Bobby Ellis
bobby.ellis@education.ky.gov
It’s always more fun when you enjoy what you’re learning about, and the smiles on the faces of the teachers taking part in the classes at the Berea Festival of Learnshops say that pretty well.
Art teachers from across Kentucky and the country descended on Berea this summer to take classes about different arts and to earn professional learning credits. One woman traveled all the way from Las Vegas to take part in a class about shadow puppetry.
“I came here to get my professional development time in my art field and to take new techniques to my class,” said Diana Williams, an art teacher at Nelson County High School, who was taking the landscape pastels class “This is my fourth time coming here, but I really like it. I really enjoy the classes. It counts as work, but it’s also really fun.”
Other teachers plan on combining different arts to enhance their students’ experience in the classroom, like Laura Wilson, a music teacher at Strode Station Elementary School (Clark County). She is using shadow puppets to highlight the drama in certain musical pieces for her students.
“I use traditional puppets in my classroom, and shadow puppetry is something that I’m interested in but have no training in whatsoever,” said Wilson. “I thought it would be really neat to mix these different cultural arts; the children get to practice on different elements and put the whole story together.”
Wilson also said that she appreciates the workshops because of the opportunity they provide for teachers in the arts to practice and network in their field outside of the normal school setting.
“This is my third year coming here,” Wilson said. “A lot of the professional tools provided to us in schools aren’t really geared to what we do in the arts, it’s much more geared toward reading, math and science. This gives us opportunities to explore our disciplines with artists all over the country. It’s fun and I always walk away with new information.”
If you’re interested in attending the Berea Festival of Learnshops in the future, you can learn more at the Visit Berea website.
Joanie Cattrell, an art teacher at Radcliff Elementary School (Hardin County), weaves a basket during a session at the Berea Festival of Learnshops. The event gives educators and the public the chance to learn about everything from storytelling to sustainable living from artisans and master craftspeople.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Diana Colgate, an instructor at the Berea Festival of Learnshops, searches through pastel chalk for the right color during her Landscape Pastel in a Day class.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Nelson County High School art teacher Dianna Williams uses pastel chalk to draw a picture during the Berea Festival of Learnshops.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Jennifer Murphy, a choir instructor at Whitley City Elementary (McCreary County), makes a wooden basket during the Berea Festival of Learnshops.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Laura Wilson, a music teacher at Strode Station Elementary School (Clark County), learns about different shadow puppets from Richard Brown. Wilson said she appreciates the Berea workshops because of the opportunity they provide for teachers in the arts to practice and network in their field outside of the normal school setting.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Dawn Campbell, a teacher from Las Vegas, performs during the shadow puppet class.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Richard Brown demonstrates how to use projectors during a Shadow Puppets for Beginners class.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Diana Colgate, right, helps Laura Flatt, an art teacher at Russell Springs Elementary (Russell County), with her pastel drawing.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Dianna Williams, an art teacher at Nelson County High School, looks at a picture for reference during the Landscape Pastels in a Day class during the Berea Festival of Learnshops. Williams said that she had attended the workshops four years in a row for her professional development credit.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
Teachers work on wooden baskets during a class at the Berea Festival of Learnshops. Art teachers from across Kentucky and the country descended on Berea this summer to take classes about different arts and to earn professional learning credits.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, July 11, 2017
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