BUTTE — School is out for the summer, but for a group of intrepid high school artists in Butte, it's just the beginning of a nine-week lesson on creating different art forms as they embark on a journey of self-expression and personal identity in the Clark Chateau's high school summer internship program.
"Art can be the voice that you don’t—like, you can’t use. You know? It’s a good way to speak up about issues or about, like anything really," says Vaida Giacomino, a 16-year-old heading into her junior year at Butte High School.
This story is personal for me, as I was lucky enough to be asked to teach the Chateau’s first lesson focusing on the use of portraiture as a means of self-expression.
At the end of the lesson, I gather with students in the gallery as we look over the portraits they shot.
"So pick your best shot and I promise you there’s one that is better than all the rest," I say as the students scroll through their images.
"I mean, sometimes you have to kill your babies."
The comment evokes shock from at least one student and laughter from others. I explain that the phrase refers to an editing technique. I tell the class that sometimes artists consider all of their work as precious babies, but in order to produce your best work, you have to be a ruthless editor. It's a concept I learned when I began my career in photojournalism almost 25 years ago.
"I think it’s really important to give teenagers, especially in Montana as a whole and especially in Butte, access to resources where they can explore their interests, their personal identity," says Christine Martin, the curator of the Clark Chateau Museum.
"With art, this is something we can do for the rest of our lives. It’s not something we do in just high school or college so we can continue to grow and express ourselves and we can change things, hopefully with the art," says Kieran Scarff, a 17-year-old artist who will be a senior at Butte High School in the fall.
"It's a great way for high school students to spend the summer here at the museum and explore different forms of self-expression. It’s really great for them, I think," says Martin.
This year’s summer internship program is full but Christine Martin, the curator of the Clark Chateau Museum, says there will be more educational options for teens in the fall.
