Art Corps

Through the FFO, your donations fund Jerabek’s amazing Art Corps program!

ART CORPS™ is a comprehensive, developmental curriculum that teaches art fundamentals by bringing process-oriented, hands-on art experience to the classroom.

Why Art Corps?

This program allows every child to explore their artistic abilities in a positive way. We believe that everyone is an artist. Art gives our children a unique opportunity to express themselves creatively and a chance to develop individuality and self-esteem. Anyone can feel comfortable with art because there are no mistakes and no right or wrong answers!

How does Art Corps work?

In a nutshell, volunteers attend a workshop where they learn how to teach an art project to their class. They then present the project lesson to the kids, and art is made! At the end of the year, a piece from each student is displayed in the Art Show.

Volunteers

This program cannot happen without help from at least two volunteers per class. You are always welcome to join the fun as an assistant if teaching isn’t your thing. There is absolutely no experience or artistic ability required. 🙂

Volunteers can expect to dedicate about three hours each month to Art Corps – one hour to attend the training workshop and two hours to host the lesson for the class (30 minutes to prep the room, one hour to teach, and 30 minutes to clean up).
Towards the end of the school year, volunteers also attend a workshop where you will learn how to prepare and display students’ work for the Art Show.

Workshops

Volunteers attend Art Corps workshops throughout the year where they are taught how to lead the kids in fun, creative art projects. Each workshop is an hour long and hosted in the Jerabek Art Room (B-19) by a trained Art Corps representative. As a volunteer, you will be taught alongside other volunteers from your grade level in a project customized for that age. While learning tips and tricks on how to teach the class, volunteers get to complete an art piece themselves!

Lessons

Volunteers collaborate with teachers to determine the best time and day to teach their class the art lessons. Lessons can be taught in the Art Room or in teachers’ classrooms. We generally teach 5 lessons each year. Each one covers a basic art concept like line, value, color, space, or texture. We also teach the kids about famous artists and have them emulate various styles. The Art Corps team provides all needed supplies in the Art Room, including paint, pastels, chalk, markers, and paper.

Annual Art Show

The Art Corps team hosts an art show each spring where we showcase the kids’ work for the whole school community. Students love seeing their work displayed and getting to show it off to their families. Volunteer help is crucial to make the show a success. We ask that volunteers help select one art piece for each child, frame it with matting paper (all details are provided in a workshop), label it with their name, and pin it to their class wall in the auditorium for the show.