by Kyla Hunter, Artist and CWF Supporter
Anyone who has ever explored their artistic side knows that when you draw something, you understand it better. In order to successfully represent the intricacies of the subject, you have to study it and become invested in the details of its existence. When you’re bringing a concept, real or imagined, to life on paper, you familiarize yourself with it. And everyone knows that the more you seek to understand something, the more you can appreciate it.
I think most little kids like to draw. I know I did – I still do. I would spend hours digging through my box of crayons and inventing new creations to scribble out on endless papers that are still stored away in huge boxes in my attic.
As I grew up and my interests began developing in other areas of my life, I realized the significant impact that art had on my life. My favorite subject to draw is nature, and through the medium of pencil and paper, I connected more deeply to my surroundings. This feeling is what inspired me to give free art lessons at my library.
My name is Kyla Hunter and I am a junior at Mountain Lakes High School in New Jersey. I have always enjoyed teaching my younger cousins how to draw. Seeing the feeling of accomplishment in their eyes when they finished their piece of art always brought me joy. This is how I got the idea to start a program to teach art to children on a larger scale.
From April to August of this year, I gave weekly art lessons at my local library to children grades K6. For the theme of the lessons I thought there was no better subject than endangered animals. Not only do kids love to draw animals, but I saw an opportunity to raise awareness about the environment in a way that is fun and engaging. Each week, I chose three new endangered species and planned out the lessons to include interesting facts about all of the rare species.
The art lessons were free but I created signs and set up a donation box at my library. I recommended a $5 donation to Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, informing parents and students each week of the important work the organization does. In the end, we raised almost $100 for CWF.
I am extremely pleased that I decided to start Draw for a Cause. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to see children excited over what new animal we were going to draw, marvel at surprising facts and surprise themselves with their artistic success.
I hope to continue the art lessons again sometime in the future.