The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
District to present annual student art show
WHITEMARSH » While global art cognoscenti consider heady issues like a possible grand tour of France by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” or this winter’s re-emergence of works by Salvador Dali and Claude Monet, students and teachers in the Colonial School District are prepping for the opening of CSD’s annual art show at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School April 5 at 7 p.m.
The show’s theme — “Rethink” — is a nod to the exhibit’s collective goal of casting fresh eyes on old perceptions.
“Rethink — to think about something again or in a different way pushes possibilities,” reasons CSD Elementary Art Department liaison Rochelle Rocchi.
It also encourages students to “come up with multiple ways of creating something,” which, in turn, means “they take chances, and, often, they think outside the box,” says Plymouth Elementary art teacher Laura Gojeski.
And as Colonial Elementary School art teacher Corrine Douglas puts it, “Everything in life is so fast paced and immediate, rethinking gives students the time to contemplate and push past their first impulse.”
Kindergarteners through 12th-graders from the district’s seven schools are participating, and opening night will also feature light refreshments, performances by students involved in district music programs and a collaborative art activity, led by members of the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Art Club.
“Children and adults will be invited to rethink the way they use everyday objects by altering a recycled material in order to create a group installation,” says Traci Rovinsky, spokesman for the upcoming show.
Contributions to the 2018 exhibit include self-portraits by CSD’s youngest artists, photos by PW art and photography majors and everything in between.
For example, Rovinsky’s eighth-grade visual art students at Colonial Middle School “[examined] their views of the world by working in a multimedia approach to create collages that could evoke change.” Their original pieces were inspired by New York- and Miami-based collage artist Peter Tunney, widely known for his mixed media combos of image and upbeat message. His “Excerpts from the Taj Mahal” (as in Donald Trump’s bankrupt Atlantic City casino) drew major attention at December’s annual Art Basel Miami Beach.
The CMS students used paintings, prints, text, photography, watercolor and pencil to create their own “mantra-inspired” collages.
In general, Rovinsky adds, the rethink “concept is important for today’s youth because it enables students to increase their awareness and envision solutions to problems.”
“Students were encouraged to stop and rethink how they see the world,” she continues. “Their new insight motivated them to create art that could challenge or help others to do the same.”
CMS eighth-grader Tess Wosczyna designed the visual that appears on this year’s art show poster and invitations. Tess describes her inspiration as “a photo I saw on Pinterest of someone looking into a broken mirror.” She completed her drawing with simple pencil lines and neutral shades, figuring its “monotone color scheme” enhanced its “less is more” impact.
“When I drew it, it was just a sketch, but as I kept going, it turned into the kind of picture that makes you think,” Tess says. “To be honest, I still don’t totally know what it represents. It can mean different things for different people. It just exists to make you think, which is what the art show wants you to do.”
CSD’s 2018 Art Show will highlight student art from Colonial, Conshohocken, Plymouth, Ridge Park and Whitemarsh elementary schools; Colonial Middle School; and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.
The exhibit will take place on the first floor of PW’s East Wing and Large Group Instruction Room. The school is located at 201 E. Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting.
Admission to the show is free and open to the public.
The exhibit is set to continue through April 13.