Anthony Russell has spent much of February teaching Calgary elementary and junior high students about street art: introducing Black artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and helping them create stenciled pieces in oil pastel, acrylic and watercolour paint.
The youngsters were so engaged that some stayed over lunch and even after school just to complete their creations.
Though Russell’s been creating art himself since his own elementary school years, becoming an art teacher was never on the 19-year-old’s radar. As the youngest child of immigrant parents, Russell said careers he’d considered growing up typically revolved around “doctor, lawyer, dentist, engineer.”
Now, teaching kids art
