Summary
Trying to figure out the right time, the right words, the right program and the right environment to nurture a child’s development while juggling work, home and carpools is daunting. Teaching Art to Children, The Marvegos® Way provides parents and art educators with a roadmap to follow in assisting children to be self-confident, self-directed and independent art-makers…to be and express who they are in their generation. This book shows the way through a series of delightful anecdotes, pictures of students at work and colored photographs of artwork to illustrate the results of this life-altering art program. The goal of The Marvegos® is to increase each child’s self-confidence as they discover and develop their own art-making style. This book is the culmination of a fifteen-year endeavor to perfect a program to meet this goal. Teaching Art to Children, The Marvegos® Way describes why exercising creativity is better with some structure and is not merely free art-making. It describes how timing and materials are as important to art-making as it is to planning a delicious meal. Timing relates to coaching students as well as to providing appropriate art activities to children at particular developmental stages. Creativity is inspired. It’s exercised. It cannot be taught. The Marvegos® believes that entrusting children with making creative choices builds their confidence and engages their minds in ways other forms of learning do not. There are a wide variety of teaching methods, each with a plan to improve the student’s ability to make art in some way. The Marvegos® uses art-making to guide children to build awareness of things outside of themselves and provides a program of art-making that involves solving problems, making decisions, using resources, handling disappointments, taking risks, enjoying success and adapting to change. This is The Marvegos® way.
About the Author
Rita Young is an art educator in the San Francisco bay area. Rita, a graduate of fine art from San Francisco State University, has work held in private collections nationally. In 1992, she started The Marvegos® Fine Art School to provide proper fine art training for her two young children. While her children attended public schools, Rita was active in the PTA, serving as chairperson for The Reflections art program at unit, council and district levels. She served as Fine Arts Commissioner for the City of Cupertino from 1999-2004. The Marvegos® way increased her own children’s art-making ability and self-confidence. Her son graduates this spring from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and her daughter attended UCLA as a theatre major. Rita manages two Marvegos® studios and eight outreach programs to private schools, serving more than 400 students per year.
