Louisa Wickard

		Art Teacher

Working on Chebeague often leads me to think back to my childhood and my development as an artist. I grew up on Monhegan and attended the island's one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade. The community was close and supportive, just as it is on Chebeague when it comes to "our children." The island artists would always welcome me into their studios whenever I asked about their work. When I was in fourth or fifth grade, fiber artis Robert Semple gave me a bag of scrap yarn and told me to go off and, "see what happens." When I returned, he analyzed my needlework and helped me understand how I was developing a sense of pattern with my stitches. Robert's enthusiasm for my work led me to visit for many more supportive critiques. When I was in high school, I began talking about art with Lynne Drexler, an abstract painter with a strong sense of color. For years, even after I moved onto the mainland, I would return to Lynne's studio to look at her work and have her look at mine.

As a teacher, I am reminded that my students are the same ages I was when I first got excited about art. I hope I can encourage all students to embrace art in ways that will make life richer for them. But I also realize that I am only a small part of their education. Beyond the lessons they get at CIS, there is a network of friends and family that maybe only an island can weave. I am grateful to teach in a community that embraces and supports their children, just as I was embraced and supported in my island hometown.

 

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