The Mind to the Surface: as Art Grows

I was asked the other day if I actually had my nine year old assisting me in my art workshop classes. While that is true, it’s not an unbelievable story. Anyone can pick up on the basic concepts of art. It doesn’t take long. And one common foundation we all share is that we learn more through teaching.

My daughter was introduced to art at an early age. She loved coming to my classes and she picked up on the process very quick. Now, I actually have her assist me. She is like a teacher’s assistant, an extra hand in my classroom who can help others understand the art concepts I am teaching. That is how simple the process of learning art is. It is simple to learn and for those who want to run their own art workshop, it is simple to produce.

The art workshop is a place where students are allowed to be themselves. They don’t have to feel competitive with anyone else. They are allowed to work at their own pace and bring out the artist within themselves on their own terms.

So, I pick up on signs after an informal evaluation and I try to place students appropriately. By age level and by skill level, but it’s not a mathematical equation. It’s more of a way that I have of feeling out my students and knowing where they belong. Yet while they are in the workshop, they still are all on different levels.

That’s the beauty of art and the art workshop. There should be no pressure to excel and there is no guilt for standing still. Each student moves when they feel like moving. But, art motivates. It’s one of those things that you can’t simply watch it happen. You want to get in and do it for yourself.

Once I teach an art concept to the classroom as a whole, I begin to work with students individually. That’s when my daughter begins to help. She can find ways of relating to kids her age. They pick up on the concepts and she is so helpful with that. That’s how you know a workshop is successful. If the teacher has to do all the work, it is not successful. It is not a workshop. It’s a classroom.

But, workshops are self-help groups with a facilitator. Of course, there are concepts that the facilitator needs to teach. Those are the concepts that get the creative juices flowing. But, then the workshop starts really happening. They are full of people who are capable of helping each other. The system has a way of putting people together on the same level where they can relate to each other and reach discovery together.

Art workshops are a great opportunity for people of all walks of life. From kids struggling through school to adults bored with life, everyone is looking for something. Art workshops provide them with that something they need. But, art workshops aren’t everywhere. They are only in a few cities at this point. There’s an opportunity waiting to happen for anyone who ever wanted one.

About the Author

An internationally known artist as well as a mother of six, Rivky Shimon founded Rivkys Art Workshop in New York. Rivkys step-by-step method for teaching children how to create and enjoy art has earned high praise from students, teachers and parents alike. Through her new training series, Rivky plans to teach artists from across the country how to duplicate her success. Not only to ensure that art education remains a vital part of every child’s life, but also to enforce the reality that “The Rivky Method” tm works the same magic for adults as well.

Blowsight – The simple art *with Lyrics*

Comments are closed