A Reflection On The Prayer Room

As a young child, I often transformed my grandma's dwelling into my own personal canvas. Fueled by morning cartoons, I would concoct detailed illustrations of the oddities in my imagination and intricate pictures of my family and surrounding. It was evident I had been blessed. I was never discouraged from my routine doodling either, just encouraged to channel that creativity on to anything but our walls. When I started public schooling some years later I was introduced to the scope of what art really was. Painting, drawing, photography-It was a world unknown to me then. The way we experimented with every medium early on was perfect for my inquisitive nature. For years I invested in what I now consider to be my craft, with the guidance of numerous

The article “Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Art in Schools” by Robin Pogrebin explains the influence of art and the conclusion of two researchers, Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland. “Students who study the arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgements and justify such judgements,” conclude both researchers.

Throughout my early teen years, I was exposed to different mediums of art and discovered that I could express myself through more channels than just paper. Although Barry found comfort in her 11 x 17 newsprint and some paint, I was able to focus my energy on making music and taking photographs. Without my art teachers, I wouldn’t have the expressive outlet I do today. My childhood was not filled with unhappiness as Lynda Barry’s was, but from both backgrounds, we found a warmth from the exposure of art that the educational system gave to us.

As the only child, of my mother, I often faced the problem of not having someone to play with forcing more creativity. I often did various arts and crafts projects, but I found that I enjoyed drawing the most. With each drawing I become completely engrossed partially because it is a self-taught skill that requires focus, but also because I must be patient with myself as I work towards what I envision and learn new techniques. The Art of Drawing is a skill that I can continuously develop and perfect. The patience that my artwork teaches goes beyond the work itself. It demonstrates the importance of accepting my weaknesses and working towards bettering them. I am able to properly release the struggles I encounter and not be consumed because of my artwork. Creating my drawings is more than expression, but also self-discovery because I can be more honest with myself, embracing who I am and what I feel. However, from time to time I do encounter “artist block” and the exhibitions held at the museum of fine arts at Florida State University could provide inspiration much like my environment here at Spelman

It was my freshman year of high school when I took Drawing A; I quickly learned that I had a skill that I had previously ignored and began embracing it. Sophomore year, though, was when I truly started using my art. It was during this year that I received a 4 on my AP-Studio Art portfolio, and won four awards at Scholastic Art and Writing in photography. Art gave me a feeling of accomplishment that I didn’t usually get in the rest of my academics, so I always tried my

The pencil liberates my stresses and sorrows. Bare and unimpeded, my mind is able to isolate itself from anything that was happening in my life. At my art table, which is merely an escape from reality, my curiosity is able to wander. Within this room, five blank canvas's look in on me as I become a mold of my imagination. A step inside my world develops into a sea of color and exploration. The vibrancy of the walls resonates throughout. Over the years, my room has served as my oasis. It’s my escape from monotonous and mundane routines. It’s my exploration of another side of me. I observe such works of art almost as much as I create. Taking notice of my classmates’ innovations and inspired by their creativity, my paintbrush begins to alleviate stress. I strive to produce pieces others will appreciate, but often find myself to be the true admirer. My pride, in this world, is driven simply by my own curiosity to express myself. I credit this side of me as the “passion” that supplements my insane drive for success. This passion has sparked critical thinking in me as well as how I see failure. Life is a blank canvas and you can truly draw whatever you want, and if you fail, you start over and don’t make that same mistake again! Hard work takes ideas quite far, but true success is derived from ingenuity and the generation of

I’m sitting at my computer, ignoring pages of economics homework and mugs of cold tea now strewn about my desk, as I search for a direction to go with my life. Such was was my predicament several months ago. It’s undeniable that I’m an artist, hard and true, for a pencil found its way into my hand as a child, and no desire of mine nor of the universe ever tempted it to pry away. Throughout my earliest years and memories, I maneuvered with graphite, paint, and crayon every adventure that I ever dreamt of pursuing. Oh, I was a resilient child, as well, who refused to take part in any art class at school or as an extracurricular for an abundance of years, as I was invariably convinced that I could learn all I wished on my own accord! Consequently,

During my time as volunteer at Somerset Dade Academy, I was able to work closely with the elementary and middle school teacher. During each visit, I was able to follow Ms. Lee’s daily routine. In the morning, we had 30 minutes to plan and get her cart ready with supplies she needed for the day. Also, we would both create various model artworks to inspire her students to create something more original and imaginative. She wheeled her cart through certain elementary classes depending on her schedule. Depending on the grade level she was assign to that day, we were able to teach her students the fundamental concepts of arts and major art movements, all in 30 minutes. Every three weeks, she would focus on a concept, artist, or art movement. Additionally, she would assign vocabulary words, which her students would copy and also had access to them online on Quizlet. At the end, she would administer a summative test on everything they learned for the past three weeks. On the other hand, Ms. Lee’s middle school classes were different, more one-on-one, and it was a one-hour period. Her students were able to recreate impressionist and expressionist artworks, such as Monet’s Water Lilies, Van Gogh Starry Night and The Bedroom on wall-sized canvases.

Since I was a little girl art has been a part of my life, whether it has been painting my favorite celebrity, knitting a blanket, or drawing Time Square. I’ve always found joy when creating something others will admire. With my love of art came a decision every teenager has to make,“ what will you do for the rest of your life”. With lots of questioning and deliberation, I made the conclusion to further my passion into a career by going to art school in Chicago.

On my twenty-forth birthday, the seventh of May, my mother, the eminent, Whitney West Scooter, almost had a major myocardial infarction. After, I told her that her aspiring Michelangelo had withdrawn, that very day, from her alma mater the illustrious J. C. West Academy of Fine Arts. The only reason I attend the Academy, in the first place was to appease my mother, who believed every artist should hold an art degree. I spend the entire day with my mother and throughout breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I tried to penetrate her armor of resistance so she might understand my reason for leaving the Academy at the conclusion of my junior year. As I spoke, her facial expression took on the characteristics of a rabid dog about to pounce. And I swear

My parents were never the ones to send their children to classes. While other kids were busy being tutored, swimming at the community center, or sent to a studio for art: I was the one at home staring at the television or playing with my cars as my only source of entertainment. Eventually, I grew tired and would do whatever was available to me, I would pick up pen and paper and I'd draw: and before I knew it, I became obsessed. Every flat surface became a victim of my addiction. Even my bedroom ceiling had drawings taped to it. Gradually, a minuscule spark of passion for art was lit inside of me.

I was just sitting there, in a dark room, not knowing what to do. Consequently, I frequently felt like a failure. Made me petrified, frightened, terrified that I was not approaching to be able to escape, and that I’d just be a homeless man. Because I believed that I could never find happiness, nor ever have found passion in anything. This consequently made me begin to envision that I was going to become a failure. I have always had the belief that art and graphic design were the attributes that I was passionate about, only to turn out that it was not as effortless as I once thought. Me being an ignorant person, I did not take into consideration that it is an extremely competitive field to be in. I just didn’t have the knowledge about what to do at this point. However, little did I realize, the fad that I had the utmost passion for were right in my ears: music.

Every day, children are greeted at my door with a joyful, “Hello my most amazing artists!” However, after opening a new school, I noticed these students did not see themselves as artists!

entering the general area of the synagogue, it looked like a school or a daycare, and then entering they had a simple directory for the main office for the school they held. When entering the building they had three areas where service could be held. When asked we were led, to what appeared to be, the smallest of the service rooms. Before entering the service they had a mini gallery of art pieces, such as sculptures, paintings, and specially designed emblems that they used for worship.

With the utilization of visual and performing arts, students can begin to enhance their personal growth. By producing original works, enjoying the time spent on the piece of art, and having a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments, an art student will experience an increase in self-esteem and confidence (Importance). A child who receives praise for their art work from parents and teachers will most likely be more positive in their artistic abilities. For example, when a child brings a painting home to his parents and his parents react with smiles, cheers and display the picture on the refrigerator, the student will in turn feel very proud of his accomplishments. This newly found self-esteem and confidence often expands into other subjects at school to the overall benefit of the individual. Participating in art is also a way for students to