May 27, 2015
Students at Kinterbish and York West End Junior Highs have spent the semester working with recycled materials and learning about elements of art and design. The artwork in the exhibition represents only a portion of all the creativity, imagination and hard work put into various lessons and activities on which students collaborated. Four class projects were featured in exhibition at the Coleman Center Gallery in May of 2015 as a culmination of 21st Century After School Art Program’s spring semester.
Stars, hung in the gallery window, contains wishes students wrote for themselves, their friends or family and their community. The wishes are hidden in between two layers of paper that make up the stars, a public display of their private sentiments. Stars were made with paint and recycled cardboard stamps in a simple printmaking process, while some were designed with good old fashion markers! As part of this lesson, students learned about art elements and techniques such color, pattern, shape and texture.
A large wall of Flowers were made from recycled magazines and chipboard. Students were required to work in groups to meet goals and collaborate with their classmates and their fellow junior high to created a garden of color and shape. Collages were based on real flowers, and each flower is unique just like each student!
Under the Sea is a beautiful sculptural sea in the center of the gallery. After spending time making sketches and looking at animals that live in oceans, ponds, lakes or rivers, students broke out the paints and brushes! Recycled soup and food cans and lids were used as ‘canvases’ and then combined to make this beautiful sculptural sea. Students talked about color, form, and line while creating the individual pieces that make up this larger work.
Imaginary Creatures inhabit the various environments (the garden, the sea and the sky) the students created together. These creatures inhabit the various environments (the garden, the sea and the sky) the students created together. The creatures are born from each student’s imagination with a little inspiration from nature books and each other. This lesson simply asked students to let their creativity run wild and put it on paper!
Thanks to the 21st Century Afterschool Program, the Sumter County Board of Education, Kinterbish Jr. High School, West End Jr. High School, and all of the teachers, parents and students who made this work a success!