Sanford Students' Artwork to be Showcased

March has been declared Youth Art Month (YAM) with a nationwide theme of “March for Arts.” In keeping with this concept, the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, Delaware will host an exhibit of self-portraits completed by young artists from across the state. Artwork by fifth graders Nikil Patel and Ava Brooks will be on display at the museum from March 3–23.

Nikil’s portrait was chosen because, as he said in his artist statement, “it shows me sitting and thinking.” It is a wonderful example of line quality to demonstrate self-expression. Ava’s portrait, completed as a fourth grader, demonstrates material manipulation and ways to show mood through the technique of layering a variety of art materials. These works were also selected to coincide with an exhibit at the Biggs Museum later in May entitled, “Rembrandt's Etchings: States, Fakes, and Restrikes.” Rembrandt was quite famous for his highly expressive self-portraits and innovative painting techniques.

The second venue for Sanford students to highlight their talents is at the National Art Education Conference, which will be held in Seattle, Washington from March 21–25 at the Seattle Convention Center. Representing fourth grade with his stunning “Leaf” painting will be Justin Lane. Caroline Moore and Joseph Sherrier, sixth graders, will be showing block prints, and eighth-grader Tyler Needham will have a photograph of a maquette he designed for a public sculpture crafted from recycled paper board on display.

Sanford Visual Arts Instructor Nina Silverman-Weeks, Delaware Middle School Art Educator of the Year in 2010, will attend the conference and join the nearly 5,000 visual arts educators from the United States and Canada who will gather to engage in conversation about curriculum, exchange new and innovative ideas, participate in over 1,000 workshops, and interact with policy makers and artists who shape art education in the US and its territories. This year’s theme is Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). The generous support of the Home & School Association and the Sanford administration will enable Ms. Silverman-Weeks to participate in this exciting professional growth opportunity.

Congratulations to Sanford’s talented artists who will represent our school at the state and national levels.