Category: articles

At this time of year every adult is reminded of those Golden Years, with the smell of fall and the start of a new school year. The excitement of learning is in the air and meeting new people, new classes and schools  is – intoxicating. It is never too late to learn. This desire can be realized in you with courses.

The community centres, Library, Board of Education and private schools all offer classes  at many levels for  adults.  It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past or how able you were then, to start something new, now.

The Toronto Star did an article a while back about job satisfaction in adults and stated  that  only 30% of the work force was actually happy or satisfied with their jobs. This dissatisfaction seemed in part due to lack of challenge and lack of growth in their daily job. Many of the satisfied stated that they found satisfaction in work or in other aspects of their life and  taking personal interest courses was one of these aspects.

For myself learning and personal growth are always present in my everyday life as a teacher.  I reap the rewards of instructing others on a daily basis. I learn from their interest and  when  I don’t know something, I enjoy research to gain knowledge for myself and my students.

Not all courses are created equal and it is important to really research how much time and money you want to invest in this sideline. Some courses have no requirements and are entry level classes. Some  require home work or readings to be done on a weekly basis, some require only the time the course is actually being taught. Some require an outlay of money just for the course, and others require you to buy or bring tools, supplies or manuals. Ask questions  if things aren’t clear -this is very important. Any registrar should be knowledgeable about what the course will cover, what you need for it and what the course requirements are. If they don’t know they should be willing to find out for you.

I took an ancient medieval iconography course once , and I asked what will I need, “Just a library card , as some readings are on hold at the library“. In fact I needed to know German since many of the texts on hold were only in German. Suffice it to say I did not get out of this class what I had hoped.

Some good questions to ask are:

How long is the course? Is there homework? Are materials required, what are they,  are they  included in the fee? If materials or manuals are not included ask for a list and what the cost of those items are. Also ask if they have these items for sale. If they are hard to get-  or impractical cost wise then reconsider  taking that course. Is HST included in the fee? Is this course part of a larger series, do I have the requirements for this course? What would be a good next step after this course? What is the minimum and maximum class size? What is the refund policy should you decide you don’t like the course?

Like any aspect of learning what you invest in  personally  whether that be research or time you will gain tenfold the more effort you put into it.

 Lauren Renzetti, is Assistant Director of Art Works Art School, Chair of Program Development and also an Instructor. The main reason she became a teacher was her continued love of learning. Art Works has over 22 programs for adults with a wide variety of courses during the day or in the evening.

click here for classes with lauren 

Of course we want what is best for our children. We want to give them opportunities that we did not have. One thing we can offer them is extra circular opportunities for learning that they don’t get in today’s school system is something money  and a little research , can buy.   It is important to include your child and what you have observed of their personality and their desires in this process. Ask them what they want to try. Off them ideas of what is out there.  The younger the child the more willing they are and of course the more there is out there.

Programs are always targeted towards certain age groups. Stick with your child’s age for several reasons: It is important your child is with their peer group doing things that are age appropriate so they have more likelihood of making new friends and they can actually succeed at the goals of that program. You do nobody any favours thinking your child is brilliant and should go into an older age group. They will build confidence with their successes and class size ratios are related to their age and need for help or supervision.  Younger children 3-5’s tend to do things very quickly so they tend to cycle through a lot more programming or projects. Older children tend to want more in depth programs, that take longer and have a different set of intentions and skill set that just would not interest or be able to do by younger children.

Sports are great for exercise, being outdoors and team building, but can be a poor choice for the noncompetitive, introverted, shy type. Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Drama classes will give them opportunities for growth, foster self esteem, improve skills in problem solving and still give them an opportunity to succeed at something in a noncompetitive way. Team building happens in a very different way within the context of an art show or a performance at the end of the program. It gives the child a chance to shine and parents a chance to praise.

Many programs and courses do not start right when school does so your child can get back into the rhythm of school. Do not over load your child with too many programs. leave room for play dates, birthday parties and last minute opportunities. Your child will then be more willing to try new  programs afterschool or on weekends.

Listening to your child’s desires should always be the first step in course planning.

Lauren Renzetti ,is assistant director, and teacher    at Art Works Art School. This mother of two has been teaching for over 22 years and understands how challenging it is to get kids  interested in afterschool or weekend programming. Art Works has many after school and weekend programs for all ages. www.artworksartschool.com

I think more planning and time goes into juggling schedules for the summer than any other time of year. What to do with your children for 9 or more weeks is definitely a challenge. They want to enjoy themselves with their friends. You want them to: not watch tv,  play 5 hours of video games each day. As a parent I look for the following features in a camp: friends are able to sign up to, engaging, learning a skill, being local or convenient and  be cost effective or a tax write off. The older they get the harder this list is to fill.

It is important to include your child and their wants and desires in this process. Ask them what they want to do.  Most parents would agree that TV and video games are not activities to be done for 9 weeks straight.  For myself  I  negotiate and give in to two weeks of  “no programming “ so the random play date, pool swim or sleep over can happen with friends and they can revel in the freedom from school by watching too much tv. After that wears thin structured time for the next 7 weeks.

Camp programs are geared towards certain age groups. Stick with your child’s age for several reasons: It is important your child is with their peer group doing things that are age appropriate so they have more likelihood of making new friends and they can actually succeed at the goals of that program. You do nobody any favours thinking your child is brilliant and should go into an older age group. They build confidence with their successes and camp size ratios are related to their age and need for help. Also younger children 3-5’s tend to do things very quickly so they tend to cycle through a lot more projects. Once children learn to read their abilities shift, so 6-9 want to do it all themselves.  Older children, 8-12 years, tend to want more in depth programs, that take longer and have a different set of intentions and skill set that just would not interest younger children. Learning how to draw in perspective for example, is best learned after the age of 8 or even 9 because the child’s brain is ready to learn that concept and not before.

Sports camps are great for exercise, being outdoors and of course team building. They do foster a sense of group collective but can be a poor choice for the noncompetitive, introverted, or shy type. Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Drama camps will give them opportunities for growth, foster self esteem, improve skills in problem solving and still give them an opportunity to succeed at something in a noncompetitive way. Team building happens in a very different way within the context of an art show or a performance at the end of the camp week. It gives the child a chance to shine and parents a chance to praise.

Listening to your child’s desires should always be the first step in summer camp planning.

Lauren Renzetti , is Assistant Director of Art Works Art School , Chair of Program Development and also  an Instructor. This mother of two understands how challenging it is make everyone happy. Art Works has over 60 camps this summer with a wide variety of themes and age groups.

to get more information on children’s classes click here 

(this article appeared in The Canadian Unitarian, volume 55, number 1,  Spring 2013)

As a visual artist and a Unitarian, I wanted to stamp messages in a spiritual context, with an icon. For me, the Virgin Mary was possible, tangible, and real.

The Mary Installation at Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Toronto consists of 9 groupings of framed prints, printed on a variety of papers, in various colours. These hang in the main sacred space, the “wiggle room” (for young children and nursing mothers, with a view of the sacred spaced, and audio from the sermon piped in), as well as the hallway.

The installation includes a print that measures 11 feet, with 10 Mary images on it. I initially planned to create 10 images all on one large piece of paper with the bible’s 10 Commandments written below, but I found the Commandments too negative. As Unitarian Universalists, we have seven main Principals. Some of them speak to more than one aspect of living well. I decided to take the essence of these Principals to create 10 practices, for viewers’ consideration:

Be Fearless–Express Yourself

Belonging–Find Your Community

Heed–Learn To Listen

Love–Cherish All Around

Go Deeper–Search for Truth

Think–Use Reasoning and Change Your Mind

Respect–Democracy Can Work

Faith–Keep Grace Present iI Your Life

Peace–All Life Is Truly Interconnected

Equality–All Life Is Equal

Along the broad staircase walking up to our sacred space, hangs another 11-foot panel in black and greys, with spiritual practices printed around the edges:

Practice

Acceptance

Compassion

Love

Truth

Forgiveness

Tolerance

Justice

Liberty

World Peace

Spirituality

Practice

As a printmaker, one of my influences is the silkscreens of Pop artist Andy Warhol. Warhol used bright, complementary colours to make his celebrity portraits vibrate. In my Mary print series, I played with analogous and complementary hues. The ritual of making was also important: more than 450 times, I rolled ink onto Mary’s image and burnished her onto paper. Most of the prints are layered reductions (material from the printing block is carved away between colour applications on a single print); each print contains four or more colours.

Growing up, my experience of traditional religions was very black and white, with no room for my ideas. It seemed to me I was being told what to believe. I was impressed with Unitarian Universalism’s invitation to come up with my own practice–how it allowed for individuals’ shades of religion and spiritual paths.

The words in my titles speak of Mary’s many faces. She’s described in much liturgical/academic writing as the first disciple and first saint. She was Mary, the poor human mother, the Mother of God, and has been depicted as belonging to a multitude of races, around the world. In this installation, Mary also speaks through me, through my art. Her words are not specific to any one religion. They remind, elevate, and encourage the growth of the human race.

If you would like them in your home, church, or congregation, please contact Lauren

These works can be viewed by clicking here

This summer I ran an artist’s retreat at Unicamp. The purpose was to sit in nature, and draw or paint our surroundings; trees, rocks, water, plants, clouds, and sunsets. Taking a week to do on location painting was on my list of things to do after learning about the Group of Seven. The Group of 7 used paint boxes that could hold only 3 wooden panels and paints. Once those 3 panels were done they would be done painting for the day.  In all I have read about the Group of 7, I knew there could be Magic and Wonder.  They spoke about God and the spirituality trees exuded. I accepted their theories,  hoping we would tap into that Wonder, that Magic.

Before this retreat I did not really believe God was found by painting in the wild. I was amazed at how easy it was to find the Divine Spirit. After the initial demonstrations time was irrelevant. Nature became our only focus. Sessions lasted three or four hours but felt like a few minutes. This happened every session. The session ended when the work was done. We lived in the Now completely.

You would think 12 hours a day of painting would be tiresome but this was not the case. At the end of the week I felt rejuvenated, more connected to the world around me, more grounded. I now understand why these artists would sacrifice time from their families and all the luxuries of urban life; to be out in the woods  painting- to be one with the world, experiencing the Wonder and Magic of the Now around them.

September 2012

click here to view more Plein Air Works