She's only 7, but Caleigh Prince doesn't have to think twice about what she wants to be when she grows up. "I want to be a cartoonist or an artist. I really like to draw and make-up cartoons." Now in grade 2 at Cottingham School, Caleigh has been taking art classes, at the Avenue Road Arts School since she was four.

In the Fine Arts Kindergarten, Caleigh developed this love of art and she has continued to show her enthusiasm by taking Mixed Media and Drawing classes. Mixed Media, she admits, is her favorite because she gets to experiment with all kinds of art materials. Drawing, however, has become her passion and her art teachers feel that she has developed an extraordinary dedication to art.

Caleigh thinks that she got her artistic talents from her grandfather, who is an artist. She makes sure to hang his art and her own art in her room. Because she doesn't get to do a lot of art at her regular school, when she's home she draws pictures on paper and on her computer. "I like to draw faces and I make up the bodies." When she's not drawing, she makes up art classes to teach her little sister the joys of art. "I teach her Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays."

Caleigh admits that being an artist is very hard work. However, she's determined to work at it. "I'm going to keep taking art classes until I think I'm too old", says an enthusiastic Caleigh.

When asked why she wants to be an artist, Caleigh answers, "because being an artist is very special. It makes people happy. Artists paint joy and people like to think of joy more than sadness." Her love of art beams from her. She smiles when she talks about art and when she creates art, everyone around her smiles.

Art Materials Can be Found
in the Strangest Places!

Sometimes art classes can lead to unexpected things. One day, after one of our Mixed Media classes, a 5 year-old girl returned home and then seemed to disappear into thin air.

Her parents searched high and low and finally, found her in their bedroom closet. The little girl was trying to convert her mother's shoes into a sculpture.

What these unsuspecting parents hadn't realized was, that in their daughter's Mixed Media class, the children were creating shoe sculptures, with old shoes, some of which were exhibited at the Bata Shoe Museum in October.

Isn't it wonderful that art can be created in the most unexpected places, using the most unexpected materials. So, next time you decide to throw something old out, ask yourself this question - "What can I make out of this?" You may be surprised with the answer!

Kids Exhibit

The students in the Fine Arts Kindergarten classes, taught by Julie Frost, Koren Kassirer, Rachel Daley and Elizabeth Cancelli, are creating an art installation for the Milk International Children's Festival of the Arts 1999. The theme of the exhibit is Creatures of the Sky. Children will create birds, bats, bugs, mythical creatures, the sun, clouds, wind and other environmental elements. The exhibit will run from May 25 to 28 and can be seen in the West Corridor of the York Quay Centre at Harbourfront.

Kids Perform
The Thursday After School Drama Studio class
will be performing the play The Trials of Goldilocks.

Day: Thursday March 11, 1999
Time: 5:00 pm
Place: Shaw Hall in the First Unitarian Congregation
175 St. Clair Ave. West

Family and friends are welcome to come and see this free performance.