The LFA Art Room

In the far corner of the upper new wing hallway of LFA, creativity burst through every corner of the room and from the heart of every student present. (Sarah Matossian '97)
There, ideas are overflowing, students are taking risks with their abilities, and beauty is flourishing. This is the LFA Art Room, a place where creativity and imagination are always present, where eyes are always searching for the beauty held in the ordinary, and where young women are hard at work bringing their ideas to life in visual ways.

And for me, the one who has the privilege of witnessing this brilliance, the Art Room is where I have the pure joy of teaching, as I guide my students through the process of creating art.

Teaching Visual Arts is an amazing career. To see my students from grades 8 through 12 rush into class with smiles and excitement, eager to get started immediately on the projects I have set out for them, is a humbling, joyful feeling. And then to hear them groan with disappointment when I let them know there are only five minutes left until Art class is over brings a smile to my face. “Can we have Art all day?” they sincerely ask. I am thankful for their earnest delight in what we do in the Art Room. It is a teacher’s dream come true that the students you care so deeply about love the subject you teach and the process of learning the subject as much as
you do.

Amidst striving for academic excellence and athletic success, LFA students need a place to develop their imagination and creative ideas. Humans yearn for such an opportunity. In a world where we are often chasing after the one right answer and most people are afraid of being incorrect, creativity, risk-taking, and standing out from the crowd require courage and strength. It is often those who have the boldness to dare to think outside the box that truly achieve success. It is my intention to guide students to experiment and to be critical thinkers. They can take risks and be unafraid of making mistakes because in art, mistakes are often the pathway to a new, untried idea with the most unexpected, yet beautiful results. With the right encouragement and direction, who knows if I have the next fashion designer or Emily Carr in my classroom? Each student has a wealth of potential inside of her, and I see it as my task to bring this potential to fruition. In the Art Room, time and time again, I have seen students showcase their unique ideas and distinguish themselves from their peers, instead of being just one of the crowd. Whether they pursue a career in fine arts and design, or whether they design a unique marketing campaign for a new business they start one day, creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills are useful tools that they can use for the rest of their lives, no matter what path they choose to pursue.

The Art Room is also a place where faith and creativity mix. Here we express our ideas about our faith visually - whether it be painting the imagery that comes to mind when reading a Bible passage, or designing a nativity scene out of mixed materials. Here, we learn that God is the Ultimate Artist, the Ultimate Creator and Designer. Since He has designed us in His image, we too also have the ability to create, design, and produce beautiful art. We are doing what God has intended for us to do, as part of the faith community at LFA.

Art flourishes at LFA outside of the Art Room as well. As you walk through the entire school, you will notice that there are always new pieces of framed artwork popping up all over, whether it be inside the Dining Hall, within the Administration Offices, or along the walls of each and every hallway throughout the building. I take great joy in transforming the walls of LFA, putting up as much artwork as I possibly can, hoping that everyone can take pride in the work of our talented artists’ hands. At this point, I have framed nearly 600 works of art throughout the building, and this number is always growing.

Also, LFA’s Art Gallery always has an on-going rotation of eye-catching projects on display, whether it be superheroes sculpted out of clay by Visual Arts 9, the delicate jewelry pieces designed by the Art Foundations 12 class, or the Russian matryoshka dolls painted by the Studio Arts 12 class. In fact, before and after school, as well as during lunch breaks, the Art Gallery always has an assortment of students lingering to look at what is on display, finding inspiration for the creative projects they might soon be tackling.

Art thrives at LFA outside of the classroom curriculum too. A few years ago, I started LFA’s first-ever Visual Arts and Photography Club, and at our inaugural meeting, I was amazed to have the classroom packed nearly to capacity, with standing room only. Over the years, membership has consistently thrived, and this year, we have over 60 active members of the club. Together, we create murals and displays, as well as hold art contests and photography competitions. We also host Art Appreciation Week, a week filled with fun events, activities and contests for the school to enjoy, hoping to raise awareness of the importance of art in everyday life. The Visual Art and Photography Club also works to use our creativity to make a difference in others’ lives. For example, this year, we created a collaborative mixed-media canvas painting for the children at Ronald McDonald House. In addition, club members created over 60 beautiful artist trading cards for one of our students who is battling cancer, as a demonstration of our love for her, with each card featuring an uplifting verse from the Bible, as a way to offer her hope. It was another instance where faith and creativity could mix in a most inspiring way.

This year, we also tried a brand new idea by hosting Art Attack, an evening social event open to all LFA students. It was a chance for students of all grades to enjoy some time together outside of the regular school day, to mix and mingle, enjoy snacks and music, all while transforming a piece of fabric. Everyone who purchased a ticket to attend brought with them a t-shirt, hat, pair of sneakers, or pillowcase, and used a wide range of fabric paints and pens to create a wonderfully transformed new piece. The evening was a big success, and everyone’s creativity was unleashed, all while having a fun, relaxed time together.

And so, in the far corner of the upper new wing hallway, ideas continue to flow and beauty continues to flourish. We continue to sew, sculpt, brush, mold, spray, varnish, blend, and grout. We take our ideas and test them out, bring them to life, and then turn them loose. This is the LFA Art Room.
Back

School Information

4195 Alexandra Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 4C6
Tel: 604-738-9016
Support LFA | Contact Us | School Calendar

Social

Search