When Molly McFee’s Cypress Springs Elementary School students line up, waiting to head into their vibrant, multicolored art classroom, many of them literally tremble with excitement and anticipation.
The enthusiastic buzz is inspiring. “It’s fun to be the fun teacher—to play, get messy, try new things,” McFee shares. As the school’s single art teacher, McFee sees every student—more than 600 kids—each week. An 11-year veteran of Dripping Springs elementary schools, she teaches seven art classes every day, each one different from the last.
As her students create, they are doing more than drawing or molding clay. “They are learning life lessons in my classroom,” McFee says. “They are developing patience and excitement for doing something new.”
McFee’s love for art began when she was very young but, in comparing herself to her “very talented” older brother, didn’t believe she was “good enough” to pursue her passion. A lifelong interest in teaching and an inspiring visit to the Art Institute of Chicago Museum prompted her to earn a double major in art and teaching from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and she has been teaching elementary school art ever since.
To push her students to explore, McFee strives to create “a place where kids feel safe to take risks.” Her secret to supporting such artistic courage is to create relationships with each student, “learning their intricacies to know how to support them.” She is a calm, friendly teacher, but she also has high standards; through getting to know each child, she understands their individual skills and capabilities and encourages them to do their best.
She also sparks students’ confidence with her philosophy that there are no mistakes in art; it is a process, not a project. “Art doesn’t have to be pretty,” she says. “It’s about creating, problem solving, exploring rather than having a masterpiece at the end. It’s about how it makes you feel while you’re making it.”
McFee heeded this lesson as she learned to take chances with her own art, much of which features bold, colorful collages made from hand-painted paper. In the past, when creating art for others, a perfect finished product and her customer’s satisfaction were paramount. But as she transitioned away from doing commissioned work, she found her own artistic style and voice. “When I stopped making art for others, I started having success,” she says.
McFee’s “try-and-see” attitude inspires her vision for students: “I hope they become lovers of art,” she says. “Not necessarily that they become an artist, but that they appreciate the process of making something from scratch and appreciate the beauty around them.”
@mcfeesartstudio
“Art is fun. It keeps me young. I am a kid at heart and I like being curious; I like exploring.”