arts & culture
Artwork Empowers Girl to Express Herself “I guess you could say that art has just been a part of my everyday life,” said Kayla Cardinal, 19. The Carol Stream, IL, resident grew up in a house where art materials were used on a daily basis, and every Wednesday evening the family would make a trip to her grandmother’s house for a craft night. “My parents encouraged a variety of art projects, such as sewing, painting, drawing, wood working and scrapbooking,” Kayla said. During her 10 years in Girl Scouting, Kayla was also able to explore different forms of art with her troop or fellow Girl Scouts. The first time she painted pottery, she said, was with her Girl Scout Daisy troop. On another occasion, she and other members of her troop presented their artwork to girls and parents during a troop meeting. Kayla eventually became an individual member of Girl Scouts, also called a Juliette, at which point she and a friend studied Japanese culture. They decorated for and hosted a Japanese tea party for friends and family, teaching them about the Japanese culture.
“These experiences and more have expanded my love for and knowledge of the arts.” – Kayla Cardinal
gs
She said that using art as a form of self-expression has only strengthened her passion on the subject. When she received her first drawing book at the age of six, Kayla filled it with sketches, stickers, paintings and stick-figure people and animals. “When I look back on all the drawing I’ve done as a young teen, I realized that I enjoyed creating art work because it was a way to express how I felt about a certain situation,” Kayla said. “It is so important for a growing girl to be able to have that opportunity to express how she feels in a positive way.”
Page 17