The program allows a group of volunteers to visit Mt. Laurel’s young students at school for presentations and discussions on artwork, artists and techniques.
While September marks the return of thousands of students to Mt. Laurel’s schools, it also marks the return to work for one small group of volunteers dedicated to assisting with the district’s art education.
Every year through the “Parade of Artists” program, a group of about 15 volunteers meets several times a month from September to January to educate themselves and one another about art.
With their interest in art and a desire to bring that interest to students across the district, volunteers use their meetings as workshops to study artists, artwork and styles of art, as well as creating hands-on lesson plans for the students in younger grades at the elementary school level.
Once the areas of focus are decided and lessons are developed, starting around January the volunteers will visit art classrooms throughout the district and present their knowledge to students in short, hands-on lessons for the day.
One volunteer with the program is retired Larchmont art teacher Diane Canzanese.
Rather than just “retire and ride off into the sunset,” Canzanese said the program provides her and other volunteers the ability to educate the children of the township.
As someone who served on each side of the program, first as a teacher in the classroom and now as a volunteer, Canzanese said she was always impressed to see people volunteering so much time and effort to making the program work successfully.
Canzanese said although students might first hear about the upcoming Parade of Artist presentations and think they wouldn’t be as fun as their normal hands-on lessons such as painting or sculpting, students would soon find themselves mistaken.
“It never was that way with the Parade of Artists,” Canzanese said. “They would have some sort of hands-on lesson, or kids would be called up to the front of the room or something would be passed around. It was always interactive and they had good lesson plans.”
Canzanese said the program also helps bring those with different perspectives on art into the classrooms, even if just for a short time.
“While hopefully I (as a teacher) was a good influence, but it’s always good to see someone else,” Canzanese said.
While Canzanese and several other volunteers happen to be former teachers, she also notes that’s not a requirement of the group, and anyone with an interest in the subject and the time to volunteer is welcome to join.
“A lot of our volunteers are just interested in the subject and they enjoy interacting with the kids,” Canzanese said.
For additional information on the program, contact volunteer Linda Jacobs at (856) 439–1410.
“They (volunteers) are doing a good deed for the community and we are always looking for new members,” Canzanese said.
