Category: Opinions
VISUAL MANNA ACADEMY ART TRAINING AND MISSION TRIPS
Be Bold, Be Original, Be Excellent!!!
Visual Manna Art Academy
This is a new 20 hour high school art class that can be taken online or locally as an art intensive. Students get to take two art mission trips as part of the class. We also will be offering an English Literature and Journalism class.
Each 2 hour class includes ten exciting power points with lesson plans and one hour of instruction in technique and media. Each of the 10 lessons includes approximately two hours of independent study. We will help you put your digital art portfolio or writing portfolio together, we will help you get free lance work, we will arrange two mission trips where you will get hands on experience and you will have an optional opportunity for AP credit starting 2018. You can take the class online, or arrange for a group of 15 students to take the class at a local facility. Email me at visualmanna@gmail.com for more information. Check out these free lessons by Sharon Jeffus. Another goal of the art class it to be able to teach younger children using Visual Manna materials.
Lesson topics include the elements of art, the principles of art, the psychology and use of color in art, illustration, composition and design, sculpting, creating logos and ads, graphic art on the computer, photography and film making, comic strip art and animation, animals in art, landscapes in art, architecture and landscape architecture and set design, prop design, and costume design. Ask to see a sample lesson including power points, etc.
You can start anytime….Online or arrange a group locally of fifteen students or more. Excellent opportunities exist for internships at Christian ministries or business upon completion of program. I will help students get required work for the Governor’s School, optional AP credit (starting in 2018), or scholarships. They will create an excellent digital portfolio with our help. We can also help students to pursue free lance work. We will arrange two mission trips where you will get hands on experience. To reiterate students can take the class online, or arrange for a group of 15 students to take the class at a local facility over a one-week period.
Art is a powerful tool in communication of the gospel. Many students are gifted in the visual arts but have not had the training and experience to use it effectively and with confidence in their churches and communities, and especially when they go on mission trips to serve the Lord and communicate the gospel. Everyone knows the power of an image to convey truth. Art transcends language.
The slogan of Visual Manna’s new art program is “BE BOLD, BE ORIGINAL, AND BE EXCELLENT.”‘
Goals for the new Visual Manna Academy Art Program
1. Students will learn a variety of art techniques in different media and explore finding their own style and their favorite medium.
2. Students will complete 20 works of art that will be appropriate for their digital portfolio, college entrance, free lance work, or AP credit (optional, beginning in 2018).
3. Students will gain experience seeing their gifting in art used in a practical way by experiencing the opportunity to go on two mission trips that will be focused on creating art to use in ministry and encouragement.
4. Students will complete the program with 20 hours of online study and two weeks of practical use of their gifting (mission trips) in order to go into their communities and churches and use their gifting with confidence.
5. Students will cover graphic art programs using open source software and learn techniques in video, drawing, painting, sculpting, photography, graphic art, landscape architecture, architecture and costume design. When they choose their concentration they will choose their area of career interest.
6. Students will get a solid foundation in art history and the vocabulary of the arts.
7. Students will get a strong foundation in the elements and principles of art. Cost is $300.00 ( not including cost of missions trips, TBD by individual trip destination and necessary fees).
8. When graduating the program, Visual Manna will work to find students an internship that will further enhance their gifting with Christian companies and ministries.
To finish the class, students will be able to do at least two mission trips. We are working on different opportunities right now. On some of the mission trips, parents will be welcome to be a part of the experience. I am scheduling one with Chris Davis to Israel to do work for some ministries there, including murals, which is very exciting!
There are many benefits from the program for the student and the communities they will serve. Students will create educational beautiful spaces in Kansas City, MO and St. Louis, MO with sculptures and murals. They will create graphic art and work in illustration, photography and film-making for their professional portfolio. Students will receive my teaching programs to use, and my paint party topics for outreach on missions and for use in their own communities. Students will gain confidence and leadership in art and learn how to use their gifting for the Lord.
When students finish class and two mission trips, internships are available. You can learn more about the internships here. It is our goal that students will be able to make money using their gifting in art.
The cost is $400 for the whole online class portion and you can pay in two payments. Siblings are $650 for two. The cost for the individual mission trips will vary by location and travel needed. Scholarships will be available if needed.
Contact Sharon for more information at visualmanna@gmail.com
Read more details about this new offering HERE.
Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. – Michelangelo
The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become. – Henry Martyn
Elizabeth – Our Prayer Warrior for Visual Manna
Be BOLD, Be ORIGINAL, Be EXCELLENT!
Educational Mission Trips
By Sharon Jeffus Copyright 2017
There is a new phenomenon in homeschool and Christian education that gives students the ability to learn a subject well and then reinforce their learning by putting it to use on the mission field. This year I am going to teach an advanced fine arts and graphic art course on an advanced high school level, and then give students the opportunity to use what they have learned and build their portfolio on two different week-long mission trips.
Art is a powerful tool in communication of the gospel. Many students are gifted in the visual arts but have not had the training and experience to use it effectively and with confidence in their churches and communities, and especially when they go on mission trips to serve the Lord and communicate the gospel. Everyone knows the power of an image to convey truth. Art transcends language.
The slogan of Visual Manna’s new art program is “BE BOLD, BE ORIGINAL, AND BE EXCELLENT.” Students will spend 20 hours online studying art techniques in media on an AP level. They can even work towards the dual credit. Then there will be eight mission trips where students will be given the opportunity to serve. Each mission trip will focus on creating beauty and uplifting the areas that they will be held in, and be part of a team effort assisting the present situation or ministry. They must complete two week long trips to complete the course. Students can choose from Kansas City, Ireland/Scotland, Israel, St. Louis, Ironton (Camp Penuel), Salem, MO, and more. On some of the mission trips, parents are welcome to be a part of the experience. Students will create educational beautiful spaces in Kansas City, MO and St. Louis, MO with sculptures and murals. They will create graphic art and work in illustration, photography and film-making for their professional portfolio. They will receive my teaching programs to use, and my paint party topics for outreach on missions and for use in their own communities. They will gain confidence and leadership in art and learn how to use their gifting for the Lord. You can email me at visualmanna@gmail.com for more information. Other educational mission trips are offered by https://www.facebook.com/MissionAdventuring/.
Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. – Michelangelo
The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become. – Henry Martyn
Teaching Art in the Homeschool Environment
I recently had an article published in The Old Schoolhouse. I think you will really enjoy it! Included in the article are reasons why art is an important part of homeschooling, coloring, art as a catalyst, neatness, art and learning styles, art supplies, lesson goals, exploring master works of art and other ways to learn art. Click here to see the full article.
My Podcast & New Weekly Program Preview
I had the amazing opportunity to share in a podcast recently. This link to the podcast below is to a presentation on teaching art at home that I pray will be an encouragement and that you will get some new ideas about teaching your kids art at home:
I also want you to preview this NEW learning opportunity for your kids. Every week you can receive a lesson that will include art techniques and vocabulary, literature and music. It is multi-level for different ages and your visual and kinesthetic learners will love it. It includes websites to go for further exploration and also to videos you will enjoy. UPDATE: WE HAVE DECIDED TO POSTPONE THE LAUNCHING OF OUR WEEKLY LESSONS UNTIL A LATER DATE [POSSIBLY FALL 2015]. THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR OUR OTHER PRODUCTS AND OFFERINGS THROUGH THE LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
Younger students and older students will have a new art, music and literature lesson every week. Our sample lesson from week 1 is about the swan and is for you to get a feel for our teaching style. We will see master art by Audubon and several other great artists and learn about atmospheric perspective and drawing a swan, listen to “Swan Lake” and learn how to draw a ballerina and draw athletes in action. Also, we will watch and listen to Disney’s “Swan Lake” dancing hippos and take a look at the real hippo Jessica. Then we will look at the wonderful poem by Yeats “The Wild Swans at Coole” and also the great short story “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Anderson.
You can CLICK HERE to sign up for MY NEWSLETTER so you don’t miss the link to access the course content by subscription when it comes out. When you sign up for the newsletter, you also get access to our FREE Bible Art Camp Day One 20 page guide with FIVE Projects too! We are rolling this new program out at a date TBD for a low monthly fee of only $7 per month! Please also pray for Visual Manna as we try to use the arts to glorify God and encourage others in creative ways. Thank you! Join us on Facebook too!
Why Teach Art? Our Opinion in a Nutshell.
Art is very important! It is visual communication. It develops fine motor skills, encourages creative thinking and originality and effects our everyday life in profound ways. Understanding how visual communication influences nearly everything we do rests, I believe, in teaching students to have a good understanding of the elements and principles of art and how these are used in master art throughout the ages along with an understanding of a variety of techniques in media. All of this can be taught if each lesson if approached holistically. Which is why, by the way, Visual Manna exists! To bring that holistic approach is a format that is fun to learn and easy to teach.
Please check out all of our offerings!
FREE Video Lessons – sample our educational style
What are Characteristics of a Good Art Teacher? Four Qualities
1. A good art teacher wants you to learn something new about art and have fun doing it. This includes the elements and principles of art, techniques (how tos), and art appreciation.
2. A good art teacher makes you feel comfortable and encouraged practicing self-expression.
3. A good art teacher wants you to explore your hidden talents while gaining a new appreciation of art and the role it plays in the world around you and how it relates to the core subjects.
4. A good art teacher strives to have students that produce work in each class that is unique. They want you to be able to think for yourself and make decisions and put a work of art together that belongs to you the student. A good art teacher does not want you to be afraid of failure, but have the tenacity of an inventor. It is ok to fail, the next attempt may be spectacular. In other academic core classes, there is usually only one right answer. But in art the ability to think for yourself can not only prepare you for success in your other classes, but in your future life.
Please check out our other offerings too!
Educational Products [ Ebook and Powerpoint Formats]
Hard Copies and CDs of Visual Manna Products from Rainbow Resources
FREE Video Lessons – sample our educational style