Waukesha South open art studio gives students opportunity to create

Published on: 7/22/2016

The room was quiet except for the hum of the pottery wheel and the soft sound of brush strokes. Each student was deep in concentration, working on a painting, drawing or clay sculpture.

It's the kind of atmosphere you might expect in a professional art studio, except this particular venue has younger, aspiring artists in mind.

The open art studio at Waukesha South High School lets students spend as much time as they want in the classroom to work on art projects they want to pursue during the summer.

Running for four weeks during summer school, the studio is open from 7 a.m. to noon, with students showing up whenever they feel like, and leaving when they feel they are done.

Art 'experience'

'I just saw a need,' said art teacher Tom Mancuso, who helped launch the summer program and runs the studio space during the summer.

The idea came about after Mancuso taught art classes during summer school for a few years, and saw a need to change the program. He went to the district and petitioned to return to the open studio concept that they had in the past.

'These kids haven't had experience being able to work on a project for any length of time,' Mancuso said.

During the school year, students working in a classroom get only 45 minutes 'to get mentally there' and work in the creative space that's available. But with the studio space, students are given the opportunity to work for hours on end, without interruption.

'I actually have time to do more things, make better pieces, make it more precise,' senior Cozette Hoenk said, 'I can spend my time and make bigger pieces, or more detailed ones.'

Daily attraction

Hoenk comes into the studio almost every day to work. She likes ceramics and has been working on pieces thrown on the wheel during the last few weeks. Having more time is a particular benefit when working with clay, which has multiple steps — drying, putting a handle on, carving, firing, glazing — that take time, she noted.

And many of the other 20 or so kids who signed up for the studio come every day. Most of them have taken art classes throughout their years at high school and are highly interested or motivated in the subject, Mancuso said.

One student, sophomore Dylan Vukich, is even taking an art class during the studio time, so he can advance and open up his schedule during the fall.

Because of the limited space in the classroom, signing up is required with a cap around 27 or 28 students.

'I want everyone to have their own space,' Mancuso said. ' If there are too many students, that's not possible.'

Within the classroom, there were distinct work stations. Friends or siblings sometimes set up near each other, but everyone in the classroom is supportive of one another. talking about their projects or a technique they've struggled with or going through photos and getting a second opinion.

'It's an oasis,' Mancuso said.

Teacher's artsy touch

Mancuso, who himself comes from an artistic background, has been teaching for almost 25 years, working at a few elementary and middle schools in the district before teaching at the high school.

He went to the High School of Art and Design, a prestigious visual arts school in New York, and went to a few different colleges before graduating with a bachelor's degree in education from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his master's degree in Visual Studies from Cardinal Stritch University.

'I tend to just go by instinct, impulse,' Mancuso said. 'Throw the spaghetti on the wall and see if it sticks. That's how I live my life.'

He directs the studio, but there is no concrete direction — students can explore the areas of art that interest them, whether that be photography, digital illustration, drawing or sculpture.

'They can explore concepts and the thought process,' Mancuso said. 'They can push ideas and add an intellectual component.'

It's one of the reasons the district is so supportive of the program, and of the arts in general. It advances the district's goals of developing higher-level thinking skills in students, and independent creativity has been shown to add value to any field one is looking to pursue, he said.

'Students need to be creative, and that's always been a value in this district,' Mancuso said.

This year, the art studio is free, with the district covering the usual $60 materials fee students have to pay when they sign up, making it even more open and flexible for all looking for something to do over the summer.

As it got closer to noon, students began cleaning up their stations, putting away paints and sweeping up clay scraps. A few had left already, taking one last look at their work before leaving, until they come back tomorrow.