Why choose St. Joseph's Atelier?
Faith and Creativity
“Ever Present God, here with me now, Help me to be here with You.”
Every class session begins with prayer so our focus is on glorifying God and learning from a place of rest in Him. God invites us to discover beauty, truth, and goodness and express these transcendentals through our study of master artists and through the development of skills: drawing, painting, and sculpture. We aim to work in the spirit of Mary's humility and gratitude while following Saint Joseph's model of diligent, trustful, and honest work.
Real Art Foundations, Art History, and Skill Building
Students of the Atelier will work in a variety of quality art media: graphite, pen and ink, oil and chalk pastels, watercolor, acrylic on canvas, printmaking, metal embossing, and sculpting in ceramic clay. Lessons and projects will incorporate practice with one or several of the elements of art and principles of design. Beginners to intermediate artists study and learn to appreciate the work and style of master artists from different periods and schools such as Paul Cézanne, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and Claude Monet, whose work illustrates important art concepts. Children receive coaching in practice exercises to help them coordinate their vision with their drawing hand so they can record what they actually see when sketching.
Learn from a Professional Artist and Art Educator
Classes are taught by Donna Zoller-Warner, a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate with experience teaching in Catholic, private, public, and homeschool settings. Donna believes that creating art is an essential human experience that provides opportunities for a child’s physical, social, emotional and spiritual development. She creates order and a respectful, safe space for each child, preparing and arranging supplies for ease of use, and supporting each child’s need to explore and practice. Her desire is to help her students grow in freedom and confidence.
Features of St. Joseph's Atelier
Mindful Art Practice
Mindfulness: receiving each moment with an attitude of acceptance, curiosity, attention, and gratitude. Classes at the Atelier include essential introduction of skills practice and incorporate frequent warm-up exercises that support students' work toward mindfully, prayerfully, and confidently creating their masterpieces.
Lessons Tailored for Spirituality, Creativity, and Development
Saint Joseph’s Atelier is the place to be if you are looking to take your student’s art education to a level beyond crafts and have them create in a peaceful, relational environment. Every project is tailored to a child’s developmental level and encourages a child's creativity according to his or her unique, unrepeatable individuality rather than copying generic templates or tracing. I aim to introduce new and perhaps unfamiliar skills and stretch the student's abilities, challenging them to create beyond what they think they are capable of. It's amazing what kids can do when given quality materials paired with great instruction.
Beyond Artistic Skills: Growth in Virtues
The Atelier is created to be an enriching place. Delight and restful play are encouraged, but class is not intended to be 'entertaining' in the way an amusement park or a movie is entertaining. Students come to the Atelier like young Jesus came to St. Joseph's workshop: for the human joy of learning and work. The creative process naturally requires metacognition: "Planning & Strategizing," "Monitoring & Adapting," and "Evaluating & Reflecting" are involved in every step of the projects. The learning space is valued: students learn that frustration is simply the space between "not knowing how to do something" and "knowing how to do something." This is real life. Learning anything of value takes courage and determination. Practicing perseverance to completion of a created work creates joyful, confident resilience. Finally, as Catholic Christians, our main virtue is respect. Respect gives us the guidelines for how we conduct ourselves, and how we care for one another, the art tools, and the classroom.
