LOCA conducts free, weekly art workshops at Glennwood House, a residence for special needs adults in Laguna Beach. Among the instructors is Valerie Gorrell who is noted for her ceramic art benches outside Laguna Beach Public Library. She's adjusted to teaching remotely for Glennwood. “It’s a struggle not to teach in-person, since the residents are so fabulous,” she said, “But I’m glad to teach online – I’ll do whatever it takes!”. Gorrell creates lesson plans with fellow LOCA teacher Jan Sattler. Project prototypes are created, one for the teacher, one for the classroom, and art supply kits are sent to each resident. The classroom has a big screen for all to watch, and the teacher leads each project step-by-step. “Our in-person classes could serve 25 residents, but we’ve capped it at 15 for the video-screen classes to allow for social distancing and reduce demands on the Glennwood staff person.” Gorrell said. “We’ve had to simplify the projects, but the residents have embraced the change, follow instructions perfectly, and have remained enthusiastic!” she exclaimed.
Students get personal guidance from Gorrell by holding their work up to the camera lens. Projects, such as character-shape cutouts, are designed to stir students imagination. “These are types of puppets that they can interact with,” she said. An upcoming project is fantasy fish, composed of a poster board cutout wrapped in silvery foil, and mounted on a wood dowel stick. Students will decorate the fish, using colored markers, in their favorite patterns. Gorrells’ friend Flo, a fellow teacher in Sacramento, will join in on the video and help teach. “That’s the great thing about instructing online – the teachers can join in from anywhere!” she said.
