Elementary Art Show

Hannah Gersh
Jun 10, 2015
2 min read

On May 12th, 2015, I put on a school-wide art show at Redwood Elementary School (I made the invitation myself). This was one of the biggest tasks I've ever completed. I was a part-time teacher at the school, which meant I had seen my students every other week for the entire year. I had somewhere around 400 student works in the show, ranging from kindergarten through sixth grades. I had a sign-in table, where students signed in by drawing a quick "selfie," a portrait of themselves. There was a Creation Station, where students could make different things (I had instructions for different activities, but students and parents were welcome to create whatever they wanted). I had a white board titled "Art Thoughts," where students could write their thoughts about art and the artworks they saw in the show. I also had a refreshment table, complete with palette-shaped tea cookies and rice crispy paint brushes. My theme was Art Around the World. Kindergarteners had Mexican sombreros and Japanese-inspired sushi collages. First graders had Mexican-inspired guitars and Chinese giant pandas on display. Second graders had Japanese paper doll collages and Amate bark paintings, while third graders showed off their Frida Kahlo (Mexican artist) portraits and Chinese New Year lions. Fourth graders displayed Egyptian portraits, Japanese lucky cats, Mexican adobes, and Australian aboriginal dreamings. Fifth graders had Diego Rivera-inspired artwork (Mexican artist) on display, as well as Japanese-inspired koi pond watercolor paintings. Lastly, sixth graders showed off a combination of Japanese-inspired koi pond watercolors and USA-inspired art, such as abstract portraits of Abe Lincoln and impressions of the American flag.