BY SYDNEY HOOVER
The Eudora High School art program recently received a $1,000 donation from the Lawrence Art Guild to help fund classes.
Eudora was one of seven school districts in Douglas County that received donations from the guild to fund art programs.
“It’s already taken a good move and I think as time goes on this can only increase with the interest of the students,” said Lawrence Art Guild President Maria Martin. “It’s turning out to be a good benefit for the students, the schools and then the community as a whole.”
The guild’s High School Gifting program began in 2017 and benefits art students in public high schools throughout Douglas County. Martin said much of the funding comes from artists who become members of the guild and donations received during events the guild hosts.
Eudora art teacher Austin Lauxman said the first year he received the grant, it caught him off guard, but since then he has used the funds to purchase new equipment for his classes.
Last year, Lauxman purchased a camera for his classes so he wouldn’t have to continue borrowing cameras from other teachers in the school.
He said he has not considered what he will use this year’s donation for, but said he has an interest in starting a new class in the next few years. He said the gift could help kick start a 3-D art class, such as ceramics or sculpture, which require a lot more supplies than his current 2-D classes.
“I think of that as what can we try that’s different or what can we do that we haven’t done or try something new,” Lauxman said.
Since beginning in the district around eight years ago, Lauxman said he’s seen the art programs across the district grow. Lauxman was hired initially to split his time between the middle and high schools, but now spends the full day with high schoolers. The middle school has its own art teacher now, as does the elementary school.
Lauxman said art classes give students unique critical thinking skills, as art often does not have “one right answer” the way other classes do, such as math or history. His students also said art acts as a way to think creatively outside of a traditional classroom setting.
“It’s very different so you get to express yourself more instead of just sitting in a classroom,” said senior Mason Hart.
Martin said in schools throughout the county, the donation has allowed programs to expand and add new equipment such as kilns or programs such as jewelry making. She said she hopes the guild will continue to give back to local schools and their art programs as well as to benefit local artists.
“In the future as the guild grows in what we do, we hope to kind of get more funding and more support so that we can continue this on into the future, which is our goal,” she said.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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