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Frank Ohl art students show off creativity
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Frank Ohl artist Sam MaGuire smiled with his piece during the school's KidsArt Fairs on May 1.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Frank Ohl student Alexcia Soto (left) celebrated her first framed photo in an art show with younger sister Aleesia Soto (right). The Fair was hosted by KidsArt Shows at Frank Ohl on May 1.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Artist Hannah Harris (right) showed off her painting of a group of toucans to friends and family at Frank Ohl's KidsArt Fair on May 1.
By SARAH FOOR
The auditorium at Frank Ohl Intermediate doubled as a sophisticated art museum May 1 with some help from the KidsArt Fairs company.
Students who wished to participate in the art fair created masterpieces on paper provided by KidsArt, which were then framed and displayed in a makeshift art gallery created in the Frank Ohl auditorium.
The pieces displayed at the event showed what Frank Ohl art teachers like Jennifer Houston have been exploring with the fourth- and fifth-grade students at Frank Ohl throughout the year.
“We’ve been exploring lots of different styles and subjects. We looked at the Henri Rousseau’s jungle paintings and asked the students to make their own, as well as exploring seascapes with some of Claude Monet’s paintings. The students have explored still-life and landscapes, and have used media like watercolor, pen and ink, as well as other mixed media,” Houston explained.
The event included 20 parent volunteers and three teacher assistants who gave up their time to celebrate creativity at the art show.
Houston said creativity is something she hopes to leave with her students, because it will always be important in more than just art class.
“My ultimate goal is to inspire creativity and self-esteem. I tell the kids that every field that they pursue later in their life will include a creative aspect. They’ll be asked to think outside the box and have an edge, and I hope that they can say that they learned how to conquer those challenges in their Frank Ohl art class,” Houston said.