The first weekend in September, I participated as a Make and Take Artist at the 2018 African American Cultural Festival in downtown Raleigh, NC. It was my first appearance as a provider, having only attended in years past as an observer of the incredible array of art and activities that the festival offers.

It was a unique experience. My favorite part was that I spent the weekend working with the younger set. I was visited by some amazing little people, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing their take on the project that I offered. In keeping with the spirit of the event, I attempted to provide historical and cultural information to support the activity of making colorful, embellished collars like those created and worn by the Massai Tribe of central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. I did not manage to get photos of all of my visitors, but am so pleased to have at least a portion of the happy faces recorded for posterity. There is something about time spent with children that recharges your creativity in a whole new way.

Until next time,
- PLA

I've wanted to be a teacher since elementary school; I loved the idea of standing in front of a classroom and writing on the blackboard (yes, they were all black back in the day), the smell of newly sharpened pencils, crisp new notebooks, and one of my favorite classes every year was art (of course). And although I did not choose to become a traditional classroom teacher, I now teach art to children and to people with disabilities.

My students have ranged in age from 18-months to 102 years old, and I enjoy the challenge of presenting projects which are fun, colorful, and appropriate for each audience. I have learned as much if not more than what I've taught, and my students are a constant source of amazement. And yes, I do believe teaching is a superpower: from the 3-year old who went from saying "I can't!" to "I did it!", to the 10-year old who figured out how to take "junk" to make something "cool", to the 40-something woman who began by declaring "I'm not artistic" to exclaiming "Wow, I didn't know I could do that!", to the non verbal man with autism who won an art contest with a project we created, to the 100-year old who said she remembered how much she loved coloring when she was a child as she proudly showed off her painted paper seascape, teaching is indeed a joy for me.
I'm looking forward to more joy and more amazement when teaching my "Mindful Mandalas" printing technique during our upcoming Pop-Up Art Event on April 7th, and to having a full day to teach multiple mixed media techniques during my retreat Studio Session at Haw River State Park in October. There'll be more Studio Session details coming soon, so stay tuned!

Wishing you joy and amazement in your life,

~MDP