Laurie Cave, resident artist at St. Matthew School in Tyrone assists a student with a project.
Courtesy photo
Imagination is the basis for everything, according to Laurie Cave, resident artist at St. Matthew School in Tyrone. Cave is aiming to teach students in preschool through fifth grade just that.
Cave was born in Tyrone, but moved with her parents to Clarion when she was 9 years old. Art has always been a part of her life because she grew up with an art education professor for a father and a costumer for a mother. In 1982, she and her husband returned to Tyrone with the intention of putting down roots.
“We were looking at the map (wondering) where are we going to settle,” said Cave. “I said ‘Oh, Tyrone! I used to live there.’ So we came back to Tyrone, and it just felt right.”
Long before she started her residency with St. Matthew School, Cave was contributing to the artistic community. While she began to get reacquainted with her old community in 1982, Cave noticed something very troubling about the area relating to her artistic background.
“When we moved to Tyrone, there was not a community theater. I said I can’t live here if there’s no community theater,” said Cave. “So, I put an ad in the paper, and that’s when all these wonderful people answered and we started the Tyrone Community Players, and it’s still going.”
Resident artist Laurie Cave teaches two classes at St. Matthew School in Tyrone; one for preschool-aged children and the other for kindergarten through fifth grade.
Courtesy photo
This was just the first step in her endeavors to bring art and expression to Tyrone and surrounding areas. While working with the Tyrone Community Players, she received a phone call from the Tyrone Area High School principal who said that the school board was planning to vote on ending the art program.
“My father was an art missionary. I’m an art missionary,” said Cave. “I couldn’t have this.”
Cave was determined to make sure that the art program at Tyrone Area School District survived. She traveled to Harrisburg to meet with the Department of Education and sat in on workshops to learn how to write a grant.
“So I wrote a grant for a three-year program to prove that an art portfolio was a vocational tool,” said Cave.
That grant earned her $400 to restore the art program. However, on the first day of class, only two students were present. She shared with those two students the benefits of an art class. They spread the word, and she ended up with 32 students in her class.
“It was just … great. Well, see, if you put art into the equation it’s always going to be great,” said Cave. “They all found a creative voice, and that is the whole purpose of art. It’s to express yourself.”
After some time teaching at the high school, Cave wanted to get back to her roots and create her own art. She then received a call from Steve Stoner, educational enrichment instructor at St. Matthew School.
“So I was doing costumes for the plays and Steve Stoner was teaching at the Grier School. And when they needed a costumer out there, he called me,” said Cave. “So I went out there and I did costumes for a bunch of shows. Dr. (Douglas) Grier asked me if I would teach it. So, 27 years later, I retired from Grier School.”
During her time at the Grier School, Cave taught different art classes. She taught costuming, stagecraft, oil painting and screen printing. She then retired due to personal reasons. She was not able to be in the classroom for a long period of time.
“I had to leave teaching,” said Cave. “I just couldn’t be in the classroom for any length of time. So, I retired, and I wasn’t ready.”
After some time had passed, Cave received another phone call. Again, it was from Stoner. This time, with another offer she could not refuse.
“Steve said let’s do a small residency up at St. Matt’s,” said Cave. “Just two days a month. It was like ‘Yes!’”
Now, Cave is a resident artist at St. Matthew School. She teaches two classes; one for preschool-aged children and the other for kindergarten through fifth grade. The students were not confident in their abilities at the start, but Cave has changed that for them by letting them do one thing — scribble.
“It was so hard to get them to do that,” said Cave. “They were so out of their comfort zone.”
Now, after letting them scribble and express themselves, the students look forward to their art lessons each month.
“I love it when Mrs. Cave comes to our school,” said Rory McManigal, fourth grade student. “It feels great when I see that I can do something new and have fun.”
And it is not just the students who are excited about her visits. Cave says that this program has given her a purpose after retirement.
“They’re just lovely kids,” said Cave. “It’s just changing the attitude of art. Get away from commercially printed stuff and let your kids have blank paper and crayons … and just let them express themselves.”
Parents and teachers are also excited about what Cave can teach their children.
“With Laurie’s monthly visit, we are able to offer our students an art enrichment experience every two to three weeks, which is very exciting,” said Stoner.
While Cave believes she is just in the right place at the right time, she does hope that her love of art and expression will spread throughout the community.
“I hope that all these little communities that have these little pods of kids. … I just hope that they are enabling these kids with materials so that they can also find their own art voice,” said Cave, “not be directed by a teacher or grown up, but just find their own voice.”
