The Art Of Teaching Art

The Museum Art School at the Vero Beach Museum of Art is one of the largest, museum-based, continuing education programs in the state. Serving some 1,800 students each year, the program invites a growing number of residents to discover the depth and breadth of its curriculum and have fun doing it.

Art students from beginner to advanced find their place in the studios and classrooms, armed with brushes and pallets, colored pencils, canvases, cameras and other specialized supplies. There they learn under the tutelage of experienced artists and teachers who demonstrate technique, coach and encourage, and, above all, allow the creative forces within each student to find form. As longtime teacher Kim Weissenborn put it, “They [the students] are so free and have wonderful ideas, yet have no idea how good they are. They inspire me and make me a better artist.”

With enthusiastic teachers like Weissenborn, it’s no wonder the students flourish. Executive Director Lucinda Gedeon adds, “Students never have to feel threatened even if they come as a beginner and find themselves in a slightly more advanced class. The teachers are very amenable to working with students at all levels and have been doing this for a long time.”