Ms. Utter’s second graders at Longfellow Elementary embarked on a musical journey to Pride Rock, culminating in a roaring performance of Lion King‘s “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” for parents, classmates and principal Angela Dolezal The production, brought to Longfellow by OPEF’s Art Start Program and guest artist Lekeya Shearrill, was designed to […]
This month District 97 students have been hard at play and work, both of which mean they’ve been learning! Students in Ms. Schweigerts class at Beye Elementary School have been working with theater director LeKeya Shearrill to create a video that shares their knowledge about the life cycle of the butterfly. Students started out as […]
Thanks to Camille Wilson White, art from OPEF’s Art Start program is now hanging in the Oak Park Area Arts Council Hall Gallery at Village Hall. Artful Portraits (Brooks), Why Triangles? (Irving), Who Are the Peacemakers? (Lincoln) and Meditation, Yoga & Creative Practices (Beye) represent just the beginning of the wonderful and thoughtful work from […]
As part of their Black History Month discussions, first graders from Lincoln worked with mosaic artist Jennifer McNulty on a paper mosaic project that explores historical and contemporary peacemakers and social activists. Students will also create artists statements to accompany their work. Involving math, history, art, and writing, this project is a perfect example of […]
It’s hard to cope with winter weather like this, but the first graders of Holmes may be able to help us all. Through our ArtStart program, the entire 1st grade class at Holmes Elementary has been working with Kim Vulinovic of YogaKids Oak Park to learn the benefits of yoga, while also studying weather and […]
Students in Ms. Cooper’s first grade class at Lincoln had an unusual subject for their history lesson this fall, rock and roll. Over five weeks teachers from Oak Park’s School of Rock came to Lincoln and taught the kids about the history of rock and roll and it’s place in our culture, as well as […]
On May 17, Mr. Podlasek’s second grade class brought music, singing, and lots of smiles to the residents of Belmont Village. The Longfellow second graders have been working with local musician John Milan as part of OPEF’s Art Start program. Milan has been working with OPEF since its beginnings in 1998 and has been joining forces […]
Teaching artist Jonathan Franklin worked with students in Ms. Louthan’s second grade class at Beye Elementary School on an Art Start project linking math concepts to art. Students learned the basics of fractals and Sierpinski Triangles to create landscapes, abstract designs and ‘pet’ cats & dogs! Who knew math could be so much fun.
Second graders in Ms. Druckmillers class worked with teaching artist Guillermo Delgado on a project that taught them to ‘see’ art. Students chose one masterpiece and worked on drawing and painting skills that utilized right brain thinking. An art exhibit and ice cream reception was held at Brown Cow in Forest Park.
This year’s display features work from 6 elementary schools representing 9 classes and 5 unique and enriching projects.