By Gil Alon
Arts Reporter
For students seeking to express themselves in a creative and educational way, the Newton Community Art Center’s seasonal classes provide students artistic opportunities beyond what is available in the classroom.
These classes, which vary from ceramics to photography, attempt to stretch students’ artistic boundaries in a more focused environment than would typically be found in a school setting.
“We are focused on inspiring young artists and in engaging students within their creative process,” said Claudia Fiks, the Education Director of the Newton Art Center. “Most of our classes do not offer a structured setting where students will follow specific lesson plans or themes.”
The classes at the Newton Community Art Center also provide a more in-depth exploration of specific art skills than school art courses.
Sophomore Isabella Xie has been attending various art classes at Winchester and Lexington for four years in addition to the honors arts classes she takes at Newton South.
“We concentrate on different things at school,” Xie said. “We concentrate on creativity and ideas and making it similar to personality. Outside of school, we focus more on the skill. “
According to Xie, this intense focus is providing impressive results. Xie’s lessons are not only helping her in the classroom, but are impacting her artistic studies at school as well.
“I started taking it when I was eleven,” Xie said. “And this past four years I have improved at so many things, especially sketching and painting.”
Fiks believes that the advantages of these arts classes extend into academics and the stressful lives of South students.
“High school students who take arts classes have higher math and verbal SAT scores than students who take no arts classes,” she said. “Learning through the arts promotes the idea that there is more than one solution to a problem, or more than one answer to a question.”
Jeffrey Wixon, the mixed media teacher at Newton South, finds that doing art allows students to relieve stress throughout their busy lives. In addition, having the chance to think creatively in a low-pressure setting allows the students a safe space to experiment with their thought processes.
Sophomore Jackson Fyfe, a participant at the Diablo School in Boston, feels that taking classes outside of school also provides him with a break from his homework each night.
“It’s a big stress reliever,” Fyfe said. “It’s nice to let out your feelings in a way that others can enjoy.”
Fiks stresses that inexperience should not dissuade students from taking classes, as there are many different levels offered at each school.
“You need to be adventurous, inquisitive, curious, and open-minded,” she said. “You have to be able to ask open-ended questions and to be reflexive about our surroundings. Everything else will be developed during class.”
