Gallery 37

Gallery 37
When I was in high school, I got the opportunity to study art at Gallery 37 after School Matters” The Center for the Arts”. Gallery 37 is located right in the heart of Chicago better known as down town area in Chicago. Gallery 37 has to be one of the smallest buildings in the down town area. I can still remember my first time walking to Gallery 37. There were so many homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk, random people asking me questions and, for so money. I didn’t know what to do and/or what to say to them, so I immediately walk away. As I was getting closer to the building, I had to try to get pass these group of people coming from their lunch break. When I was trying to get inside the door, I almost got knick down. I wasn’t the only person who almost gets knick down because I also saw it happen to others. As I was inside the building I began to feel so strange because everyone looked so different. There were so many different kinds of people in this building from race to gender. I felt unwelcome because the other students seemed to have built this small committee of artist. I didn’t know if I should go to class, or walk back out the front door. Those other student seemed to have more knowledge about art than I did. I wanted to leave this bright building, but I didn’t. I couldn’t just leave because I wanted something more; I wanted to learn about art, so I went to class.
The whole experience of Gallery 37 was a very emotional process. It made me start to feel like I shouldn’t become an artist, but I didn’t see and/ or speak the art languages. I didn’t commutate the way the other students did in my class. The students in my first A.P art class at Gallery mad me feel unwelcome. Besides that, I never had a variety of materials to work with. Once I began to take different classes in art, I felt more expressive. I never learned about art and the creation process of it indeed, creating sculpture was a new process to learn about. I felt like I could out expressive, create, and learn about art faster then those others student at Gallery 37.i felt like the best artist in the world however, I felt like I didn’t belong in this class. I was learning many things about sculpture that I never known before. I was experiencing a whole new ways to express myself. When I was creating my first sculpture, everyone else was looking at me so differently then at first. It was as if they saw a true talent in me. I was so happy I didn’t leave. I value my first experience in my sculpture class because I was around other student who wants to become an artist. I love my first real art lesson. I learned a lot from Gallery 37 such as, how to express myself and being different is okay.
Before I attendant Gallery 37, I could only express myself though drawing, painting, and collages. Never before having learned about 3D, I had a difficult time in the first few weeks. The first few days in my advance art class I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to ask questions, but everyone else around me was, so I just listen. Studying art at Gallery 37 was an inspirational time for me. Everything I experiencing made me felt like I was being born again into a new world where I was able to be different. The experience allowed me to be more open minded. I began to go to art exhibitions and meet people outside my race. I had finial gotten the experiences that made me a better artist. After some time, I was able to use different materials to manipulate different forms, textures and materials in my new world. Learning to do this allowed me to see that art can have different impacts on people lives. Art is communication. I learned that expressing my emotions through art was something I was good at doing. It was now something that I wanted to pursue as a career.
Having a career in art would allow me to techs other inspiring artist. I just don’t want to teach art; I want to be an ambassador for the fine arts. I learned a lot in the three years working with Gallery 37, but I've come to realize that art is slowly disappearing from the education system. I believe art can have a powerful impact on student’s life. I also believe that being able to express yourself through any form of art whether it’s visual and/ or performance arts however, the arts can change something’s, but not everything. Personally I believe having a career in art education would make a major difference. I believe if you want to become an educator you should have the skills, desire, passion and love for the arts. Not only that, but you should be able to teacher other students and/ or people about the history of art and the creative process of art. I have all the above: passion, desire, and the love for art. I would love to be a teacher.
Gallery 37 has changed me because before I just cared about art and now in love with art. Creating art is truly amazing. It is also one of the only things that has global domain. Art is universal. Art brings people of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions together. It’s truly amazing how art can change ones way of life. For me the change was so much more. It changed my life. It changed my whole reason to be simply Cordarice. Gallery 37 After School Matters has given me many opportunities to better myself. It has helped me finish high school, choose my career path, continue my education in college, and express myself in my work as an artist. Learning about art through Gallery 37 has taught me so much about what is means to be an artist. IF I never had art in my life I don’t know where I would be. Gallery 37 has change the way I one’s felt about life such as, school creation in my own art work, and dealing with my own personal issues. Looking back to when I was a self taught artist I never had the experience of being taught by professional artist