Cory Scott

Eleven-year-old Cory Scott of Arnold wants to be either a painter or a designer of homes when he grows up. Last month, he got a taste of what it takes to be an architect.

The fifth grader was among kids attending the St. Louis Art Museum's Fall Classes for Young People. On four Saturdays, kids studied elements of architecture.

Cory was in the classes for fourth, fifth and sixth graders. There were three other classes: for pre-kindergarten, for kindergarten and first grade and for second and third grade.

The final Saturday activity for Cory's class fit his interests exactly. The kids learned how to make a model of a house.

Cory said, "We also are working on buildings in my art class at school. We are drawing buildings, using the 'vanishing point' to get perspective." One of the earlier exercises at the Art Museum also involved using perspective when drawing a building.

The Museum's Saturday classes for kids usually revolve around current museum exhibits. For instance, in October, the museum opened an exhibit featuring the noted Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Ando is the designer of the new Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts building in St. Louis. That building opened in October and is the first public building by Ando in the U.S.

(For other Museum activities for kids, see sidebar below.)

Bryan Peng and Alan Voss

Not all the kids who attended the October classes expect to become artists when they grow up. But, they like art activities now.

Ten-year-old Alan Voss of Valley Park said his first artistic effort was when he was five. But, he admits it wasn't very good. "I made a mess on the kitchen floor, using spaghetti sauce and jelly," he said.

He said his more recent efforts have been better.

"My best picture was of a pot on the stove. It was so good," Alan said. He used pencil and crayon for that artwork. He also likes to make bracelets and necklaces. "I love art," he said. Voss received a special art scholarship so he could attend the museum classes.

Nine-year-old Bryan Peng of Ballwin takes part in a gifted art class one night a week at his school. He said he does a lot of drawings of cars and also makes origami designs. Origami involves making intricate designs by folding paper.

Lauren Schneider

Nine-year-old Lauren Schneider of Kirkwood also said she does artwork at home.

"I drew a picture of my younger sister with markers," the fourth grader said. "She liked it and put it up on the refrigerator," she added. "I also made a felt hat. I wear it to school sometimes," she said.

Lauren said she's got an ambitious project in art class at school. "We're making a picture of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel," she said. The original ceiling was done by the famous Italian artist Michelangelo.

Ten-year-old Luke Branin of O'Fallon, Ill., also does pictures at home.

"I did a self-portrait of me standing out in a field. I used a picture of myself to draw from," he said. He did the picture with water-color paints.

"It's framed and hanging in our living room. My mother did the framing," the fifth grader said.

Luke Branin

During the four October classes for the fourth, fifth and sixth graders, the kids took part in a range of activities. The first week, they learned ways to use perspective to draw buildings. The second week they made a water-color print of the Museum building.

In the third week, the kids worked on a model of a door, made in the form of a relief sculpture. They worked right in a museum gallery that had a display of a giant 16th century door from the Convent of St. Isabel. There also were examples of relief sculptures in marble hanging on the walls.

Of course, the kids were working with easier materials, such as paper, glue and a special modeling clay. But, their designs included doors that opened and many had elaborate decorations around the edges.

Cory Scott summed up the experience by saying, "I like art because you get to use your imagination."

 

An Architecture Free for All; More Saturdays for Kids The St. Louis Art Museum will hold a free Architecture Free for All program on Sunday, Nov. 4, from noon to 4 p.m. This program also features the exhibit for Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Admission to the Ando exhibit will be free that day. And, there's plenty more free events scheduled, including interactive activities for people of all ages. There will be demonstrations of origami architecture, haiku poetry, Japanese basket-making and a Japanese tea ceremony. Kids and others also will be able to help create a kinetic sculpture for the community art pool, an architectural sculpture for the Student Gallery and win prizes at a Japanese-style game show. The next series of Classes for Young People will be held the four Saturdays in February, 2002. These classes will be built around the work of famous artist John Singer Sargent. An exhibition of his paintings will be open at the Museum at that time. For information about these and other Museum activities, log on to the website: www.slam.org.