By LAURA BROOKHART/Community Columnist

Are you ready? Shelly Bailey and her Helena School of Art teachers are taking creativity and its documented positive effect on the brain seriously – and with enthusiasm as their mission.

Bailey is herself a tour-de-force supporter of the arts. The newly painted red door aflame at HSA is just a hint at what is behind it!

Bailey was recently named Alabama’s Elementary Art Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014 by the Alabama Art Education Association. She currently teaches art at McAdory Elementary, and opened the doors of HSA in September 2013.

“This is a perfect community for us and this is needed,” Bailey said at that time, “Awareness is the first step for planting the seed for supporting the arts. The creative mind will always be needed.”

New teachers have been added at HSA and upcoming classes will include a fashion design class appropriate for second grade and up and still life drawing classes studying the work of Vincent Van Gogh.

Mayumi Murphy, a Troy University graduate whose degree emphasis was sculpture and pottery, will teach collage to kindergarten classes.

These after-school mixed-media collage classes use tempera and watercolor paints only. No acrylic, as it is permanent and does not wash out of clothes. Other materials used are: scissors, crayons, sharpies, markers, glue, paper, colored pencil, graphite and glitter.

Lee Anne Perry apprenticed under a classically trained Hoover artist and is now teaching adult drawing and painting and home school classes.

Kat Scarbrough, holds a B.A. from Auburn University and is now working on her M.Ed. at University of Montevallo. Scarbrough, who has a three-year old son, teaches Mommy & Me on select Saturdays for ages 17 months-4 years.

HSA Arty (Birthday) Parties have been well received. Look for the Summer Camp schedule with classes for all ages to be posted in February at Facebook.com/pages/Helena-School-of-Art.

Get your Helena Arts Council 2014 calendar while they last! Available for just $10 at Bead Biz in Helena and Buck Creek Stained Glass Studios during regular business hours. Support art and creativity in Helena.