Art Exploration A
Tutor: Mary Bradley
 Email: Mary.Bradley@CHATclasses.com
Length: Full Year  Class Period: Wednesday, period 3

Description: Welcome to a new year of ART EPLORATION! This year’s course will be a combination of some of the projects we planned to do in the last two years but ran out of time to do them, or they were so popular that we’ll do something similar but with a twist. Some of our projects will include pattern design within shapes, or not, how to design patterns that coincide with certain holidays, land art, cartooning, block printing, Xerox printing, “found art,” and more. Among these projects, I would like the kids to develop their own Logo or signature for their projects or ‘products.’

A sub-goal for this year is to help kids see the potential for them to use their gifts in the marketplace or for ministry. We explored this in one of the Christian schools where I taught a few years ago. We won a $10,000 grant to teach Economics to kids “at risk.” I think that in our world today, many, many more people and families are at risk. Maybe it is just me, but I am always looking for how to turn my interests and gifts into either a ministry or for an entrepreneurial enterprise, or both! I have been doing this ever since I was in grade school and have had several micro and one larger business since then!

Tutor: Mary Bradley Bradley received her BS from the University of Minnesota in Elementary Education with minor concentrations in French, Psychology, and Art. She studied watercolor, pottery, and cartooning at the Edina Art Center and Hennepin County Vo-tech. Besides being an elementary school teacher for seventeen years, she has been a long and short-term “guest teacher” in both in elementary classrooms and as an elementary ART specialist. Mary has taught a variety of after-school and summer art classes at Chapel Hill Academy in Chanhassen and Minnetonka Summer Community Education. She also created and directed a two-week church art camp, involving many church members, while also teaching cartooning and junk sculpture. Mary has experience in faux painting and creating large and small murals, selling her watercolors and teaching watercolor painting. As for CHAT, Mary is eager to continue with her third year teaching Art Exploration for 7th-12th graders!

Mary and her husband Steve of 45 years are proud parents of four children, all married with ten grandchildren between them. Steve and Mary currently head up the prayer ministry team at City Hill Church where they have attended for over 50 years. She also teaches Sunday School.

*Mary is an active tutor in Ortin-Gillingham Phonics and Reading with over ten years of experience. She has completed Level lll of training which qualifies her to be a certified teacher of OG. *She would love to tell you about the OG method for teaching reading, writing, and spelling that utilizes four of the five senses every lesson! Her six-week course is starting in May for kids and parents to see measured improvement and to adopt new methods of learning that should help in all areas of reading, writing, and spelling. *Call Mary at 612.220.4673 for more information!

Cost: $256, $266, $276 per semester (depending on registration date)
Level: Grades 7-12
Prerequisite: Some art background experience will be helpful but not necessary.
Homework: Monthly Sketchbook assignments - ½ hour per assignment; finishing class projects if/when more time is needed. We aim to get most work done in class. *Use your time wisely!
Supplies: (To be purchased by parents and brought to class each week)    

  • Mixed Media Sketchbook (9X12 or thereabouts)
  • Sharpie Fine Point and Ultra Fine Point markers
  • ruler
  • scissors
  • glue stick
  • colored pencils
  • 2-3 Ticonderoga pencils
  • a drawing pencil set with a kneaded eraser (preferred)
  • a closed sharpener that catches the flakes
  • a two-pocket folder (a new one for each semester)
  • a paint shirt

 LABEL ALL SUPPLIES AND BRING TO EVERY CLASS!

Your child will also need a white T-shirt or a blank canvas bag for one of our printing projects. These can be purchased at Michael’s with a coupon or on sale for the best price in town! You could also bring a clean one from home.

Additional Supplies Note:  We may on occasion ask that students bring certain things from home if they already have them to help with our current project. Students may bring a T-shirt or plain colored fabric for a printing project. We can always use "found objects ... JUNK" for our sculpture or printing projects. Random toy pieces and extra nuts and bolts, etc. and various thicknesses and colors of wire are always useful. We will keep you posted along the way.
Also, if any families have some extra 1" X 6" or 1" X 4/5" pieces of scrap wood around, we could probably use some on which to mount some of our projects. We can do the cutting! The kids will do the staining/painting.