Writer / Krista Shields
Young artists will have the opportunity to try their hands at a variety of art projects this summer at the Hamilton North Public Library. Deanna Leonard, owner of Arcadian Design, will be teaching the classes every Wednesday starting June 11 until mid-July for an optional one- to two-hour class, starting at 11 a.m. Students will have the opportunity to work on paintings, tie-dyes, stepping stones, paper making, and weaving.
“We will be re-purposing silverware,” Leonard said. “We will also be painting with things we find in nature and doing bubble art—lots of outside activities.”
Students will be separated into different age groups ranging from 6-14 years old. Leonard and an assistant will work with them on their projects, and they will also have time to show and discuss their projects with the class at the end. The cost of the class is $10 per hour per student.
“I enjoy working with children because they are a clean slate, so to speak,” Leonard said. “They don’t have those barriers that adults tend to put on themselves, so they are pretty open when I introduce a project. They do the things that are necessary to be creative, even opening up to their own creativity. They may have never done something or worked with a medium before, and they get excited about it.”
Leonard has been teaching art classes for five years total and at the library for two years. She teaches an adult mixed medium class once a month and classes for homeschooled and younger students during the school year.
For Leonard, the classes often reflect her own interests. She owns an interior design company and provides many artistic services, including the booth spaces she rents at Whimzy and Logan Village Mall in Noblesville, where shoppers can find her furniture and vintage and homemade crafts. She said the children’s art classes allow her to even foster skills outside the art realm.
“Communication skills are pretty important to this even though it doesn’t seem like that would be associated with art,” Leonard said. “Self confidence, alongside walking away with something beautiful to display in your home or something you can say you created, are really important.”
For more information about the Wednesday summer art classes or to register, call Leonard directly at 765-557-1969.
