The cheery room in the basement of the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell looked more like a spa than a classroom last week as students learned about the wonders of plaster during an installment of the art class, “Marvelous Masks.”
The three young students giggled and squealed as they put on their smocks, pulled their hair back and covered their faces with Vaseline. Their teacher, Kathy Martin, dipped pieces of plaster strips into water and lightly covered everything on their faces but their nostrils to make a perfect mold of each one’s face.
Tatum Russell, 7, was the first to get the treatment. She admitted she was a little nervous at first but relaxed immediately after the plaster strips started covering her face.
“Ah, that feels good,” Russell said to the delight of her classmates Laci and Maddison Mercord, who couldn’t wait for their turn.
Marvelous Masks is just one of many art classes being offered at the Hockaday, said Martin, who is also the museum’s education director. They are pushing to expand their programs, which already includes pre-school art time, after school art and home school art classes.
The classes are held once a week and seek to broaden the students’ art experiences, Martin said.
“If I can, I try and tie it into some of the art that’s hanging on the walls or in the galleries,” Martin said.
The after-school drawing program was so popular that Martin had to add extra classes to accommodate the need. The home school program has also been successful, she said. This year, the classes focused on the principles of design and elements of art.
The Marvelous Massk class ends this week, but taking its place will be “Art for the Holidays,” during which students can create presents and decorations through December.
Martin teaches many of the classes, but local and visiting artists make appearances as guest instructors. Coming off a background as an art teacher in the school system, Martin said she enjoys teaching at the Hockaday because she interacts with students of all ages.
“This is more fulfilling, because I still get to go do the teacher thing but I don’t have to jump through the hoops that teachers do,” Martin said.
But that doesn’t mean she’s left the school art scene all together. As part of their program expansion push, Martin said she occasionally visits schools as part of their outreach program and, starting next month, will begin art classes with students in Evergreen.
Martin has also requested that the teachers keep an eye out for students’ pieces dealing with Glacier National Park, because she may include them in an exhibit for the park’s centennial.
For adult art lovers ages 15 and up, the Hockaday has an ongoing series called “Color Unlocked.” The series is headed into its second phase, in which local artist Treg Miller will share his knowledge of mixing and matching colors on the canvas. The fall schedule also included beading, flute making and creating moccasins.
The classes do cost money, but Martin said the Hockaday is intent on working with families who are trying to cut back on expenses. Scholarships are available, and those interested should contact the museum.
“We try and keep the costs down so we’re not shutting out the people who have limited income,” Martin said.
Corie Mercord said she signs up her daughters Laci and Maddison for art programs because of the community feel of the classes. She also said the classes fill a void in her daughters’ education. School budget cuts have diminished art programs and a class devoted entirely to art is important for her children, Mercord said.
But the plaster-covered students seemed more interested in having fun than becoming well-rounded human beings. They proudly showed off their face molds, chattering about how they would paint the masks next week. Russell, who thought the plaster experience made her feel like a mummy, said she liked every part of the class nonetheless.
“I’m going to do this again and take drawing class again, again and again, until I’m an old lady,” Russell said.