Middle school students at Olmsted Academy North made cardboard self-portrait sculptures based on the art of Constructivist artist Naum Gabo! We sketched and constructed all week, emphasizing design, precision in technique, and feeling out the cardboard in this
@fundforthearts TAG program.
CFAC
Price 5x5 Mural
At Price Elementary, we talked about our vision for our Fund for the Arts 5x5 mural. The student artists decided on a seasonal theme that followed “Price Pride”:
P - positive attitude
R - respect
I - integrity
D - do the right thing
E - excellence in learning
Students drew various elements; instructor Annette put them together on the computer and added a grid pattern to the sketch. We made a large 12”x12” grid on the wall, transferred our drawing to the wall, and began painting...
Varying Lines
This is our last CFAC project of the semester at North Oldham Middle School. The student artists were given black paper and pastels, and tasked with creating a piece made of lines of varying thickness and type - broken, curved, diagonal, horizontal, vertical, thick, thin, etc. They could use any colors they wanted in any combination. Lines must leave the page on all four sides. The results so far are amazing!
Expressive Lines
CFAC middle school student artists at North Oldham Middle School focused on expressive lines. Students were given black paper, chalk pastels, white charcoal and black charcoal and instructed to fill the page with expressive lines, curves, diagonals, etc. and use color to enhance and highlight them. The color on black paper really pops!
Last Day of Class
CFAC middle school artists enjoyed doing any style they wanted on their last day of class at the Clifton Center with instructor Liesl:
Lighting Superstars
CFAC instructor Angela shared this photo and just wrote, "Lighting Superstars"!
Mixed Media in New Albany
CFAC 4th & 5th graders (scroll for more photos) at Grant Line Elementary in New Albany, IN, worked on a mixed media piece: paper, pencil, embroidery, sequins... and who knows what else will be added! They loved sewing!
Youthful Inspiration Courtesy of Faith Ringgold
Kindergarteners and first-graders made story quilt blocks inspired by Faith Ringgold at Byck Elementary. They started with painting their own papers for their colorful quilt borders. It was very messy and very fun!
CFAC Geometrics a la Miro
Our CFAC 4th & 5th graders at Hite Elementary made illustrative geometric compositions in the manner of Miro with instructor Ann!
Adventures in Water Festival 2017
Making Water Tower trading cards at the Adventures in Water Festival 2017, held by the Louisville Water Company.
The beginning of a complex Corinthian Column - trading card point value - 1.
It couldn’t have been a better day for drawing beside the river.
The teachers went home with Water Tower Trading Card instructions for two different games and our project will continue to grow at school.
CFAC Spacescapes
Our CFAC 4th & 5th graders at Hite Elementary made spacescapes with instructor Ann!
Animals From Different Angles
Scenes from Saturday morning CFAC with Miss Annette at Douglass Community Center:
We started our day with drawing experiments, such as contour drawing and turning our pictures upside down to draw, utilizing observation skills. The students then continued with their upside-down drawings and finished them off with pastels and gorgeous color!
Screen Print Magic
CFAC instructor Angela shared this photo and said, "Working on some screen print magic in @LouVisualArt @ShawneeAcademy CFAC class this afternoon!"
Photo Critique
CFAC instructor Angela shared this photo. She added, "Photo critique was awesome this evening."
Artist Support, Community, CFAC
Louisville Visual Art helps community and budding artists
William Porter, photographed by Richard Grubola in 2008.
Written by Lindy Casebier, Guest Contributor to the Louisville Courier-Journal
Another new school year has begun, and since 1925, that has also meant another beginning for Children’s Fine Art Classes offered through Louisville Visual Art. Our name has changed over the past 92 years, but our programming and its outcomes have remained constant: teaching creativity and fostering the next generation of doers and problem-solvers in our community.
In the early years of CFAC, Mary Spencer Nay was inspired to pursue a distinguished career that would lead to the Marcia C. Hite professorship of painting at the University of Louisville. Her work is now held in the permanent collections of the Evansville Museum of Arts and Science and the Speed Museum.
Innovation and design were implanted in the mind of a young William Porter, who went on to serve as Studio Chief Designer at General Motors for three decades. He made his mark with the 1968 Pontiac GTO and the 1970-73 Firebird 400 and was a valued player in the world of automobile design. One of his teachers back when LVA was known as the Art Center Association School had been Mary Spencer Nay, proving directly how one child’s education can spread to help others.
Sculptor Ed Hamilton, another CFAC alum, attests that while other doors were closed to him, he found opportunity through the Children’s Free Art Classes program. Countless lives have been touched through his artistic interpretation of a young Abraham Lincoln and the unloading of slave boats at the edge of the Ohio River, as well as his impressive overall body of work that now graces landscapes across our country.
Gordon Brown, a former president and CEO of Home of the Innocents, led that organization through a period of unprecedented growth. He is a proud alum of CFAC and Shawnee High School who has never forgotten his roots and remains active today in the Portland neighborhood. Throughout his distinguished career, he has been a staunch advocate for the transformational and healing power of art.
Artist, educator and musician Carrie Neumayer has been a frequent art contributor to Louisville Magazine and an LVA instructor. She was a co-founder of the Louisville Outskirts Festival, which led to Girls Rock Louisville, a program aiming to empower female musicians in a supportive, inclusive environment. She was recently able to travel to Kazakhstan through a grant from the State Department to help work with youth interested in learning about creating art.
These are examples of the immense importance of art education in the lives of a few Louisvillians who, in their distinct ways, have all made a significant impact in education, commerce, healthcare, social services and, of course, the arts. Their contributions underscore the need for art education for all children. Art enhances our lives and our communities. Art causes us to question and to think. Art soothes and calms our collective souls. Through the years, art has been used to tell the story of those who came before. Exposure to and education in the arts does have a place in a civilized society.
As a creative hub now established in the Portland neighborhood, Louisville Visual Art is committed to removing barriers and building bridges throughout our community. With classes offered at more than 30 sites throughout Louisville Metro, Southern Indiana and surrounding counties, providing quality instruction to over 5,500 students annually, LVA is shaping the next generation of creative leaders, and is dedicated to enhancing our community through visual art education, community outreach and artist support. Check us out on social media and at louisvillevisualart.org
Lindy Casebier is the executive director of the Louisville Visual Art.
Photography Love
CFAC instructor Angela took this photo and shared, "Love being able to share my love of photography with the next generation.
Stellar Start
From CFAC instructor Angela: "Stellar Start to Shawnee's @LouVisualArt CFAC class. Middle & high school eagles unite! #EagleMode #EveryEagleEveryDay
News about our NEA Grant
Louisville's NPR affiliate, WFPL 89.3 FM, interviewed LVA Executive Director Lindy Casebier about LVA's new NEA Grant, and how it helps us provide art to students from all backgrounds.
Read it here.
Exhibition: CFAC elementary school students
Our CFAC elementary school students' exhibition was the place to be on June 4 at Revelry Boutique Gallery!
The Academy of LVA 2016 Exhibition
Congratulations to Emily Yellina! Her drawing from her Studio Art class at IUS is the People's Choice winner for The Academy exhibition this year! We'll have a second winner selected through Instagram, so be sure to cast a vote by posting a photo of your favorite piece and #childrensfineartclasses#theacademyoflva until the show comes down!
Congratulations to Zehui Ni for receiving the LVA Vision Award, Michael Morarity for receiving the Artist and Craftsman Community Award, Kylie Milliken for receiving the Blick Community Award, and Amber Eger for receiving the Preston Arts Center Community Award! These seniors have shown active and passionate involvement in CFAC and The Academy, exhibit great determination and drive, and their creative ability is continually improving. We are so proud of each of you!