Student work from recent Art Start projects is currently on display in the Hall Gallery at Village Hall. This show has become a yearly tradition kindly offered to OPEF and Art Start by Camille Wilson White, Executive Director of the Oak Park Area Arts Council, a funder of Art Start.
This year’s display features work from 6 elementary schools representing nine classes and five unique and enriching projects. Each project on display includes a short description of the project.
Zine Exchange
In preparation fo National Poetry Month in April, second graders from Whittier in Ms. Druckmiller’s class and Holmes, in Ms. Moore’s class worked on a literacy and drawing project aimed at developing their writing skills and proficiency. Inspired by everyday objects, students created a series of Haiku & Cinquain poems, free verse poetry, and metaphors & similes for their zines. The zines were exchanged between classes, and a copy of their poetic endeavor will be placed in each D97 elementary school library in April as a way to share ideas with an audience of their peers.
Food, Glorious Food
The first graders in Ms. Winfield’s class from Hatch worked with teaching artist Vickie Casanova Willis on a project that incorporated music, movement, visual arts & a literacy extension, to investigate the “farm-to-table” unit of their curriculum. Ms. Cassanova Willis introduced students to planting, marketplace, and harvest songs and dances from the U.S., Africa, and the Carribean during February, Black History Month through mid-March.
Who are the peacemakers?
Ms. Louthan’s second-grade students at Beye are peacemakers! Working with mosaic artist Jen McNulty, students created a project that linked their social studies curriculum to the creation of individual works of art. Students discussed what it means to be a peacemaker by looking at examples from history and contemporary culture. Inspiration was drawn from people such as Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lennon, Ceasar Chavez and Rosa Parks, jus to name a few. They then created their own paper mosaics using images of their peers and those of significant political, historical, musical and peace movement activists.
Magical Worlds
The first-grade team of students from Irving worked with teaching artist Karen Light on a project linked to the geography unit being studied. Students used their knowledge of land forms, and geographic elements to create drawn landscapes of magical places. Students then designed superheroes and other characters that populated the scene. Students were challenged to write a story that accompanied the landscape of their Magical World.
A Mindful Process
The Lincoln students from Mr. Estragues’ 1st grade Spanish Immersion class work with Guillermo Delgado on a project focused on journaling practices and infusing mindfulness with art. Each session incorporated writing, drawing, and yoga. Sessions began with traditional yoga poses and breathing exercises to allow students to transition into art making with increased awareness. Students created ‘zines’ full of observational drawings and text in Spanish. The work presented here are drawings created during the process. Through this project, students explored ways to prepare for drawing with simple materials, everyday objects, and a centered mind.