Category: Exhibit

2015 Scholastic Art Awards

2/28/2015

Today was an awesome day. I got to spend time celebrating the accomplishments of my students with their families and other talented teens from around the state of Michigan. I am so proud of this group of kids, who have raked in the most recognition in BCWMS history, and know their creative futures are bright as they take this honor and build many more great things upon it.

The part that brings me the most pride form this year's award-winning works is how little I had to do with their making. This may be a funny thing for me to admit, being that I am their teacher, but what I mean is all of the winning works were based around broad themes I gave to students in which they designed, planned, and executed works from their interpretation of that theme on their own. I may have assisted with feedback, demonstration of skill, and supplying both time and space to do it, but the creative ideas were solely theirs.

This would not have been possible without the support of the entire Visual Arts team at BCPS, including our Administrative team and Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters. I also have to give a major shout-out to my professional learning community of Art teachers from around the world on Twitter and Facebook that has encouraged me and my students with great feedback along the way.

Check out the highlights from this afternoon's ceremony:

Not all of my students could make it to today's ceremony, but here is a good representation of the 18 students involved in the 24 award-winning works from BCWMS.

MAEA Region 9 Show

2/12/2015

Tonight was the Michigan Art Education Association Region 9 Highlight Show at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Parents, teachers, family, and friends flocked to the GRAM to view the best K-12 student work from Ottawa, Allegan, Ionia, and Montcalm, and Kent Counties on display throughout the museum. This was the first year all six Byron Center Public School buildings were represented with student work on display.

Four students from WMS were recognized at the show and three will have their work move onto State adjudication. I am so proud of the work my students did and it was incredibly fun to share their success with their families this evening. I also want to extend a special thank you to all of the BCPS administrators who attended the reception, especially Superintendent Dan Takens, Assistant Superintendent Kevin Macina, and Curriculum Director Kari Anama. Our students and I are thankful for the support we have from our school leaders and look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence as work moves onto the next level of competition.

Gabe's Photoshop Landscape moves onto the next level of the competition. He created this work after viewing the possibilities with the burn and dodge tool in the program.

Ava's work is made from wire and depicts her family and friends with contour lines. This piece will move onto State adjudication in March.

Ellise's mixed media collage features a Gelli Arts mono print background that explores texture and ideas surrounding imagination.

Dalton's photograph will also move onto State adjudication in March. He created this piece by looking through his portfolio and being inspired by a previous work he had made.

Snow Day and Scholastic Winners

1/9/2015

Gold Keys

Today was a snow day, but students still were able to find the results for the 2015 West Central Michigan Scholastic Art Awards.

Work will be on display at Kendall College of Art and Design through the month of February and the awards ceremony will occur on February 28th. Gold Keys will move onto the next level of competition and national winners will be announced this Spring.

Congratulations to all of the students who participated! I have submitted work to this competition for the last eight years and this was by far our most successful one. With 23 winning pieces, our Middle School was the most decorated from all Middle Schools in the region. With 41 winning works, BCPS was the most recognized district in Kent Country and third most in the region.

I would like to extend a special thank you to The Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters who helped sponsor student entries as well as the students, parents, and BCPS educational team who foster such a creative environment for our students to explore and enact ideas like the winning works below.

Been There, Done That - Photography, Jordan Cooper

You Decide - Film and Animation, Bre Coval and Jordan Cooper

Step in the Right Direction - Drawing and Illustration, Lauren Doyle

Things I Worry About - Comic Art, Lauren Doyle

Candy Dress for Nerds - Sculpture, Sara Fan

Me "Cut Out" - Mixed Media, Olivia Lee

Gee Way - Drawing and Illustration, Emma McCloud

The Necknib - Jewelry, Anna Pavlak

Silver Keys

Folded - Fashion, Emma McCloud

Stellar - Drawing and Illustration, Emma McCloud

Arms to Arms - Sculpture, Salvo Tocco

Curious - Photography, Emily Buijink

Felted Thoughts - Mixed Media, Lauren Doyle

Robinson Family Treehouse - Photography, Gwen Paulson

Honorable Mentions

The Room - Sculpture, Kollan Davio

A Wire House - Sculpture, Blake Pekel

Fall - Photography, Austin Wagner

Skyscraper Dress - Fashion, Emma McCloud

Enigma - Drawing and Illustration, Emily Halverson

The "real" world - Digital Art, Hunter Flores

The Lego Adventure - Film and Animation, Harrison Kosak and Noah VanderMyde

Wicked Willow - Sculpture, Jon Zandstra

Dino Rider - Digital Art, Reese Wrench

Art Shows and Other Works

12/12/2014

This week has been an eventful one. So much so, I have not really had a chance to post until now. It started with our Annual Winter Art Show at the VanSingel Fine Arts Center and ended with me rounding up the last of the Scholastic Entries to be handed in on Monday.

Art Show Highlights

Our annual k-12 District show is one of my favorite exhibitions of the year. Luckily, we do this twice annually and showcase the best our students offer in the Visual Arts. I display one work from each of my students who make the selections of which pieces they would like on display. It is also fun to attend the reception and see the students react to their work on display, visit with former students and see how they have progressed, as well as meet upcoming students who I will get to teach in the future.

Art about Issues

8th grade students worked on making work that dove into an issue or concern they were interested in exploring visually. Here are some process photos of their work and finished outcomes. You can see the full gallery on Artsonia.

Shaylen J. - Bullying and Social Media

Colton K. - Addiction

Tanner M. - Sports Injuries

Brad R. - The Holocaust

A Weekend to Remember

6/8/2014

It was so great to spend some time with Kenzie and her mom before the big celebration at Carnegie Hall. We both sported our Scholastic National Medals for a photo before heading to dress rehearsal on Friday.

You can see the full Carnegie Celebration through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Webcast.

The project I taught that lead to Kenzie's Silver Medal Winning work, Copper Head, was inspired by Alexander Calder's wire portraits.

This past weekend has been a whirlwind of activities. From meeting with award-winning students and teachers from across the country, to hearing inspiring speeches delivered by notable creatives in the industry of design, literature, and film, I had an amazing time in New York City for the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

It was such an honor and thrill to see Makenzie get recognized by this organization that has a 91 year history of saluting outstanding student talents in Art and Writing, fostering many to become standouts in creative industries. In addition to seeing the work, learning with teachers, and enjoying the celebration, I also had a chance to explore and be inspired by the city. Some of my favorite moments include walking from Central Park to Battery Park, passing through Rockefeller Center, Times Square on the way to Parsons to pick up our tickets, and proceeding onto the 9/11 Memorial and then Battery Park. I was excited to be invited to The Pratt Institute gallery and hear from leaders in the field as we discussed how to best prepare students for their next experiences. I also enjoyed exploring the High Line Park and viewing the work on display at Whitney Museum of American Art (who is moving location in 2015).

I want to give a special thanks to everyone who donated and helped Kenzie make it to this celebration. I want to give a special thanks to the Byron Center Fine Arts Boosters, who foster so many creative experiences for our students in Byron Center, as well as BCPS Superintendent Dan Takens, Fine Arts Director Marc Townley, and BCWMS Principal John Krajewski whose support helped make all of this possible. I work in an amazing district that helps students develop and reach goals, bringing them closer to their dreams.

It was a great celebration of creativity and hard work. I am proud to have had this opportunity and invite my students to start thinking over the summer about what works they might start to land them in NYC next year.

It was fitting to end the trip by seeing this work from artist, Alexander Calder. Notice the similarity in style and subject from our winning work? Thanks, Alexander, for the inspiration!

WMS Fine Arts Night

5/19/2014

Tonight is the annual WMS Fine Arts Night at our school. I am really excited to hear the bands and orchestras perform and for students to see all of the work we have created over the course of the year on display.

I am also excited about the opportunity to raise funds for our programs through the bake and art sale planned. Check out the cool collaborative piece my students and I made using a glazing technique I learned at the National Art Education Association Conference this year:

Art is Up!

5/2/2014

Student work is on display at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center for the month of May! We will be hosting a community reception on May 6th, from 5-6:30 p.m. to celebrate the work of the students across grade levels. Every student from my 2nd semester 7th and 8th grade classes has work on display. I hope you will join us in this night that demonstrates the talents of our students K-12th grade at BCPS!

What it Means to Win

3/26/2014

The above image is from last year's award ceremony. Usher was the special guest and inspired students to let their passions lead them through life. It will be exciting to see who delivers the message to the Scholastic Winners this year!

Ever since I found out about Kenzie winning a National Silver Medal for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, I have been thinking about what this honor actually means. For those of you not aware of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program, it is in the 91st year of celebrating young artists and writers from across the Nation. In oder to be considered for the National competition, a student had to have received a Gold Key at the regional level. Their work is then juried in New York City by a panel of professionals and notification is sent back to students. The winners of National Awards are among the top 1% of ALL work submitted to the program.

This is a process that begins in the Fall and flows all the way through to the pinnacle meeting of the award winners in June with workshops, tours, and the celebration at Carnegie Hall. This is the third time in Byron Center Public Schools' history that a student has made it to Nationals.

In addition to the accolades, the winners of National Scholastic Awards are now a part of quite a group of creatives that have gone on to do AMAZING things after winning their Scholastic Medals as students in the classroom. To be a National Medalist means you are in the same club as Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Steven King, and more!

I cannot stress enough how much of an honor this is and how proud I am of my student for making it to this point. If you want to help Kenzie get to Carnegie Hall so she can experience what it really means, please check out her Go Fund Me campaign and donate whatever you can. If you are interested in the itinerary and events that go along with the Awards weekend, please click on the document below.

If you would like to find out how you can help or sponsor this effort, feel free to email me for additional information here.

Kenzie at the Regional Scholastic Awards hosted by Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.

"Copper Head" is the National Silver Medal winning work.

December Art Show

12/16/2013

K12 student work shows the diverse materials and content covered over the course of their studies in art. Seeing the progression over grades is one of the highlights of this exhibition.

Tonight was our annual December k12 district Art Show at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center. Not only was the weather perfect for driving out and viewing the masterpieces our students have made so far this year, it was also one of the best shows ever! The work was so strong from students k-12 and it was great to visit with students and parents as they got to see the progression of work. It was also very nice spending time with with the Art teachers I get to work with and share stories and ideas.

The show will be coming down this week. But don't worry - there is an opportunity to see another BCPS show at the KISD in January as well as back in the Van Singel with all new work in May for the Spring k12 display!

Exhibit at the Van Singel

11/27/2013

Check out the K-12 Show during December!

Students selected and prepared work that they wanted on display for the BCPS Visual Arts show. The work will be on display for the month of December with an artists' reception on December 16th from 5:30-6:30. Every student in the 7th and 8th grade Visual Arts classes has a piece on display. The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is open daily from noon-5p.m.

Students selected their work and did a gallery walk of the chosen pieces before finalizing their own selections for show. Now the selected pieces are on the walls of the VSFAC for the month of December.