“Sculpture has helped me become better at enjoying the experience of creating art instead of focusing on the final product. I have worked with clay in the past, but never to the extent of this class. Not only has it revealed to me a love for sculpture, but I’ve also learned to take my time and relish the process. I think when others view art, whether it’s a painting, drawing, or sculpture, they often just think about what’s in front of them, but after creating something yourself you can start to imagine what the piece looked like previously and just how much time and effort it took to create. I can also apply this to real life situations. I love hiking and I’m planning on doing a lot more this summer, but it’s so easy to get carried away just thinking about the summit and view and not enjoy the entire way up that’s just as beautiful. I’ll now be able to better appreciate the journey.”

— Faith A.

“I want to thank Ms. K for being a wonderful art teacher. She has such a calming and creative presence and I absolutely loved having her class every morning because it was such a great start to the day. She made it feel like art therapy rather than school, which I appreciate very much and the story she told about herself at the beginning of class is a huge inspiration to me. I want to spend my life doing something that I love, just like Ms. K’s doing now. I am grateful to her for challenging me creatively and for being awesome.”

— Hayley W.

“I really loved sculpture with Ms. K and will miss it so much. It was the best way to start my day. Ms. K’s classroom is so cozy!”

— Raegan C.

“Ms. K is literally the best teacher ever. She shows us how to use different techniques and, more importantly, how to apply them in our own art. And she is always so happy and kind!”

— Carter S.

“I think sculpture has shown me a different side of art that I was not used to before, because unlike painting and drawing, sculpture feels a lot more risky because you never know how it is going to turn out and many unexpected obstacles will be thrown at you. It was very interesting walking into the classroom and opening my drawer, not knowing exactly what I would find. Will my project be dry? Will it be cracked? Will I be able to continue adding onto it with clay or will I have to come up with a different solution to complete this? I really liked this aspect of sculpture because I didn't always feel like I was in complete control of the art I was making, and even though none of my projects came out exactly how I expected them to, they all came out to be beautiful in their own way. I liked coming to the realization that sometimes art is going to have a mind of its own and it's okay to go into it not knowing exactly what you want because the finished product is never going to be picture perfect anyways. I definitely grew as an artist this semester because I was taught that art isn't meant to stress you out and be completely flawless, it is supposed to be something that is raw and original to your own self.”

- Macy B.

“Ms. K has such great energy and she makes a welcoming environment for creativity.”

— Remington T.

“Sculpture class has given me so much joy, which might be ironic considering I faced many challenges this semester. Even so, I found a love for working with clay that I didn’t know I had. Going into this class, I found myself lost as I was a beginner and wasn’t aware of what to do. Now that I’m at the end of the semester, I can look back and remind myself of all of my hard work as well as some funny moments where I messed up here and there. I grew a lot not only just working with different sculpture mediums but also learning about the community art brings to the world. I found that I enjoyed coming to class every day and trying to maintain a positive mindset. I realized that art is never perfect and there will always be a bump in the road. Whether that be the coloring, design, texture, overall appearance, or the list goes on forever. This changed my view of artmaking because it gave me an understanding and sense of reality that it is normal to have mistakes in the process. Mistakes make you grow as a student and that’s just what I think my mistakes have made me do.”

— Vivienne D.

“I felt like my animal anatomy drawing in drawing class with Ms. K was the most successful despite the times that I felt like I ruined the whole thing. I did not know I could do it but with Ms. K’s help I used watercolors for the first time with my drawing medium. I tried to mix the color I wanted. I was amused by how good the color blending was going and, after doing every step and not believing I could do it, Ms. K was there to tell me I didn’t mess up. I am grateful for a teacher like Ms. K.”

— Max T.

“I feel like I have grown greatly as an artist in class with Ms. K. At first when I signed up to take sculpture, I thought it would be just an easy A where I didn’t have to do anything. I honestly wasn’t excited for the class because I like doing things so the day goes by quicker. Then, I quickly realized that we were doing things every day in class and I really liked that. I feel like I have grown as an artist because instead of getting angry that I couldn’t do something or something was wrong, I was able to work with it even though it was difficult to get my art where I wanted it.”

— Tessa G.

“I want to thank Ms. K for being my most supportive teacher and friend. She made such an impact on my time at school and I will always remember the time I spent with Ms. K in her class.”

— Antonio F.

“Over the semester in Sculpture, I can confidently say I have grown as an artist specifically in how I personally express myself through art thanks to the guided freedom that we were given in class. In most art classes throughout elementary and middle school, everything was strictly structured with little creative freedom, so I never had the opportunity to discover myself artistically. The way Ms. K teaches was very beneficial for me. The overviews and inspiration in the slides she showed gave me ideas. The thumbnails were a new concept to me and I found they helped me create my ideas. In the past, I would go into art projects mostly copying someone else’s idea with little thought; this year, I was given time to think about ideas and how I might want to express them myself. I enjoyed creating a plan and seeing my vision come to life. It was a new experience for me to create something without a reference photo to copy. This semester taught me how to create my ideas and make a plan to reach my vision. In the past and even at the beginning of this semester I was very unoriginal and boring with my ideas but now I no longer need to rely on others’ art to make my own, which is a liberating feeling.”

— Norah W.

“When I first started Sculpture 1, I was scared. Every time I’d sculpted in the past, I managed to create discolored blobs instead of mugs or dishes. I had no idea what to do for my first Sculpture project, too scared to try anything that could fail. I ended up doing something ridiculously simple, refusing to test my limits. Now, at the end of the semester, I feel like a better artist! No longer do I clam up at the thought of having to choose a topic. Now, I feel capable of pursuing any ideas I have, even if that means modifying certain elements to my abilities. Sculpture has been an enjoyable experience and it’s helped my self-esteem.”

— Mary D.

“How I approach the creative process and how I view mistakes has changed because of this class. At the beginning of the semester, I mostly focused on how I wanted the final product to look, and I would get frustrated when my artwork didn’t match what I had in mind. Now, I've learned to slow down and enjoy each stage of the project from sketching and planning to experimenting and making adjustments. I've started using thumbnail sketches and color swatches to try ideas before committing to them. This has helped me make more thoughtful decisions and be more open to changing my design as I go. I've also become more confident in taking creative risks, such as mixing unexpected colors or using new materials, because I understand that art is a process. Overall, I've learned that growth comes from trying new things, learning from what doesn't work, and staying open to change, and that shift in mindset has helped me improve both my skills and my creative voice.”

– Willow W.