The Cabbage Patch’s young artists unveiled their newest work at the “Zoo Circus/Enchanted Forest” exhibition this spring! The Polly Williams Art Center was transformed into a vibrant playground for all God’s creatures, great and small, created from clay, papier-mâché, paint and more. Cabbage Patch children, parents and staff enjoyed a reception featuring a variety of snacks before exploring the artwork.
Cabbage Patch Executive Director Tracy Holladay discusses a circus-themed piece with one of the featured artists
There is a book by Lois Hetland and Ellen Winner called Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Art Education, that offers a wonderful perspective on how art helps develop young minds. Their research showed that arts programs foster thinking skills that they call “studio habits of mind.” For instance, one habit is “learning to engage and persist,” which means that students learn how to overcome problems and see mistakes as learning opportunities. “Students need to find problems of interest and work with them deeply over sustained periods of time,” they wrote. Using creativity to resolve setbacks is a very important value we teach at The Patch, and it is exciting to see so many young people committed to their art projects.
Volunteer Lea “Ms. Fish” Fischbach serves her homemade cake at the reception
Special recognition was given at the art show to the most dedicated students who have displayed discipline, creativity and ambition through their work. Their hard work was rewarded with prizes of art supplies that will enable them to continue their creative efforts. We salute our young artists and are proud of the example of excellence they set for all our participants! For more photos, check out our Facebook page!
