Date: Fri 28-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Hawley-Sheskin-Gunn-students

Full Text:

Art Week In Newtown

(with photos)

BY SHANNON HICKS

While First Selectman Herb Rosenthal may not have been asked to declare it

official with a proclamation, last week sure felt like it could have been

called "Newtown Arts Week." Two of the town's schools, Hawley School and Sandy

Hook School, presented huge collections of works that had been done by

students during art classes in the 1998-99 school year.

There was a torrential downpour just as the doors opened to welcome visitors

to Hawley School on May 19. The rain outdoors made the entrance into the

school building quite a challenge, but once inside, the creative energy

quickly dried up whatever doubts anyone had about attending the event.

The show was spread out along the walls of the front entryway, the two side

halls off the main entrance, and throughout Hawley's media center. The

collection of pieces created a light-filled greeting for everyone who visited

the show.

"One of the kids saw everything while this was being set up this afternoon,

and said ~`Wow!~ It looks like we go to an art school!'" said Vicki Sheskin,

the school's art teacher. Mrs Sheskin and a group of parent volunteers had

been setting up the art show for nearly a week, with hours of work put in over

the previous weekend.

Every student in the art program had at least one piece of work on display.

"I get a real thrill seeing the kids when they see their works on display,"

Mrs Sheskin said. "It's really a beautiful thing.

"People look at this, and they see a lot of color. But I don't know if people

also realize what a personal expression of these kids each of these works

present. It's just a wonderful thing for kids to know how important art is,"

continued the art teacher. Mrs Sheskin said she thought it was important that

students not only come to their school's art show to show off their own works,

but to also appreciate the works done by their friends and fellow students.

"It's really a window into the hearts and minds of the children," Mrs Sheskin

said, and she could not stop smiling as she continued to look around the show

and greet parents as they were introduced to her by their children.

As the noise level in the building continued to escalate as more students

arrived with their parents, visitors made their way through the different

areas of the show. First grade students had clay cats on patterned paper mats

and paintings of overflowing fruit bowls among their presented pieces.

Mixed media portraits based on the work of the artist Amodio Modigliano,

called "Modigliano Moms, Dads & Other Favorite Grownups," were included in the

works by second graders. Third grade students had completed leaf prints, line

paintings and a huge collection of papier mache figures called "The Royal

Collection."

Fourth grade students were represented in part by their clay fish, papier

mache water birds and cut-outs based on the work of the French artist Henri

Matisse, while fifth graders had architectural drawings of homes, papier mache

anthropomorphic animals and Native American decorative arts to be proud of.

The Continuation Of Art Week

At Sandy Hook School, fourth and fifth grade art students presented their own

art show on May 20. Parents, teachers and friends were again invited to visit

the school for a proud showing of projects that had been completed during the

school year.

While the show at Sandy Hook presented works by only two grades of children,

the show was no less spectacular than was Newtown residents had been privy to

the previous night. The entire school was turned into a multi-media art

gallery, with works of art along hallway corridors, in the art room and main

entryway, and even the school's cafeteria.

The decision to go with Sandy Hook School's top two grades was made by art

teacher Leslie Gunn. Sandy Hook teaches students in kindergarten through fifth

grade, but the school has not presented an end-of-the-year art show for years,

if ever, so the presentation had to be done on a smaller scale this year.

"It was way too much to do the full-scale event at this point," Mrs Gunn

explained this week. "They hadn't had this before, but it was really a good

thing in the end. The teachers were so appreciative, the parents were so

complementary, and the kids were just incredibly enthusiastic.

"By doing just fourth and fifth grades this year, it was a nice way for the

fifth graders to have a culminating art thing before they move on to middle

school, and it was a nice way to show the fourth graders -- and the younger

students -- what they can aspire to."

While the works on display Thursday evening were completed, there were also

tables set up in Leslie Gunn's art room where visitors of all ages were

invited to try their hand at printmaking, creating simple clay sculptures,

painting on canvas, or drawing. The room -- like all sections of the school

that night -- was a constant buzz of activity, as parents admired the

completed work and creativity took over most of the visitors.

In the cafeteria, long tables presented three-dimensional works and large

paintings. The paintings had been done by two-person teams of students, based

on masterpieces by artists like Cezanne and Van Gogh.

Both art shows had more in common than students' artwork on the walls. The

creativity of the event took many forms.

At Hawley School, visitors were welcomed into the art show by fourth grade

recorder students. The students changed their lineup during the course of the

art show, and performed songs that ranged from nursery rhymes and patriotic

pieces to holiday tunes.

At Sandy Hook School, a short theatrical production was performed by students.

Fifth graders had been working for six weeks with seniors from Newtown High

School, who were in turn working on their senior projects. The younger

students had taken a master artwork and, with help from the high school

students, wrote a dialogue or poem, which was then presented in front of their

peers.

Most of the artwork in the hallways at Sandy Hook School will remain on view

through the end of the year.

"The school has a few more programs before the end of the year, so everyone

can enjoy it this way," Mrs Gunn said.

Highlights from the Hawley School art show can be accessed on the Internet at

http://k12.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/~~Ãntlaw (click on "News" and then "art program";

then follow prompts).