Kent City — Emerson Harding can remember exactly what he thought when he walked into Kent City Elementary’s remodeled art room at the start of this school year.
“I thought it was definitely five stars,” the second-grader said, pointing out his favorite new features of the room, like new tables and textured flooring. “It looks way different than last year, and it just looks so cool and beautiful. … I color all the time, and (the new space) helps make me happy.”
Emerson and all the students at KCE are enjoying a bright, airy new art room after an extensive construction project over the summer. The down-to-the-studs renovation transformed the space from what was originally built as a high school “home ec” classroom in 1951 into a modern elementary art room where students can create to their hearts’ content.
“Oh my gosh — this was much needed,” said art teacher Melissa Anys, who helped the district design the new space and choose materials and colors. “It was literally the last to be redone, the oldest (classroom) in the district. The fact that I don’t have hodgepodge stuff anymore — it just makes a difference having quality materials.
“The kids and I are just so excited. Honestly, it kind of looks too new, and we can’t wait to make it messy. Messy means we’re really working hard in here.”
Anys had been making do in the old room with immovable furniture, worn-out cabinets and “the smell of cooked food embedded in all the wood,” she said, a relic from its life as a home economics classroom. Storage was poorly laid out and didn’t always work for art supplies.
In the newly renovated room, Anys said, students can access materials with ease thanks to an updated, organized layout. Furniture is movable, there’s more counter space and work space, electrical outlets are in convenient locations, and the sinks are equipped with clay traps to not ruin the plumbing.
Anys described its atmosphere as “calming, yet energizing … a perfect balance for productive artistic work.”
“The space feels intentional and has neatly arranged stations that guide students toward good artistic habits,” she said. “Every tool and supply has a clearly designated home, allowing students to independently gather what they need, and reinforcing the importance of cleaning up after themselves.”
A Community that Values Art
Superintendent Bill Crane said the art room renovation has been on the district’s radar for several years. They were able to make it happen this summer largely thanks to money from the district’s sinking fund. In addition, donations from the community through KCE’s walk-a-thon contributed approximately $17,000 for new tables and chairs.
“It’s exciting to see that vision finally become a reality,” Crane said. “We are truly grateful to be part of such a generous and supportive community that continues to invest in our students and schools.”
‘Honestly, it kind of looks too new, and we can’t wait to make it messy. Messy means we’re really working hard in here.’
— art teacher Melissa Anys
Anys said the renovation sends a clear message to her students: that people care about the art room, the lessons that are taught there, and art itself.
“I think subconsciously, when you go into an old room that’s kind of icky, smells kind of funny, it feels like it’s not that important of a room,” she said. “Now I feel like (students are) even more proud of what’s coming out of this room, because they have such a nice space to create in. There’s a little more ownership, a little more value in what they’re doing. That’s a big deal.
“It shows that everyone that made this happen thinks it’s super important that these kids are learning and being creative problem-solvers, and just blossoming into the little people that they are.”
Demolition Discovery
During demolition and renovation of the KCE art room, workers discovered plenty of artifacts from what was originally a 1950s-era high school home economics classroom. Some of teacher Melissa Anys’ favorites include:
• Test papers from the “Betty Crocker Search for American Homemakers of Tomorrow,” dated 1971 and labeled “for 12th grade girls only”
• A Nixon/Agnew pin from the 1968 presidential campaign
• An undated card detailing the nutrition information for a half cup of green peas
• The manufacturer’s card from the woodworking company in Chicago that built the original cabinetry
Anys plans to put some of these treasures in a shadow box and hang it in the new art room as “a little homage to what it once was,” she said.
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