(Cherry Simmons viewing one of this year’s Town and Country Entries)
photo by Jim De Young
Cherry Simmons, longtime art teacher at West Central High School, will be speaking to the members of OFTA (Old Friends Talk Arts) on Wednesday, April 9th at 10:00 a.m. at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in downtown Monmouth. Her topic is “The Importance of Art Instruction in the Schools.”
Ms. Simmons is a graduate of Monmouth College, an artist in her own right, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Buchanan Center. Her presentation is keyed to support and discuss the fortieth annual BCA Town and Country Art Show which will be running from April 5-May 3 in the main gallery.
It is a given that people who have seen the walls of the Buchanan Center covered from floor to ceiling with over 500 art works by students from area schools are exhilarated by the sight. Art provides many benefits to young and old, but the thrill of seeing your work on display in a real art gallery is one that is very special to children and young people. Ms. Simmons will draw on her years of teaching experience to look at why this might be so and why art training is so important in the overall scheme of quality education.
OFTA was founded to provide stimulating arts related programming for senior citizens, but it is always free of charge to anyone of any age with an interest in the fine or performing arts. Programs occur regularly on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. Refreshments are always served. OFTA is partially supported by grants from the Buchanan Center for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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