On October 30th at 4:30 pm, there will be a reception for this fall’s art exhibit, “Sustainability”, featuring students from all three divisions.
Every year in the fall, Friends Select holds an art exhibit that is driven by a specific theme. This year, Art Department Chair, Zoë Blatt, in collaboration with the art department, decided on the theme of sustainability. “Our goal was for students of all ages, Pre-K-12, to spend time thinking about the relationship between sustainability and art making,” Zoë said. “Students looked at artists who focus on sustainability in their work and then created their own art that explored sustainability from a conceptual and/or material lens.”
Friends Select is doing its part in spreading awareness about sustainability and related issues, such as trash pollution and the continuous burning of fossil fuels which have led to an increase in global warming, according to ClientEarth.“This exhibit was inspired by school-wide efforts to increase conversations around sustainability.” Zoë said.
The art classes are using paint, mixed media, and technology to send messages of sustainability. With more abstract pieces in mind, the Metalsmithing class taught by Lynda Greenwade has significant freedom in what they can create. “I have a lot of… carefully curated trash,” Lynda said. “I have some antique containers to cut apart for metalsmithing… and I have a lot of old glass pieces, yarns, and beads, and all sorts of fun, eclectic things.” According to Lynda, she also likes the idea of having her class create dolls. Lynda doesn’t want her students to have too many limitations.
Seventh grade artists are using a wide variety of drawing materials to share about a sustainability topic of their choosing, while the second graders are creating a paste-paper painted leaf that will become part of a “Sustainabilitree” constructed from recyclables.
While sustainability is what many of the art students are focusing on this month, there will be different themes in the years to come. “It’s always exciting to see how students of different ages working in different mediums approach a common idea or theme,” Zoë said.
When asked about the crossover between sustainability and art, Lynda explained “There’s no accident that there are several famous painters — da Vinci, Vermeer, and so forth, that have painted over their original canvases. So, reuse and recycle, you know?”
