzle sticks provided in Painting Pandas art kits is what it’s all about.
“Art is not only a tool for creativity but is fuel for exploration into what is achievable,” says Foster. “Painting Pandas was created to give students the encouragement to believe that anything is possible.”
In our “Art & Literacy” session, students create artwork based on a children’s book. In the “Art Around the World” class, kids travel across six continents to compare, contrast, and create artwork inspired by artists around the globe. Our oldest students in the “Everyday Objects” class draw inspiration from objects that surround us every day and are challenged to create both realistic and experimental still life artworks while exploring still life in art history.
On top of everything else, art is fun! It’s a break from the rigors of academics and life and helps kids learn and develop many important characteristics that will benefit them for years to come, which often spill into academic achievement. Younger art class students can learn vital fine motor skills while holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon and as an older student, if you are successful at creating a 3D or mobile creation in art class, you may be more liable to sign up for a science fair or science classes.
Art can be challenging, but so is life. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and us that visual information to make good decisions and choices using critical thinking skills developed by simply choosing a certain color, texture, or format. Not everyone is artistic, but a good art class will stir up patience, perseverance, the value of hard work, and not giving up. Focus also comes into play, which is a vital study and learning skill in all other educational areas.
“Art is indeed fun, but it also opens minds to what is possible,” says Foster. “Painting Pandas is here to give art tools and art making to those who may not have access and we believe art education is for everyone. In today’s somewhat stressed classroom, it is also a way to destress and unwind. In the end, it makes my students happy and that makes me happy.”
