Wrenshall News: After-school art is popular

The Wrenshall elementary art club is open to students in grades 3-6 and meets once a month for 90 minutes after school in Molly Kidd's art room. She says students ask about the next month's offering as each monthly meeting ends.

"They are so engaged during art club, it's really fun to see," Kidd said. "I really see a difference in the students' demeanor while they are making art. It is a special time that they can just let go and focus on creating."

I talked to Kidd after learning about the project in January. She had members of the community join her for an evening of sewing with students in preparation for a quilt featuring Wrenshall T-shirts.

"It was a fun evening and a lot of the students don't have sewing machine experience at home," she said. "We didn't get as much done as I had envisioned, but the students got to play with fabric and try something they might not have had the opportunity to do before."

Being flexible is certainly something you learn through making art, and Kidd plans to return to the quilt project.

"It is such a tradition," she said. "I'm a quilter and I learned from my mom who learned from her mom. I love picking out fabric and colors. I think it's something that is worth sharing."

Kidd has been teaching art at Wrenshall for more than 10 years. She teaches elementary art as well as higher-grade electives including drawing, painting, ceramics and sculpture. In addition to the elementary art club, she offers a high school art club after school on Tuesdays. She said the students especially love clay projects and are constantly asking if they can work with ceramics. Next month's elementary project will probably center on tie-dye, a great way to bring color to the dreary days of February. If you would like to volunteer to help with art club or want to donate materials, email Molly Kidd at [email protected].

For those adults in the community wishing they had the opportunity for an after-work art club, Wrenshall Community Ed is offering a class with artist Charlie Lundberg 6 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 28. Sign up at http://www.isd100.org/community-ed/

If you have a Wrenshall-related story, let me know at 218-310-4703 or [email protected].