By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Shrewsbury – The weather outside was quite dreary May 4, but inside the cafeteria of Sherwood Middle School, it was quite the opposite. There was a visual feast for the eyes when over 60 art pieces were on display at the annual Shrewsbury Public School’s K-8 Art Festival. With brilliant colors, textures and themes, it was a panacea for the shortage of sun outside.
Deirdre Kunar, art teacher for grades five and six at Sherwood Middle School, and Sara Gustafson, art teacher for K-4, shared that the art pieces selected represented what students have been learning this school year.
“We are so proud of all the work of these students,” said Kunar.
When asked about the elements of art that these students are taught, Gustafson said that would depend on the age level. They try to explore as many materials and techniques as possible at the elementary level and then when they get to middle school it is at a higher level to advance their skills.
“That’s what the beauty of art is. You are sharing different materials with the students so that they can find what works best for them and giving them that freedom of choice,” Gustafson added.
Jack Ostriker, second-grade student from Spring Street School, was very excited to present at the festival. His piece was a self-portrait and he chose his colors (orange, yellow, blue and green) because they were warm and cool.
“We were doing warm and cool colors,” explained Spring Street School visual arts teacher Mia Whitemore. “For second-graders that is one of the standards for the curriculum, so we learn about the different color families. Also, we threw a little Picasso and cubism in there so that’s why the picture is split in half because Picasso liked cubism.”
Photos/Melanie Petrucci
