Elizabethton High School Art Teacher Lisa Malone is advancing the art opportunities for her ninth through twelfth graders by sponsoring a new art club and acquiring a $2,000 grant.
EHS funded her attendance at an Arts and Education Conference organized by the Johnson City Arts Council, at which she learned about an opportunity to apply for the Student Ticket Subsidy Grant.
The Tennessee Arts Commission funds the grant, and artist Bailey Earith guided her through the application process.
Malone applied for the grant to have Earith teach Introduction to Book Arts to her 120 students in two days.
“It will be an entirely new art process to experiment with,” said Malone. “I think most students haven’t had the opportunity to make their own books.”
The accordion-style books will be made out of manilla folders. Malone always tries to use practical materials that her students could use on their own because art supplies can be so expensive.
This will be the first time she has a hands-on instructor in her classes.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.
Her enthusiasm about creating art is contageous. Last fall, a senior art student approached her about forming an art club, and last week, the club met for the first time.
The first project for the 20-member club is to have a pumpkin painting competition in collaboration with the Future Business Leaders of America. FBLA members, under the guidance of sponsor Robin McKamey, will organize the contest and designate judges while the art club members will design the pumpkins, to be on display Oct. 29 and 30 when Earith is teaching.
As a model for the project, she has painted Olaf, a character from Disney’s Frozen, as well as a miniature version that will be donated to East Side Elementary’s Early Learning Center.
If money is leftover from the grant, she would like to purchase pulp masks, which are a student favorite, and watercolors.