2024 Sangre Art Guild
Create Pilot Program
For The Children of Custer County

by Fred Hernandez
A brand new program for all children but particularly beneficial for homeschooled kids because of the timing, is being announced by Liz VanSomeren, the contact person for this pilot program at 3rd Street Art Gallery. It will fulfill the need in the world of art for children from Kindergarten to the 7th grade. As Liz says, “we are learning from this pilot what we have to do to best serve the needs of the children and we will be offering this program again in the Fall for all children”.
From the write-up provided by Ms. VanSomeren:
Sangres Art Guild’s art education program for Custer County Home School Families is tuition free with art supplies provided by the guild. Our first classes started on February 28th, meeting on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month from 1-2 p.m. ending this semester on May 8th.
There are 15 children in grades K-7 in our pilot program, split into three classes: kindergarten, grades 1-4 and grades 5-7 with 12 more children on our waiting list. In the fall semester our goal is to enroll up to 30 children in grades 1-8.
Our art curriculum includes studying elements of art which are line, shapes, color, form, texture, and space while using various art mediums including pencil, watercolor, crayon, tempura, pastel, etc.
We’ll practice in class art techniques, work on an in-class art project and provide at-home art activities to extend classroom learning.
The five teachers who themselves are artists with a variety of teaching backgrounds are Jan Kraus, Anne Owens, Eileen Piasecki-Couch, Liz VanSomeren and Terri Weibke. Deb Rimmer is an assistant, and we have a need for more teachers and teachers’ assistants. Julie Hutslar, our visiting artist, will end the semester on May 8th with a special watercolor session for our children.
Parents interested in enrolling their children for the 2024 Fall Program, anyone interested in becoming an art teacher or a teacher’s assistant in the SAG Home School Art Class program or for further information please email:
Liz VanSomeren at Lvansomeren@
sagboard.org.