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At the Gallery
Some may look upon art education as an ancillary activity or hobby, but if you take a moment and look closely at the world around you, it becomes abundantly clear just how important the artist is in our society.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe second term Saturday art classes have commenced.

Saturday art lessons are offered throughout the year during the term from pre-school all the way to high school students, youth and adults are also part of the class.

The Saturday art class is a way of encouraging young artists to fulfil their dreams. It is because artists dream first and then express their visions through their art forms.

Only then do curatorial and other art professionals who believe in the artist’s vision begin to establish ways to make these dreams realities for us all.

This arts-integrated programme is associated with academic gains across the curriculum as reflected in standardised test scores, and they appear to have more meaningful impact on the achievement of struggling students than more conventional arts education programmes do.

In the Saturday art class, after a tiresome week full of solving mathematics equations children will refresh their minds, while learning to think creatively. With an open mind, children will learn to observe and describe, analyse and interpret.

They also learn to express feelings, with or without words, practice their problem-solving skills, as well critical-thinking skills and, art-making skills; language and vocabulary of the arts.

Children discovers that there is more than one right answer; that they are multiple points of view and above them all, arts introduces children to cultures from around the world, your kid can blossom and excel in the arts. Even children with physical, emotional or learning challenges can experience success in the arts.

Also art can build confidence because there is not just one right way to make art, every child can feel pride in his or her original artistic creations.

Researchers from the Michigan State University have found a very strong correlation between childhood engagement in the creative arts and measurable success later in life.

Children who were exposed to a wide variety of arts and crafts were more likely to create unique inventions that is worthy of patents, come up with ideas good enough to start a new company, or publish provocative papers on science and technology.

It is therefore up us to make sure that our children are part of the Saturday art class where students are given instruction in basic composition building skills, as well as an opportunity to explore familiar media in unfamiliar ways! Subject matter in all classes include drawing, painting, mixed media, three dimensional work, portraiture and print making.

The classes run during normal Zimbabwean school terms; January to April, May to August, and September to December.