Art students adapt to distance learning
May 6, 2020
Distance learning at HHS comes with many challenges for people all throughout our district. Perhaps one challenge that is getting overlooked is running art classes such as Ceramics, Jewelry Making, and AP Art.
Classes like math and science have of course experienced some difficulty, but haven’t needed nearly as much restructuring as art classes have. The art classes HHS offers are extremely hands-on and require certain materials in order to succeed.
To turn in their work, students either put their pieces into a shared Google document, or if it is an AP class they may turn it into the AP art website.
When it comes to materials available to students at home, some are in good shape and some are struggling a bit more.
“It’s not too hard for me to do the work at home because I have all the supplies I need. Some other students have been struggling due to not having the supplies they need, but Mrs. Bethany Henshaw, Art, has been really good with helping them work around that problem,” said Grace Schweigert, senior. Schweigert is in AP Art.
In other art classes, such as ceramics, there is a significantly bigger struggle to get work completed with the supplies students have available in their homes, students like Julia Campbell, senior.
“We cannot do real ceramics because that requires the studio space but Mr. Christian Blanck does keep us thinking about ceramics and creating art in other ways such as found object art. That is when you find things around the house and create something out of seemingly useless materials,” said Campbell.
This is very similar to what HHS’ Jewelry Making class is doing during this time of distance learning. They are able to find things around the house to make into jewelry, but nothing like they were doing in school.
This is very upsetting to many of our students in art classes.
“Although it is nice to watch videos of professionals and think creatively in other ways, nothing can really replace being in class and using our hands,” said Campbell.