Children's Art in the Park exhibit pops up at Metfield
An art exhibit popped up in Metfield Park for a short while Friday afternoon, featuring paintings and sculptures put together by local children.
Cat Harnishfeger, an out-of-school art teacher, wanted to give her students, aged 8 to 13, a chance to show off their work, and decided to use the park for a temporary art exhibit.
Her class, Catz Canvas, can be found on Facebook, she said. She started it, she said, because she loves art.
She’s had kids do recycled-material sculptures and stained-glass pieces, she said. One exercise has the kids look at a painting she did and then interpret it.
“They’re very talented kids,” she said.
One student, Ruby Messick, 11, made a silver sculpture divided into themed segments, including nature, cars and assorted things. She titled it “The Abstract.”
Near the center was a monkey with a squareshaped hat.
“The monkey graduated from college,” she said.
She knew she wanted a monkey graduate, she said, but wasn’t sure what he studied.
Her sister, Shirley Messick, 8, put together a sculpture she called “Golden Story.” It featured monkeys and pasta and various other props under a coat of gold paint.
“It’s about a monkey and a crocodile talking about whether they need to move,” she said.
The trees in their home, she said, are getting cut down, and it may not be a viable residence much longer.
A cup near the center is the only thing that isn’t gold. The inside is bright pink, she said, to represent something inside it.
“Oh, and there’s the pig,” she said before demonstrating the pig’s lasso-twirling abilities.
Ruby Messick and Shirley Messick’s mother, Jill Messick, said her family has had a great deal of fun with the class, and seeing their work and their classmates’ art on display was a treat.
“I was not surprised to know you’re awesome,” she told her Shirley Messick, “but I was impressed with what these kids can do.”