As I entered the room of art teacher Jennifer Moore, I was overtaken by the warmth and engagement of her fifth-grade students. I surveyed the room and noticed students creating brightly colored abstract canvases. Cooper Cates explained to me that they were making their own version of the famous, German-born American artist Peter Max’s Liberty Head.
I had never seen this piece of art before. As Cooper and I were talking about the artist, I vaguely remembered a conversation that I had had with my 16-year-old son about Peter Max. This conversation took place years ago while my family vacationed in Las Vegas. We passed an art gallery and my son proceeded to teach me about Peter Max, whose work was on display. At that time, my son was a student of Jennifer Moore. Cooper explained that Max used bold colors and patriotic subjects in his work. This longtime pop artist has even painted President Barak Obama 44 times in honor of the 44th president!
As Cooper was sharing his knowledge, he was sketching the Statue of Liberty’s face on his vividly painted canvas. With music playing softly in the background and Mrs. Moore walking around the room, supporting each artist, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had had a teacher like her in my elementary days, maybe I would consider myself an artist, too.
I turned around to see Lawson Brown’s work when I asked him what Mrs. Moore suggests when students confide in her that they cannot draw. He explained, “That never happens because everyone in this class thinks he is an artist.” How about that? His comment simply restates a hand-painted sign adorning the art room wall, which reads, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” It looks like Mrs. Moore has mastered the art of teaching children to appreciate art and to develop creativity and thinking skills, while always believing in their artistic abilities.
