When art teacher Amanda Linn's students began work on a mural about Japanese-Americans detained in internment camps in South Arkansas during World War II, they had no idea it would lead to a trip to Los Angeles where they would unveil the mural at the Japanese-American Art Institute. Nor did they envision having a chance to share their experience of painting the mural with elderly internment camp survivors and family members. It was yet another achievement in a stellar track record that includes 11 years at Harmony Grove High School in Benton, where she transformed a non-existent art department into an exemplary program, expanding enrollment in art courses from 30 students to approximately 150—more than one-third of the student population. Incorporating social issues, history and writing into the study of art, Ms. Linn requires students to research, reflect and write about a work of art before and after creating it. Many would agree that Amanda Linn's teaching is a work of art in itself.
