Mini-Masters Art Program is on the move

A Laval resident for many years, Mrs. Hoadley is founder and current director of the Mini-Masters, an afternoon art program that has captivated the imagination of elementary school children in five schools of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board in the last few years.

"Our approach is quite simple," says Mrs. Hoadley, "We are convinced that most human beings have undiscovered talent and that all it takes for some of this talent to emerge is an opportunity for self-discovery," she adds, citing the tens of dozens of art pieces produced through the Mini-Masters Art Program by children at Genesis, Jules Verne, Saint Paul, Saint Vincent and Terry Fox schools.

The Mini-Masters Art Program does more than bring art to children, it also brings children to art, offering them highly-effective ways and means by which to get in touch with their artistic hearts and souls.

"It's never too early to respond to the messages that come from children as young as two or three, regarding their desires to paint, sing, dance, or simply to engage in creative play," Mrs. Hoadley, mother of three, explains.

Too often, she says, adults are quick to respond to a child's wish to play sports, but much slower in seizing the day when it comes to other types of interests such as art or music.

"Not everyone is cut out to kick or throw a ball or hit it with a bat or racket and not every child even wants to go near a hockey rink except to skate around because it's just plain fun," she says, adding that too often children are pressured into certain pursuits and dissuaded from exploring others.

"After all," she says with an air of no-nonsense realism and common sense, "why can't children be encouraged to both play soccer and depict on canvass how, why, when, and with whom they share the love of the sport. And if the child prefers to draw or write about baseball, tennis or hockey instead of playing these games, what's wrong with that?"

Not much, it could easily be said, especially when one thinks of all the young people who eventually drop out of organized sports programs because they no longer have any fun playing.

And there's more. The Mini-Masters Fine Arts Program is now on the move to attract other like-minded art and music lovers who would enjoy spreading their talents to others. "Besides bringing art and guitar directly to schools for lunch and in after school programs, Mini-Masters also offers 'Think outside the box - lunch and learn' programs for offices and corporations and art therapy for retirement communities," says Mrs. Hoadley.

"We will be very pleased to welcome Laval residents who might be interested either in a franchise or future employment with existing franchises," says Mrs. Hoadley who'll be at the show herself. If you would like to meet her, she'll be very pleased to meet you. You can get more information by calling her at (514) 779-9351 or by visiting the Mini-Masters website at www.minimasters.ca

Photo: Mini 1

(Photo: Martin Alarie)

Photo:Mini 2

(Photo: Martin Alarie)