New Program Teaches about Nature through Art  

A new art education program has found an inspiring classroom in the beautiful rich land and seascapes of the upper Eastern Shore area. The program is aptly called Outside Art. Outside Art is a “plein air” art program offering inspiring outdoor art lessons, workshops and classes for all levels at beautiful outdoor locations throughout the Eastern Shore.  Outside Art Lessons encourage students to study, discover and communicate their individual perceptions of nature in a relaxed, informative and nurturing environment.  Students have opportunities to create with varied media and styles, learn professional art elements and techniques and creatively express themselves while absorbing the beauty and messages of nature. Outside Art Programs incorporate environmental and "eco-tour" components that provide participants with valuable knowledge about the plants, animals and natural features of the Chesapeake Bay region. In addition, Outside Art donates a percentage of its earnings to local environmental conservation and education organizations.

The Outside Art concept was spearheaded in Arizona by an art educator named Dawn Malosh in 2001. In her former hometown of Tucson, Arizona, Dawn noticed a pressing need to educate her students more about the environment and natural resources around them. While teaching “plein air” (outside) painting to private art students, she quickly learned that her young pupils knew nothing about the indigenous plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert. As stated on her website: “Today, there is an ever-pressing need to connect children to the natural world and art. Children today have limited or nonexistent art instruction in the classroom, even though studies show that artistic activities improve cognitive levels, test scores in academic subjects and behavioral problems in children. In addition, today’s children  spend less time outside than their parents did as children, despite piling evidence that outside activities improve children’s health, focus, productivity, creativity and sense of well-being. Children today can identify a large number of corporate brand names while they can barely name the animals and plant life of their local region. In addition to nature illiteracy, many children experience “eco-phobia,” vitamin D deficiency and nature-deficit disorder which health professionals often attribute to spending too many hours indoors without sunlight, fresh air and open space.  Some studies have even shown that outside activities remedy many of the symptoms and behavioral problems of children with ADD/ADHD. To address these concerning issues, recent national and state education initiatives, such as the No Child Left Inside Act and the Maryland Green Schools Initiative, have sought to improve our children’s environmental literacy.  Outside Art Lessons strive to fill these recognized learning gaps and educational initiatives as well by introducing children to the beauty, wonder and functions of both nature and art through creation, observation and discovery. This interdisciplinary program is at the forefront of a very valuable movement to improve our children’s understanding of the environment and our natural world.”

Outside Art’s Founder and Teacher, Dawn Malosh is a local artist, art educator, and recent transplant to the Eastern Shore. Throughout her many years in the field, Dawn has served as an art department head, an art specialist at multiple environmental and conservation learning centers, an arts grant recipient, an art business owner, an educational guide at the world-renowned Biosphere 2 and an esteemed presenter at various national conferences. Most importantly, Dawn has facilitated the artistic growth of thousands of blossoming artists for the last two decades. She is very excited about all of the budding artists and budding flowers that she has encountered in the Eastern Shore.  She states, “The landscape, plants, wildlife and people here are so different from the southwest desert. Every day I wake up thrilled to experience the beauty of the nature and the kindness of the people here.”