As schools head back into session over the next few weeks and teachers face uncertain professional futures I wanted to do a tribute post to a teacher that made a big impact in my life.
My art mentor Clay Verge and I
37 years ago an intern from St Leo College was plunked down in a hard to win situation: intern with no experience taking over for an art teacher injured in an auto accident, the school in it’s first year of integration with all the drama that came with that, and the facilities suffering from years of under funding. Did I mention the art department had zero money to spend on supplies?
This could have gone from bad to worse, but luckily for me and the other students, Clayton Verge was not only a gifted artist but a fantastic educator. Rather than just letting me and my classmates mark time for an hour in art class, he was determined to encourage each student’s talent and to instill an appreciation for art for those not so,… uh… gifted, despite the budget and surroundings.
That first year in Mr. Verge’s class, he had no money for supplies but he brought in cases of can lids from his second job at local can company (even then teachers needed a couple of jobs to make ends meet!) Mr. Verge showed us some of the fantastic mobiles by Alexander Calder, got us thinking about balance, symmetry, color and put us to work with those can lids, some house paint, sticks and string. http://calder.org/work/period/1953-1976.html
Calder I wasn’t, but I looked forward to that one hour of art class every day. I was hooked on this art thing.
Art became a passion and a refuge through my teen years and I eventually went on to art school and studied advertising design. I have been fortunate in adulthood to work in the graphics business doing things I enjoy and to have a sense of fulfillment that using your skills and talents brings.
This past week, I got together with Verge over at his studio The Art Asylum in Hudson. He has recently retired after running an award winning art program at Hudson High for decades. Clay has nurtured and encouraged thousands of students over his career and told me of some who went on to be art directors at television networks, ad agency designers, fine artists and scores like me who took what he awakened and went on to make a career doing something we love .
Here’s to educators like Clay Verge, who make the world a better place, one student at a time!
The Art Asylum
12835 US 19 South
Hudson, FL 34667
727-868-2659
artasylum2@verizon.net
