ABOVE PHOTO: Lily Schwartz’s 3D painted turtle on display in Heritage Hall.
Art education majors at University of Wisconsin-Stout and Arts Integration Menomonie partnered with 4-H Club educators in Dunn, Chippewa and Eau Claire counties to bring online art classes to their students in kindergarten through seventh grade this spring.
About 40 students were involved in Art U, taught by four preservice art teachers. Their creative works are on display through Friday, May 6, at the university’s Heritage Hall, first floor lobby. The themes of the work vary between grade levels, and mediums vary from drawing, watercolor, printmaking and beading.
The opportunity for online art teaching arose when the challenges brought on by the pandemic put many preservice teaching experiences on hold, explained art education Program Director Ann Oberding. A grant from AIM allowed for reduced programming cost.
“Being able to bring art into people’s homes is important, especially during times of crisis,” she said. “Like many other teacher preparation programs, we struggled to find ways to continue to support our students’ growth as educators. It took an amazing amount of hours, people and preparation for this series of classes to take place.”
Oberding met with Assistant Professor Tami Weiss, AIM executive director, and Dunn County 4-H Program Educator Luisa Gerasimo in fall 2021 to discuss how to support 4-H students with art, as well as help build the competence and confidence of art education preservice teachers. This is the second time UW-Stout and AIM have partnered with the Dunn County 4-H.
