I created Art Horizons in 1993 after several years of teaching private art lessons and receiving multiple requests for group classes. At that time, my oldest child was in first grade at St. John the Evangelist School. I approached St. John’s principal, Sister Kathleen, about the possibility of starting an after school art enrichment program at St. John’s. With Sister Kathleen’s approval, along with the approval of Father Mahedy, I began Art Horizons and have expanded the program since its beginning at St. John’s.

St. John’s students grace our hallways with murals, paintings and portraits. Their art even brings a smile to Wheaton library patrons. And just who is responsible for this profusion of color and tone? Meet Stephanie Rico, art teacher for 4th through 8th grade. In addition to teaching during the school day at St. John’s, Mrs. Rico has developed an art after school program, Art Horizons.

As I tell my 4th graders, I always enjoyed art, however when I was in 4th grade, my next door neighbor (who coincidently was a student at St. John’s) taught me how to draw mermaids! I loved mermaids and this newly learned “talent” had me drawing mermaids everywhere! There were no artists in my family, but my Grandmother, who loved art, began buying me art supplies and art kits for birthdays and Christmas. When I was 10, I began taking classes with Constance Sullivan, an artist in my neighborhood who taught children in her home studio. When I was in 7th grade, my mother died and I turned to drawing as a sort of therapy. Drawing was something that made me feel relaxed and I could draw anywhere I was. My love for art continued and while in high school at Holy Cross, I had two wonderful art teachers, Sister Agnes Eileen and Miss Herson, who both saw my enthusiasm and “took me under their wings.”

When I went on to college, my choice of major was decided. I had a double major in Studio Art and Art History. I received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Maryland and began graduate school at Maryland, working on a Masters Degree in Printmaking. I then became interested in teaching and began taking education courses. Since then, I have continued to study Art throughout the United States, as well as in Paris, Rome and Kenya.

I love all the projects that I do with my students. With every project we work on, most students are excited and never cease to amaze me with their talent. I always love to see the student who claims to “make a mistake.” After studying the mistake and offering a little encouragement, many times the “mistake” magically points to taking the art in another direction…one that the artist had not originally intended. The final result turns out to be one of the student’s “best works ever.” Often students who go into middle school become frustrated when their art isn’t exactly as they plan it. I tell them to pretend like they’re in pre-school when they were finger painting and loving the sheer process rather than being overly concerned with the final product. We all tend to become too “tight” and have to remember how fun the process is and to “loosen up.” I also love to see when I do a demonstration and the students see something else in what I’m showing them and take their own art one step further. I always learn from my students!

Art Horizons is a visual arts instruction program for children in Grades 1-12. During the school year, it is a 6 or 8 week program where classes meet 1 ½ hours per week and students learn about art through experimentation in various art media as well as discussions on Art History. Art Horizons currently holds after school classes in three Montgomery County schools. The Art Horizons studio in Brookeville, MD also holds classes during the day for home-schooled students. During the summer, Art Horizons also holds half day art camps. The overall goal of Art Horizons is to introduce visual arts to children by encouraging media experimentation and having fun while creating.

I think that art opens your eyes to see the world differently and embrace and accept the many possibilities that can occur, no matter how awkward they may seem. Furthermore, the knowledge of art and the ability to create is the key to not only learning about one’s self, but also about life. Creativity can become a priceless tool in developing a healthy self esteem and with a healthy self esteem, a child can go anywhere. Studies have shown that creativity training can improve reading, writing, concentration, and logic.

The most important thing that a student should learn about art before he or she graduates from high school, in my opinion is not just the standard “crash course” in visual arts. What I hope that the student learns is a love of art of all cultures and keeping an open mind for all art. Learning to look at art can open your eyes to the world around you. I often tell my students that each one of them is talented. One may not be the best in drawing, but perhaps has an eye for color or design. Everyone should always enjoy the process. Yes, it’s great to end with a beautiful product, but enjoying the process of creating is so important. I also tell my students that God created each of us as an individual. Therefore, their art should not look the same as my art or another student’s art. If they wanted their art to look exactly like my art, they could take a photograph (another type of art and then another story…). It’s the fact that each one of us is blessed with the ability to create something different that makes art so interesting and beautiful.