Art Class

Art Class Gives Students New Life to Imitate:
It helps Lehigh County troubled juveniles see their potential.

The five students in Shawn Mazzatta's art class probably looked in a mirror that very day to apply makeup, comb their hair or adjust a hat. Now they were being asked to draw what they saw -- but without the help of a mirror or photograph. Mazzatta, a Baum School of Art teacher, wanted the students, ages 14 to 18, to draw self-portraits by looking inward, not out. "I wanted them to think about who they are," Mazzatta said. "It is an investigation into what makes me different, what makes me unique and an individual."

Through that exercise, Mazzatta and two Lehigh County juvenile probation officers hope the students will discover more about themselves, the world around them and their places in it. This spring, the Juvenile Probation Department and the Baum School entered into a partnership. Youthful offenders who could not afford art classes got a glimpse of their potential and gave authorities an opportunity to steer them on a different path.

For 10 weeks from April to early June, the young artists spent two hours every Wednesday in classes with Mazzatta, 31, who is in his fourth year of teaching at Baum . They learned about famous artists, eras of painting, shadows and light, techniques and textures.

But Mazzatta and probation officers hope the students learned a far greater lesson by respecting one another and themselves, and realizing each has the tools to succeed. "It is not just about art ," Mazzatta explained. "I think it's a basis for appreciating and understanding each other and teamwork and dedication."

When the probation department got federal funds through a Project Safe Neighborhood Grant, probation officers looked for innovative ways to use the money, which is targeted for prevention and intervention programs. Probation officers Shannon Semmel and Lacey Binkley noticed that the young people they supervised had an interest in art but no formal training. The officers spoke with Ann Lalik, director of educational programs and gallery exhibitions at the Baum School, about the possibility of offering classes to youthful offenders. Juvenile probation officers chose the students for the program. They were given credit toward community service hours for their participation. Lalik mentioned the program to Mazzatta, who seemed a natural choice to teach the class.

Mazzatta, who earned an undergraduate degree in art education from Kutztown University, teaches students ages 4 to 12, homeschooled children and mentally and physically challenged children and adults. He is one of the instructors in an inner-city neighborhood program with the Allentown School District and teaches adults at the Good Shepherd Home and children with disabilities at the Mercy Special Learning Center. He also holds an after-school program for children at Casa Guadalupe. Although the school has a financial aid program, many students like the juvenile offenders don't know about it, Lalik said.

Even though Mazzatta never had students on juvenile probation before, he was willing to try something new. He didn't quite know what to expect from the new group. Mazzatta remembered one of the boys sauntering into the classroom the first day. Wearing all black, he may have looked menacing. "Yo, teacher," the boy said, informing Mazzatta he had to leave early to run errands. To Mazzatta's surprise, the boy stayed the entire time. And he never missed a class. "I think that one class just got him," Mazzatta said. Semmel, who attended the classes with Binkley, said the students would bring their sketchbooks from home to show their classmates and would encourage and praise each other's work. The individualized attention "brought out all of this talent they had in them," Semmel said.

Instruction and materials were paid with the federal grant and the Baum School's scholarship fund. Mazzatta has a hands-on approach to teaching and believes it is more effective than lectures alone. He used the school's photography lab and clay room in his classes and blended information with discussions. "He was able to communicate with them on their level," Semmel said. "His teaching style was a good fit for them. "

Mazzatta keeps up-to-date with music, pop culture and things young people are interested in. "The kids think of me as this tall 5-year-old," he said. Lalik said she believed the program was successful because Mazzatta has the versatility to teach students of different ages and different levels of maturity. Mazzatta said he was impressed with how hard the students worked and their appreciation of his help. He didn't look at the boys and one girl in his class as juvenile delinquents. They were young people with a desire to learn. Most of the students had never worked with clay or painted on canvas. "They saw I was not there looking down on them or judging them in any way," he said.

The students' clay sculptures and artwork were on display in the Lehigh County Government Center lobby in Allentown from June 13 to last Friday. Juvenile probation officials hope to display it in other county-owned buildings and libraries. Semmel and Binkley will meet with Lalik and Mazzatta later this summer to talk about continuing the program. Semmel said the probation department would like to expand the program to include middle school children. Mazzatta said art brought together young people who didn't know each other and didn't know art. "It was a bridge that connected the kids, the school and education," Mazzatta said. "And they learned what they had within them."

For more information contact: debbie.garlicki@mcall.com, Phone: 610-820-6764