Polk County Middle School rising sixth grade student, Clara Monts,

recently completed the Mini Masterpiece Art Camp with visual arts instructor Laura Mitchell.

The three-day intensive camp was held in Ms. Mitchell’s private art studio in Asheville, N.C. Ms. Mitchell’s credentials include over 20 years of visual arts education with 13 years in the public schools. She serves as a board member for the North Carolina Art Education Association. Ms. Mitchell was named the North Buncombe District Teacher of the Year in 2014.

She recently was the recipient of the Beatie Foundation’s Go Global Award which allowed Ms. Mitchell to travel to South Africa last month. The Beatie Foundation selected a group of 25 educators from across the state of North Carolina, with the goal of building global connections through education.

Ms. Mitchell put her experiences into practice with her art camp students, guiding them through projects using a variety of mediums including acrylic painting on canvas, oil pastel/watercolor resist, relief printmaking, and ceramics.

For more information on the programs Ms. Mitchell offers to students in the western North Carolina area, please contact her via email flyingwiththebirds@gmail.com or find her on Facebook at “Art Camp with Laura Mitchell.”

– article submitted

by Mary Thomas