May 1, 2019 4:45 pm Celebrating Children’s Learning Through Art @ Putnam Indian Field School
“Every Child is an Artist” – Pablo Picasso
The Putnam Indian Field School Annual Art Show never fails to impress and inspire, and this year was no different. In addition to bright and beautiful paintings, drawings, prints and 3-D constructions, the show featured extended project work done by the classes.
The Art Show preview party for parents offered cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a chance to admire the work and socialize in relative peace on Friday evening, April 26th. The second showing was a Saturday morning family brunch. The children were bursting with pride as they led their parents to admire the work they had done.
One Pre K class showcased a STEM project on bridges. Over a period of months, the children studied, made colorful drawings of and constructed multiple types of bridges, such as beam, suspension and arch bridges, and were able to span ever-larger bodies of “water.” They then worked together to construct a truss bridge that was the culmination of the project.
Another Pre K class studied the books of Eric Carle, reading and discussing both the stories and his method of illustrating them. Using the same elements as Carle, each child then created his or her favorite Eric Carle character in paint, tissue, print, and collage. The results were beautiful and authentic.
The Connecting class had made a months long study of the British artist, Andy Goldsworthy, who uses natural materials to construct art outdoors. They pored over photographs of his work and visited the Goldsworthy cairn at SUNY Purchase. After exploring leaves, sticks, rocks, icicles, and sand as elements of art as well as nature, each child made his own version of one of Goldsworthy’s creations.
A Nursery class exploring sound constructed their own guitars from postal boxes, string, and rubber bands. Their final products were displayed along with their comments on the sounds created by their “instruments.”
Vibrant paintings filled the show. The colors seemed to jump off the page and the results were stunning. The PIFS halls resembled an exhibit at MOMA!
The PIFS Art Show is the culmination of a year of exploring, experimenting and learning by the children. It also illustrates for parents the growth of understanding and ability from Toddler years to Pre K. The teachers were very proud of their children’s work, and the parents were thrilled!
Phone – 203 – 661 – 4629
101 Indian Field Road, Greenwich, CT 06830
