Starting this past December, Mrs. Marge introduced Montrose’s Art Club, which meets every Tuesday and Thursday after school and gives students at Montrose a chance to develop their artistic skills and learn new techniques. Mrs. Marge is pleased with the direction her art club has taken.
Mrs. Marge said, “I see so much budding talent in the classes I teach throughout the regular day, and I wanted to offer these students an opportunity to tap further into their artistic interests and develop their skills to a higher level. I also wanted to offer an opportunity for those students who did not enroll in art class so they can be inspired, work with other art students, and practice skills.” This club offers an opportunity for girls who were not able to fulfill their artistic desires in class. At Art Club meetings, each student is self-directed, and Mrs. Marge is available to give individual attention to each artist.
Open to all girls between grades 8 and 12, Mrs. Marge says that Art Club differs from class because the students are come with various levels of expertise, different ages, and with different personal goals. Mrs. Marge is flexible with helping girls of various ages. Students produce drawings of nature, animals, architecture and portraiture. Currently, students are developing the backdrop for the school musical, Anne of Green Gables. Although this specific project is a student-directed group project, she is available to give each girl the amount of individual attention they need at the pace that they desire.
Mrs. Marge’s goal from the beginning, besides developing artistic skills and giving students a chance to meet with her one-on-one, also includes adding to the community. Developing the setting for the musical provides a group project that benefits the school-wide community. Mrs. Marge said, “I would like to see the club develop into a group of artistically like-minded students who nurture their personal art and contribute to the school-wide community.”
Mrs. Marge added, “These students have the time to be inspired, experiment with new materials, learn new techniques, and gain confidence in their artistic abilities.”