NANCY JO BROWN/106FOTO
The school’s entrance is highlighted by a colorful mosaic. The campus underwent a $220,000 renovation that was completed in 2010.
three core components: Educational Curriculum, Galleries and Lecture Series, and Outreach Programs. More than 100 classes and workshops are held during five eight-week sessions for adults and five six-week sessions for children. There are also more than two dozen weekend workshops encompassing every medium imaginable. Faculty members include many of the region’s bestknown artists as well as visiting artists, who teach in conjunction with exhibitions of their work. Linda Saracino, a freelance editor from the Wekiva area whose work as an artist is currently focused on mixed-media collage, says her classes have taught her much more than simply technique: “It wasn’t just how to mix paint, how to put the paint onto whatever, or how to use charcoal. All of that, absolutely. But it was [mainly] how to see — and make that happen on the paper or the canvas.” nnn People come to Crealdé for many different reasons, some more surprising than others. Orit
Reuben, an Orlando pastel artist and interior designer, found her way to the school six years ago thanks to a speeding ticket. “I went to the court and asked if I could do community service instead of paying the $300 ticket,” Reuben recalls. “They said sure.” So she volunteered at Crealdé, answering phones. That led to her taking classes and connecting with other artists. “I’m part of an art community [at Crealdé] that’s very supportive,” she says. “We paint together. We critique each other. They’re not just a school. They’re not just a gallery.” Crealdé’s classes are undeniably inspiring. You can see it in the faces of the students in Michael van Gelder’s digital photography class, held the same night as the life-drawing session. “You’re painting with light,” van Gelder tells them, as their eyes, appropriately enough, light up. His words bring to mind the Night of Fire demonstration. The following afternoon, a group of nine stu-
dents, ages 10 to 13, are seated on stools, with towels on their laps, learning to make plates on pottery wheels. “Remember: Press down with the side of your right hand,” Belinda Glennon, the teacher, instructs her young charges. “You can only move the clay as fast as the wheel’s going.” What do these children — artists of the future, perhaps — get out of making those plates, anyway? “I like the feel of the clay when it’s wet,” says one kid. “You can customize it and make it your own,” announces another. “It’s something that I’ve made and that my brother doesn’t know how to make,” adds a girl, eliciting nods and conspiratorial smiles from other students. One boy looks up from his work and succinctly encapsulates the Creadlé experience: “To have fun and to make new friends and to make beautiful things.” S PRING 2 0 1 5 | W INT ER PARK MAGAZ IN E
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