IF YOU GO
* What: Open studio and art classes
* When: 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Nov. 12; classes start again in January.
* Where: Room 310, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, 1850 Battlefield Parkway, Fort Oglethorpe.
* Fee: $8 per night or $35 for a session of four classes
* For information: E-mail Wendy Morgan at wmorgan.LFO@catoo... or call 706-866-0342.
Art teacher Wendy Morgan wants to offer her students more than lessons on pencil drawings and watercolors, but she has to find ways to fund it.
"I feel like for some kids, drawing isn't their thing," said Ms. Morgan, who teaches at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School. "So for them to find their talent, they have to see a different medium."
To fund more art opportunities for LFO students, Ms. Morgan is offering an open studio and hosting a series of art classes during after-school hours. The classes are open to the community, she said, and anybody can participate, regardless of skill level, and there will be a variety of choices for the classes.
"Some art classes just do drawings," she said. "We do clay, stained glass, candles and mosaics."
Money from the classes allows Ms. Morgan to purchase twice as many art supplies for LFO students and, instead of sticking to less-expensive art mediums such as pencil drawings and watercolor, she's able to offer students a variety of mediums, she said.
The first classes will focus on clay and ceramics. The classes include a potters wheel, ceramic molds and clay.
The first set of classes is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. and take place on Tuesday and Nov. 12. The second set of classes will focus on stained glass, she said, and will run Tuesdays and Thursdays from Jan. 12 to Jan. 21.
Lessons on photography and candles also are available, Ms. Morgan said.
LFO senior Julie Smith, 17, said she enjoys drawing, but her favorite medium is photography.
"The black-and-white film makes me love it more," she said. "You can capture more with it, and it's timeless."
Darlene Cronnon, a 16-year-old junior at LFO, said she wants to be an artist or a writer when she graduates. Ms. Morgan's after-school classes give students and local residents the chance to create without the distractions they may have at home, she said.
"I want to express myself," Darlene said. "It's hard to do that at home, but I come here and I'm free to express myself by any means."
Yolanda Putman has been a reporter at the Times Free Press for 11 years. She covers housing and previously covered education and crime. Yolanda is a Chattanooga native who has a master’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Alabama State University. She previously worked at the Lima (Ohio) News. She enjoys running, reading and writing and is the mother of one son, Tyreese. She has also ...
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