Staff writer
Chances are if you went to Limestone High School you know Carolyn Wadman.
The retired art teacher, who has sketched many students and faculty who have walked the LCS halls over the years, recently exhibited her work — paintings, prints, illustration, wall hangings, sculpture, marionettes and play props — at Presque Isle’s Turner Memorial Library.
Staff photo/Mark Putnam
Carolyn Wadman, a retired Limestone Community High School art teacher, recently exhibited her work at the Presque Isle public library. Among those viewing her work were Haley Bretzke, 20, of Limestone and Bryce Butler, 6, of Presque Isle. Bretzke’s father, Rudy, was one of Wadman’s former students.
Wadman, who earned her bachelor of fine arts at the Massachusetts College of Art and did graduate work at New York’s Pratt Institute, the Herron School of Art, and Maine’s Haystack School of Crafts among others, considers the time she invested in young, budding artists her greatest achievement. Today, however, she is concerned for the future of her craft in the classroom.
“Sadly, I am beginning to see a turnaround as school districts give fine arts credits to subjects which do not require teachers to have training in aesthetics or just eliminate fine arts due to ‘budget’ cutbacks,” said Wadman.
The longtime art teacher believes art (history, appreciation and technique) are just as important as math and science in the development of graduates who will help America retain its prominence on the world stage.
“Creative learning leads to ‘right brain’ development and creative thinking in all areas of life. To compete with the rest of the world, we need more of this thinking toward better solutions. While it is important to teach skills in art, it is also important to provide students with opportunities to explore and remain open to unknown territories. Few will make a living as artists … all will become consumers,” she said.
Wadman’s impact is best witnessed in the success of her former students and the numerous posters, brochures and props she has created without compensation for various community and school projects and productions over the years. Included in her library exhibit were a horse head created for “Annie Get Your Gun” and a marionette for “Nunsense,” a Presque Isle Community Players production.
“My work as an artist is original, not copied from photographs. It is done from life, imagination and inspiration … because I have to do it and not because I want to sell it or make money,” she said.
“My reward has been the enjoyment I get from interacting and working with the community,” Wadman added.
Although she is officially retired, Wadman substitutes in the Fort Fairfield school system and contributes her talents and creations to Aroostook County theater programs.
