HOM Art Festival Shows

Walls Of Talent

By Tanjua Damon

Head O’Meadow students from kindergarten to fifth grade had works of art displayed on the walls near the art room at the school for their parents and peers to enjoy May 21.

Donna Perugini, an art teacher at the school, joined the staff this year. “Art Festival Head O’Meadow Exhibit Displays 2001” proved to be a successful evening of showing the talented young artists at the elementary school. Students’ paintings, sculpture, drawings and architectural buildings were on display for everyone to see.

Kindergarten students presented clay pinch pots and art and pottery in a series called “A House is a House for Me.”

Tommy Casin listened as his mother read to him the poem that inspired his house. Tommy’s house was filled with yellow and blue.

First grade students had exotic paper sculpture birds, mosaic sunburst designs, “Paul Klee: Treehouses,” Native American eagle masks, and clay pendant necklaces to represent their artistic efforts of the school year.

Second graders displayed watercolor pieces as well as abstractions. On display were “Stuart Davis: Abstractions,” clay hangings, winter birch bark tree drawings, Native American dreamcatchers, and watercolor wash and painted landscapes.

Beverly Doolittle’s art was reviewed before second graders began their winter birch bark trees in watercolor by using the technique of masking.

Pottery and prints highlighted pieces from third grade students. The walls were filled with “Andy Warhol: Multiple Image Prints,” fan folded architectural buildings, “Henri Matisse: The Goldfish,” Native American woven paper baskets, and coil and pellet clay pottery.

Students learned about Andy Warhol, who worked with silkscreens and developed the process of printing. They also learned about Henri Matisse’s influence on art history. The students learned about an artist’s life, work, style and how to review a painting by “picking” it apart.

Fourth graders worked with clay, optical illusions and painting. Works of art displayed Monday night included hair/beard raisers, Native American rainsticks, Aboriginal bark paintings, optical illusion art, and “Perugini’s Picnic” of clay food.

The students used Moire Patterns for their optical illusions. Looking at the black and white circles could make anyone’s eyes a bit crazy for a few minutes.

Fifth graders displayed works of radial designs, perspective drawings, incised copper foil abstractions, “Paul Gauguin: Tropical Watercolor Landscapes,” and Native American masks and hands/feet/face clay pottery.

The students learned about tooling with copper foil. They used various lines, shapes, space, pattern and repetition to make incise designs working front to back and vice versa to create an unique design on the foil.

Ms Perugini was proud of her students’ first major art appearance at Head O’Meadow School. The talents are numerous and the pieces of artwork displayed each child’s individuality and creativity.