ART AT OLP Inspired

Heather is a professional artist and educator who began her journey with OLP in the Spring of 2022

For a student to engage in art making gives them the potential to gain new skills as it nourishes their mind and feeds their soul. This leads to development in a wondrously complex myriad of extraordinary ways. The technicality of creating art requires a unique blend of awareness, perseverance, determination, innovation, and patience. To have students then pair this with the putting forth of their personal vision ignites a daring rambunctiousness tempered by a centered sense of knowing calm. These are the tenents of the conscious curriculum of the art program at OLP, our extraordinarily unique educational institution where we foster and greatly value our bold women of heart. Here, students first engage in art class through the Art I and II course, which serves as an introduction to the technical fundamentals of artmaking, as well as an intensive study of the practical aspects of these fundamentals in the contemporary contexts of illustration, design, digital design, curation, and understanding visual culture (addressing the importance and power of visual art in our social media age). From here the course options branch out to a Handbuilding Ceramics and 3-D Design course, where students have the opportunity to get their hands covered in clay mud as they gain a nuanced understanding of the quirky requirements of construction with this ancient and sophisticated art medium. In this class, ultimately the clay becomes their teacher, requiring mindful serenity as creation occurs. The other courses include “Painting”, another timeless tradition whose mastery refines minds, and an advanced AP Studio Art Course, where students have an incredible amount of independence to advance in their own chosen path of visual study, while being graciously guided through relative technical advancements, time management, and material use as they adhere to schedules of expectation akin to the responsibilities of professional artists working in the field.

As we go through these various classes, we engage in art as a thing to be practiced and skill development as playful exercises. The goal of this outlook being to allow artworks their necessary natural evolution. Final art piece assignments are designed throughout the year to be cumulative representations of their knowledge gain.

While productive feedback is encouraged at every turn through individual dialogues and class discussions, harmful negative self criticism is not allowed. Instead, we emphasize how we have a choice in how to view any moment of the creative process, recognizing that a lot of what comes out is exploration. Critique is given only in the spirit of challenging the student to be aware of the difference between being uncomfortable because addressing an aspect of their work in progress is a challenge that will help them grow or if it is a creative decision they would rather keep. In that way, students tease out and strengthen their understanding of their literal and visual voices. This method of productive feedback does not allow for them to simply say “I like, I love, I hate”, but has them explain their successes or shortcomings in terms of the fundamental art theories as we discover them, as well as develop their objective observations and further conceptual connections.

It is my greatest hope that, in this consciously designed curriculum, students find and refine their voice, skills, patience, and knowing of their heart as they experience a deepening connection to the Holy Spirit, learning to live and actively experience the idea that to be inspired literally means to be “In Spirit.”