The art classes at The Care Center allow young women to build unique self-esteem and creative problem-solving skills that they may not have learned in a writing or math class.
A blank canvas is an analogy for the students’ lives. We draw that analogy and encourage the completion of long-term planning and goal setting.
When a student chooses a form, molds the wire mesh, and over the next few weeks applies papier-mâché, plaster, and paint to create a sculpture out of thin air, she is learning the same skills she will need when she applies to college, goes to classes, secures day care for her child and eventually begins a job in her chosen field.
The students at The Care Center also experience art outside the classroom at The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, The Springfield Quadrangle, The Community Music School, The Eric Carle Museum, The Smith College Museum, and regular visits to our neighbors at The Wistariahurst Museum.
