January

MLK Jr. Honored

United Dream Catchers Collaboration

Our 4th and 5th grade students who comprise the upper school Art Club created a 3' x 6' collaborative dream catcher work of art in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. It can be seen in our exhibition case next to the school's front office.

Each Art Club student designed a single dream catcher celebrating her own creativity, imagination and dreams for the future.The dream catchers are linked together to celebrate unity, equality, and the hope that all people can freely realize their dreams for a better future. Together they form a rectangular shape, symbolic of the fountain in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., where Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 gave his famous “I have a dream,” speech. He said, ''I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

This Artwork can also be seen on the New York State Governor's website.

Kindergarten Inspiration

Contemporary Artist Kevin Cole

In recognition of Black History Month coming in February, Kindergarten students learned about the background and art of contemporary artist Kevin Cole. As a child, Cole struggled with a speech impediment and overcame it via Art Therapy. He later became a successful artist with over 45 public works to his credit. His colorful mixed media sculptures made of wood and metal "represent the souls of African Americans who overcame adversity in their everyday lives."

Students were challenged to learn a variety of paper manipulations to create a three-dimensional paper sculpture. They drew lines and patterns on a variety of colored strips of paper to visually represent jazz music played in class. They discovered how to fold and glue the strips to form shapes such as circles and triangles. They mastered how to twist and layer the paper strips, weaving them above or below other paper strips to produce colorful paper sculptures. Above are six examples of artwork from our Bi-lingual Kindergarten class.

Second Grade

Drawing in the Style of Lois Mailou Jones

Second grade students are celebrating Black History Month by creating a drawing borrowing the style of Lois Mailou Jones, who enjoyed a seven-decades career. Mailou Jones was inspired by African masks, and the richly patterned and brightly colored art from Haiti. She was also inspired by art created during the Harlem Renaissance. In some works, Mailou Jones created an asymmetrical grid and filled in the spaces created with her unique imagery. Our students also used an asymmetrical grid. They were encouraged to create their own patterns and characters in the spaces produced. They chose colors from a variety of bright markers to complete an artwork inspired by Mailou Jones.

4th, 5th Grade

Borrow a TechnIque of Laolu Sanbanjo

Our 4th and 5th grade students were excited to discover the art of contemporary artist Laolu Senbanjo, who was born in Nigeria, and today, lives in Brooklyn. While he originally became a lawyer, his heart was drawn to Art. He considers all things his canvas - paper, walls, people, buildings, cars, and fashion. His art tells stories of his past, his culture and current social issues.

After his work was discovered by Beyonce's scouts, who contracted him to paint the singer's face and backup dancers for her Lemonade Album Video, his career sky-rocketed. Since then, he has designed art on a tennis shoe for Nike, a mug for Starbucks, a perfume bottle and box for Bvlgari Parfum for Men, and created artworks for many other well-known brands. He has also created art for other celebrities including Serena Williams, Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, and Lupita Nyongo among others.

Our students' portraits were photographed and printed in black and white. The students were challenged to draw on half of their faces, using their own patterns, symbols and imagery, inspired by Senbanjo's Art. They could tell a story or simply describe themselves, just as Senbanjo does on a variety of models. Students were offered black, metallic, and colorful markers to complete their designs.

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