Student art classes benefit food bank

For several years now, Stumptown Art Studio has been contributing to the North Valley Food Bank Soup Bowl Fundraiser, with artists from their in-house Clay Co-op volunteering their time, talents, clay and supplies to create unique bowls.

This year, the studio is involving students from the Whitefish Middle School in this community service project. Stumptown artist-in-residence and professional potter Barbara Lydon is teaching daily classes during the month of February to Whitefish Middle School instructor Nan Reed’s eighth-grade art students. The studio provides materials, kilns and space as well as the instructor fee.

“It’s the studio’s hopes that not only will the youth participating in these classes benefit from learning a new art form, they will also gain a sense of community-belonging and selflessness in donating their creations to a great cause,” Lydon said.

Lydon, a certified K-12 instructor, has developed a rubric and criteria that students follow during their week-long class. They begin with sketches of their bowls and apply a variety of hand-building techniques to create their work of art.

Students will return after two weeks to glaze their bowls, which will then be fired and donated to the Food Bank for their April fundraiser. Lydon is donating all of the money that she makes teaching this month-long workshop to Save Darfur and the Red Cross.

Stumptown Art Studio hopes to continue this program on an annual basis. Donations are greatly encouraged. For more information, contact the studio at 862-5929.