The School Art Exhibit

In the month of June, many of us are enjoying a well-deserved summer break while others focus on a few more weeks of school.  Summer is an excellent time for reflection on the past year.  Looking back, one big highlight for me is our May art show, a greatly anticipated celebration of learning.

In preparation for the exhibit, all children in our elementary choice-based art program select 1-3 artworks representing their personal interests and skills in varied media.  Many students work collaboratively and enthusiastically exhibit their work together.  The art show provides a powerful extrinsic motivation for students to engage in their work.  Just as the adult artist responds to exhibition deadlines with a flurry of activity, so does the child artist. 

Every artwork is labeled with the student’s name, grade and title.  Artist statements provide additional information about ideas, process, and personal relevance.  Parent volunteers help me collect artist statements from K-2 students and older students write their own for each exhibited artwork.  Our staff looks forward to learning more about our students through their artwork and artist statements. 

In one artwork, a first grade boy responds with empathy to his PE teacher’s request for a rock wall. 

His artist statement reads:  “This is a rock wall and I made it for Ms. M.’s gym.  My collage is made from pieces of paper.  I didn’t get the idea to put the clouds at the top and the person at the bottom until I finished the middle part.” 

Our exhibit stays up for two days in the gymnasium.  The event culminates in an evening reception for the artists, when students proudly share their work with family and friends.  Children attend in soccer uniforms, parents socialize, and grandparents take photos.  Viewers write letters to artists which are delivered to classrooms after the show comes down.  As I usher out the last visitors at 8 p.m., a feeling of satisfaction makes the tremendous effort worthwhile.

In my next blog entry, I will discuss how fifth graders plan, design, and help set up our art show.

Diane Jaquith
Burr School
Newton, MA
didij@aol.com