Back to School...

When I was little, I loved shopping for schools supplies. I remember opening the mail each August to find the big “School Supply” list from my new teacher (2 boxes of tissue, 1 pencil box, zero hot pink pens) that my mom and I would then take to the store and check as we placed items in the cart. When the first day of school came, I was more excited about what was in my backpack than who was in my class. Even in college, my best friends and I would take the luxurious, scenic drive from DePauw University to Avon, Indiana, for its Super Target, and fill at least two carts with new folders, binders, and black felt tip pens (my favorite!). It sounds silly, but going out for school supplies was my emotional equivalent to going up a roller coaster; it was the tangible start towards something new and exciting…even if the first day jitters were along for the ride.

But, in the case of the SAA’s School of Art, ‘back to school’ takes on slightly different meaning. Instead of new spiral notebooks and color-coded folders, we count canvases, sort brushes, and take an inventory on acrylic paints. We hang artwork and prepare the Gallery for a new exhibition (“Pulp: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy” opening this Friday!). Later on, we will also prepare the grounds for our 22nd Annual Edwards Place Fine Art Fair, a wonderful display of art in our community from across the nation, with more than 80 artists displaying and selling their incredible works in diverse media. We have also done a lot of work to our website, www.springfieldart.org, with information on all of these creative offerings.

So check it out, maybe join one of our ceramics or jewelry-making classes, and head out to the store for some school—or art!—supplies to make your back-to-school experience a fun-filled rollercoaster!