A Nashville program called Gigi’s Creative Corner is doing something we don’t see often enough. Nine third graders at Schwab Elementary spend every Thursday with professional artists, learning to draw and tell stories. The program was created by the nonprofit Daybreak Arts along with PENCIL and the school itself, which sits less than half a mile from the Daybreak Arts studio. What sets it apart is who’s doing the teaching: artists who’ve experienced housing instability and economic hardship, and who are paid for their time in the classroom.
One of those artists is Helen Stackhouse, 79, who paints under the name A.M. Hassan. Students aren’t just picking up drawing skills either. Teacher Yenin Echeverria says the nine kids selected for the program have gained problem-solving and critical-thinking habits that carry into their other classes. By Monday morning, she says, they are already opening their sketchbooks to show her what they made over the weekend.
The ten-week program wraps up with a student exhibition on May 14, and Echeverria hopes to expand it to more Metro Nashville schools. For those of us on the Suncoast, the model is worth a second look. We have one of Florida’s strongest arts communities and plenty of schools that would welcome a resident artist. Could a program like this take root here? Let us know what you think.
