The daily Astorian., December 15, 2016, Page 9, Image 21

DECEMBER 15, 2016 // 9
PHOTO BY MIKI’ALA SOUZA
On Dec. 2, some Gray Alternative
High School students took an art
field trip to Clatsop Community Col-
lege to learn about printmaking and
create their own prints.
More info on the Miss Bea
Johnson Fund for Young Artists:
www.astoriavisualarts.org/
miss-bea-johnson-fund.html
PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER
Claude Kurtz, owner of Fernhill Glass Studio, assists Astoria High School junior Johnny Frost creating a piece of glass artwork Oct. 28.
Continued from Pg. 8
include a Clatsop County-wide
show of high school artists (keep
your eyes on the Coast Weekend
calendar for details); a bookbind-
ing workshop with fiber artist Iris
Daire; and a papermaking work-
shop with HiiH Lights artists Lâm
Quảng and Kestrel Gates. Students
also get, every Friday, a special
90-minute art lesson based on the
kinds of things they have specifi-
cally asked to learn and do.
The sponsors hope the program
will improve overall student per-
formance, not only in art. As Lisa
says, “Arts education can serve as
a critical link to student achieve-
ment and social development
in many areas. Research-based
evidence points to arts education
as a key influence in building
broad skills and competencies
in students, improving academic
performance, and creating a pos-
itive school culture. The program
has been very well-received so
far, and we hope to go back to the
community and to OCF for support
in order to continue it in the next
academic year. We have our fingers
crossed!”
Miki, who grew up in Hawaii
before visiting Astoria, says, “I
never planned to stay. I came out
for the summer and I just never
left — that was seven years ago!
People here appreciate the land and
community. That’s really what I
fell in love with.”
Maybe it’s also something about
nature’s amazing landscape that
attracts such great artists to the
North Coast. Or perhaps the secret
is community support for the arts.
PHOTO BY MIKI’ALA SOUZA
A high school student tries out
printmaking during a field trip to
Clatsop Community College’s art
department on Dec. 2.
PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER
Astoria High School junior Johnny Frost adds different colors of glass to his creation Oct. 28 at Fernhill Glass Studio.