For seven years, I taught Western Cultural History to homeschooled 10th grade students*. They wrote essays on every painting we covered. I even wrote a book on art history for the class, but not many students showed much enthusiasm for art. One day a conversation with a student gave me a better idea.
This student was in the history class on Tuesdays and my painting class on Thursdays. During art class, she asked, “Mrs, Sanford, why do we write about art history? Why don’t we paint?”
A big cartoon lightbulb suddenly appeared over my head.
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I immediately imagined an art history class in which the students would learn art history and do a painting or drawing inspired by the art from history instead of writing a paper. I would need to teach fundamental drawing and painting skills so all levels would be able to build art skills and create art they loved.
I drew upon my favorite class from the college of design where I got my undergrad degree: the History of Architecture. For that class, we bought a blank book instead of a history book. Instead of reading and writing papers, we drew and painted and created our own illustrated book.
I launched the class in the following school year. I taught it in person and online (because 2020). The online classes took off like kudzu in a southern state and since then, I’ve taught Paint Your Way Through Art History to over 300 high school students and and added a dual enrollment option by working with Bryan College who recognized that the classes I’ve taken and the books I’ve written are the equivalent of a masters degree.
Since then, I’ve created classes for students who want to keep doing art with me online and for younger students. Each time I create a class, I match a teacher with an academic subject she loves and we create a class together that teaches both the academic subject and fine art skills for truly arts-integrated learning. You can now take an art class that is paired with a wide variety of academic subjects.
In the online classes, we get to know students from all over the United States including Hawaii and Alaska, sometimes other parts of the world!
I hope you’ll find a class and let us help bring art and beauty to the education of your children!
*I taught Challenge II in Classical Conversations for seven years. My three kids did Classical Conversations all the way through Challenge IV and I taught all sixteen years we were in CC. I also worked as a writer and designer for CC and CiRCE Institute.
Our Mission:
To glorify God through art education.
Our Core Values:
The following values can be seen in all our teachers. We hope they rub off on our students, too!
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1. Humility: We're eager to learn new things.
2. Enthusiasm: We can make it fun.
3. Integrity: We stick with it.
4. Grace: We give it.
5. Excellence: We give it our all!
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