Art A Community Experience For KPS Fourth Graders

OSWEGO, NY – Laurie Yule’s fourth grade art students at Kingsford Park Elementary School have had an exciting culmination to months of hard work.

Yule explained, “These students have been learning about local history, their community’s historic buildings and homes and of course, art elements and principles.”

The SUNY Oswego School of Communication and Media and Arts worked hand in hand with students as an Adopt-A-School project at Kingsford Park.

Yule explained, “They worked to create drawings of those buildings, focusing on proportion, balance, symmetry, repetition, contrast and the application of fine detail.”

Lisa Langlois, of the SUNY Art faculty presented students with a session on the local and historical aspects of the project.

Her presentation highlighted some of the architectural styles and the local buildings which present them well.

Visiting artist Joe Rial worked with the students to help them tackle this assignment in a way in which they would be most successful.

He worked with the fourth graders for more than 15 sessions to guide and encourage students toward a successful end.

Students from “Arts Alive” and “Breakthru Design,” two of SUNY Oswego’s fine organizations, provided their expertise in art multiple times per week, to assist students while they were drawing and to help them push their artwork from good to great.

The final pieces were exhibited at the Tyler Art Gallery at SUNY Oswego’s Tyler Hall.

Yule explained, “Julie Pretzat-Merchant, interim associate CMA Dean, was a key player in making this all happen. She and Lisa Langlois, were instrumental in the initiation, organization, financing and promotion of this Adopt-a-School Project, as well as the hanging of the exhibit. CMA received funding support for the Adopt-A-School project from Alliance Bank and SUCO’s School of Education and Women’s Center.”

Lisa and Julie, along with Kelly Moxley, Lois Graber and Cheri Beck, grade four teachers at KPS, arranged for all participating students to attend a private showing of their exhibit during school hours on March 26.

The KPS work was hung alongside the “Generations II” MAT exhibit, and coincides with the Spring Master of Arts Thesis Exhibit.

Students were treated to refreshments provided by the KPS Home and School organization and a tour of the many studios at SUNY Oswego’s Tyler Hall.

They visited the ceramic, screen printing and drawing studios.

They handled clay, watched as a pot was thrown on the potter’s wheel, pulled a screen print to take home and were treated to a power point presentation by one of the Graphic Design majors.

Yule concluded by saying, “We at KPS feel lucky to have been chosen as the first Adopt-a-School project with SUNY Oswego. It was a tremendous opportunity and honor for our students and staff. Through this experience students saw what they could really do when they push themselves. It is quite an honor to have their work hung as an exhibit, in a real art gallery.”

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