How to Teach Your Kids Art and Why

​Last night I had the privilege to drive down to Buchanan, VA for a presentation on the artist Edward Beyer by the Botetourt County Historical Society. It was quite well-attended. On the left is one of his pictures of the Natural Bridge in Virginia. Displayed were prints from his "Album of Virginia" (see picture on the right) and the Natural Bridge is one of many. Unfortunately, the colors here look washed out, but it is not really like that. The colors are much more vibrant.

Edward Beyer was born in Germany in 1820 but spent a few years in Virginia depicting in his paintings the Antebellum South. He was a graduate of the Dusseldorf Academy of Art. Virginians would recognize many of the places he painted, but one of the things I found intriguing was his paintings are like a snapshot of Virginia life then (1856-1857) of places that are familiar to us today and yet not.​

​It is so easy to give your kids an education in art. This event was free and I went home with a book about Beyer and his paintings (of course!) Have a conversation with the others present.  Have a conversation with your children about what they learned or what stood out to them.  By talking to someone who happened to be on the board of the historical society, I learned that the original painting they had on display had been restored (and rescued) because of a flood back in the '80s.  I had commented on how well-preserved the painting was considering its age and that is when I learned that it was indeed well-preserved as it had been through water up to the ceiling!

This little outing could be extended by having your children learn more about where the artist got his training and this particular style of very detailed art.  Maybe your children could imitate his style?

Why does it matter? Are your kids going to be an artist? Maybe not. But kids need knowledge of the world and this is one interesting way to do it. They need to make connections which only happens with lots of experiences, reading, and interactions with people and places.  Foster their curiosity.

In addition, we spent some time traipsing over the historical swinging bridge spanning the James River.  There is history behind this bridge, but that's for another day!