Mary McGlasson, an award winning multi-media artist, judge and teacher, has been drawing, painting and making “art” since early childhood. She attended The Art Institute of Southern California in Laguna for her formal training. Her art is included in private and public collections. For many years, Mary, who is in Special Education, has been providing art activities and lessons for children in the classrooms. She addresses them through personal teaching methods that have been refined over the last two decades. With the help of a Disneyland grant for supplies and materials, she has formed an after school Fine Arts Club for 4th, 5th and 6th grade children, and is currently donating her time and talent, along with occasional guest artists, to the very popular weekly sessions.
“ I am a fervent believer in the capacity of art to delight, inform and transform. Some children deny their creativity because they think it’s special and they’re not,” Mary pointed out. “They need to be made aware of their creative potential and understand that it’s an innate capacity for growth, and that it’s empowering. They also need to know that their creativity is the energy that allows them to view life as an opportunity for exploration, discovery and an expanding sense of self.”
