By E.G. Merkel
Just Older Youth (JOY) Inc. fulfilled many requests to offer art classes thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys. The series of four six-week classes recently ended and everyone’s wondering when it can happen again.
The excitement is due to the amazing instructor, Diane Smith. She instilled skills and confidence in the 63 individual participants across all the classes. Mini art shows after each set of classes revealed People’s Choice Best in Show winners. Winners received a $20 Amazon gift card to, hopefully, use toward art supplies to continue to hone their talents.
Winners from the first set of classes were:
Watercolor – Becky Zinn.
Drawing – Jan Price.
Winners from the second set of classes were:
Watercolor – Janna Charette.
Creative Expression Arts – Terry Willner-Tainow.
Also deserving recognition are those students who got 100% out of each class by attending 100% of the time.
First Watercolor: Jill Zima-Borski, Ushy Knauer, Peggy Chamberlain, Rebecca Zinn, Betsy Rigano, Marilyn Carriere and Pete Walters.
Drawing: Eva Merkel, Cheryl Saccente, Ushy Knauer, Peggy Chamberlain, Rebecca Zinn, Marilyn Carriere.
Second Watercolor:
Linda Britton, Debora Heald and Theresa Hendrix.
Creative Expression Arts:
Debora Heald.
The final mini art show featured a birthday celebration for instructor Smith and included entertainment from Ukulele JOY.
With each set of classes and each art show offering lessons on how to improve providing this type of programming, JOY will be looking at ways to bring more art classes to its membership.
