Ready, set, paint: Draper Visuals Arts Fund brings art education to local students

By Ryan Christensen

For the next two months, more than 90 elementary school kids will be taking after-school classes in beginning art, acrylics, pastels, pottery and drawing. Classes will end in April and the students’ completed masterpieces will be on display at an annual art show on April 21 at Draper City Hall.

Most classes started in the middle of February and will run weekly until April. “We are able to fill classes with children from all over the south end of Salt Lake County,” said Leone Smith of Draper Visuals Arts. Classes are held at Draper and Oak Hollow elementary schools after regular school hours.

“Introduction to Art…is our most popular class, since so little art is taught in the grade schools,” Smith said. id. “Our classes are filled to capacity, and the turnout at the art shows is a testament to the need and interest in the arts.”
More than 400 people attended last year’s exhibit.

“Children who gain an appreciation for the arts and start practicing their talents at a young age do better in school,” Smith said. “It is the appreciation and love of art that we hope to instill in our students.”

The classes are organized and provided by The Draper Visual Arts Foundation.

The DVAF was organized in 1993 with an initial objective of caring for an art collection that was started in 1926 as part of a community/school program. A number of former teachers and students were concerned that the pictures, including a valuable Norman Rockwell original of “Ichabod Crane,” were not being well cared for. Each year, the DVAF continues to purchase paintings, which are put on display in local public schools.

The DVAF also awards a $2,100 scholarship yearly to a high school senior who has excelled in the arts. Artwork from the winner is displayed at local schools, in City Hall and, when possible, in various art shows.

“We are dedicated to fostering creativity and visual art awareness in our children,” says Smith. “We also want this to be a fun, exciting experience for all who participate.”

Classes cost $30 to $40 per student and include all supplies. Help from the Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) tax subsidizes the cost and makes the classes affordable to more students. Local artists, business owners and elementary teachers who have experience with the medium teach classes.

The art show highlighting students’ work will be at Draper City Hall on Monday, April 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.