Cranford Arts
This month we celebrate
Arts in Our Schools!
March 2023
Congratulations to this week's CHS PAW
"Performing Arts Student of the Week"
Sansa Kirby
Sansa Kirby, grade 12, is a choir student manager and the alto section leader. She brings positive energy but also a sense of quiet humility, showing care and compassion for members of the Concert Choir and Madrigal Choir. She is extremely creative and also an excellent pianist and enjoys playing Chopin and Debussy. She will accompany the Concert Choir at the Spring Choral Concert.
Past CHS PAW's
Lindsey Stevens: Dance
Sydney Leung: Instrumental Music
Upcoming Performances & Events
*Student tickets are $10 at the door with a Student ID.
*Senior Citizens are invited to a free showing of the dress rehearsal on Thursday, March 9.
*To access the accessible entrance and elevator for the performances please email atkinson@cranfordschools.org
Cranford High School
Spring
CHS Spring Musical
Friday, March 10 | 7:30pm
Saturday, March 11 | 7:30pm
Sunday, March 12 | 2:00pm
CHS Spring Choral Concert
Thursday, April 27 | 7:30pm
CHS Spring Band Concert
Thursday, May 4 | 7:30pm
CHS Spring Dance Concert
Friday, May 12 | 7:30pm
CHS Spring Acting Showcase
Thursday, May 18 | 7:30pm
CHS Senior Acting Showcase
Wednesday, May 24 | 7:30pm
Madrigal Spring Concert
Sunday, June 4 | 1:00pm
Location: Trinity Episcopal Church (Cranford, NJ)
CHS Orchestra & Masterworks Concert
Thursday, June 8 | 7:30pm
CHS 12th Grade Performing Arts Showcase
Thursday, June 15 | 7:30pm
Cranford Middle Schools
Spring
Orange Avenue School Spring Musical
Friday, March 17 | 7:30pm
Saturday, March 18 | 7:30pm
Sunday, March 19 | 2:00pm
Hillside Avenue School Spring Musical
Friday, March 24| 7:00pm
Saturday, March 25 | 7:00pm
Sunday, March 26 | 2:00pm
Orange Avenue School Middle School Instrumental Concert
Band & Orchestra
Wednesday, May 17 | 7:00pm
Orange Avenue School Spring Choral Concert
Elementary & Middle School
Thursday, May 25 | 7:00pm
Hillside Avenue Middle School Spring Concert
Chorus & Percussion Ensemble
Wednesday, May 31 | 7:00pm
Hillside Avenue Middle School Spring Concert
Band, Jazz Band & Orchestra
Wednesday, June 7 | 6:00pm
*Please refer to the weekly elementary school newsletters for
K-5 Fine and Performing Arts events.
Arts in the Community
CHS Fine & Performing Arts students' present art work and performances at the 2022 Cranford Community Day of Remembrance.
SPOTLIGHT ON ART
Former CPS Teacher and Artist connects with the Fine Arts Department
Earlier this year, June Brown, a former CPS teacher and Julie Murphy, made a connection with someone who would donate a floor loom to the CHS Fine Arts Department. After its delivery Ms. Brown and other volunteers spent numerous hours getting the loom to work after 40 years of storage. She then met with students in the crafts classes and demonstrated how to prepare the material for weaving.
Ms. Brown modeled how to use the loom and then assisted students in the process. Afterwards, the students viewed projections of Ms. Brown’s three dimensional weaving, which was showcased at the Newark Museum. During the presentation students learned about the meaning of her artwork, which prompted many inquiries. They also discussed an upcoming project where they will be using recycled materials. This will be a collaborative weaving for any CHS students who want to be involved.
Ms. Barkin (CHS Crafts Teacher), says that her goal is to have the work displayed in the school when it is completed.
Congratulations to Erin Bradford who was awarded HONORABLE MENTION in the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Courtroom Artist Contest for 2023!
Fresh Perspectives 2023 Selections
Congratulations to the following students whose artwork has been selected for presentation at Fresh Perspectives 2023, a juried high school art on-line virtual gallery and curated exhibition hosted by the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ February 18 through May 14, 2023.
Kori Burns
Paige Fiore
Audrey McMahon
Orange Avenue School Art Service Club
Miss Berk, Ms. Baillod and the Art Service Club started their annual mural outside the library. Students will be painting abstract shapes and then transforming the shapes into animated GIFs revealing school related drawings. This interactive mural will be using traditional and modern art techniques. Stay tuned!
February 2023
CHS Fine Arts student wins contest
Congratulations to Audrey McMahon, winner of the 2022 Spotlight on Cranford Teen Artists contest!
*Sponsored by Sharon Stone, Real Estate Agent
Cranford Scarecrow Stroll
Congratulations to Lincoln School on winning first place in the 2022 Cranford Scarecrow Stroll contest-Schools & Organizations Category.
Lincoln School Art Teacher- Maria Polyviou
Art in Action at
Orange Avenue Middle School!
Crafts Masterclass with Marianne Jennings
Marianne Jennings, a metalsmith and CHS alumna continues to stay connected and support her alma mater. Jennings learned of a competition from Potter USA and shared her story of how Cranford High School helped guide her decision to pursue a passion of working with metal. She told her story and, in the process, won the fine arts department a twenty-ton hydraulic press, used for stamping or embossing metal.
Jennings recently worked with the Advanced Crafts students and showed them how to use the machine. She also showed examples of how she’s used the hydraulic press to create her own pieces. She gave each student a copper disk and they chose an impression to stamp. The students will enamel their impressions and use it in a piece of jewelry during the course.
CHS Fine Arts student wins contest
Congratulations to CHS Fine Art student Audrey Esteves, whose painting of @delice_macarons won the Spotlight on Cranford Teen Artists contest! (Spring 2022)
SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC
Hillside Avenue School
Mr. Alex Bickard, Double Bassist for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, visits Hillside Avenue School.
Students in the HAS Orchestra program participated in a master class, engaged in a Q&A, and had an opportunity to play their repertoire with Mr. Bickard.
During the master class Mr. Bickard also played and discussed music from Bach and Koussevitsky.
January 2023
SPOTLIGHT ON THEATRE
CHS Acting Student wins award
2022 Senior, Bailey Croft, was awarded a Prestigious New Jersey Governor's Award in Arts Education.
Join the Friends of Performing Arts!
Support performing arts programming throughout Cranford Public Schools.