Post Tagged with: "Art"

Art Students Visit the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia

On Monday, March 10, a group of our students had a wonderful day trip to the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a great chance to see world-class art up close and learn in a way that goes beyond the classroom.

Two classes made the trip together — Mrs. Huff’s 9th Grade Art Appreciation class and Mrs. Scardilli’s Drawing class, which includes students in 11th and 12th grade. The Barnes Foundation is home to one of the most important art collections in the world, with thousands of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts on display. It was a perfect fit for both groups.

Students spent the day exploring the galleries, studying different styles of art, and talking about what they saw. For many of them, it was the first time seeing these works in person — and there is truly nothing like seeing great art face to face.

We are so thankful for the five teachers who made this trip possible. Mrs. Mirakian, Mrs. Scardilli, Mr. Louderback, Mrs. Hahn-Chaney, and Mrs. Huff all gave their time to chaperone and make the day a safe and enjoyable experience. 

Days like this remind us why Christian education matters. We love seeing our students grow not just in knowledge, but in an appreciation for the creativity God has placed in people throughout history. It shapes the whole person — and that is what we are here to do.

ACS “Be The Light” Talent Show Highlights Student Gifts and Creativity

The ACS “Be The Light” Talent Show, held Friday, March 20, an exciting  evening of creative and fun performances as 18 students shared their God-given talents on stage. The show was hosted by Mrs. Kelly Flynn and her husband, Michael, and featured an exciting variety of performances—from singing and instrumental pieces to acrobatics and comedy.

The evening opened with a group number, “We’re All In This Together,” and ended on a powerful note with the song “Champion.” During intermission, sophomore Isabella Santos gave a beautiful vocal performance of “Trust in You.”

Our panel of judges—Katie Alvis, Emily Perkins, David Santos, and Saita Perkins—had the tough job of selecting winners from such a talented group of students. Congratulations to the following students who received awards:

Elementary Division

1st Place: Brooklyn Bynum (4th Grade) – Piano and Rap, “Let’s Have A Good Time”

2nd Place: Nora Wigglesworth (3rd Grade) – Vocal Performance, “The Truth”

3rd Place: Juliana Hammie (5th Grade) – Vocal Performance, “Hallelujah”

Upper School Division

1st Place: Rosalie Campbell (7th Grade) – Vocal and Piano, “Loyal”

2nd Place: Parker Maxwell (7th Grade) – Vocal Performance, “Could Have Been”

3rd Place: Megan Connolly (7th Grade) – Vocal Medley, “The Rise and The Climb”

The Peer Award, chosen by the performers themselves, was presented to 3rd grader Nora Wigglesworth.

Colors, Images of Fall Inspire Student Artwork

Students from kindergarten to high school were inspired by the colors and images of fall as they created unique artwork during classes led by Art Teachers Sherry Mirakian and Patti Scardilli in October and November. The artwork, showing skills the students learned using paint, quilling, and mixed media, have been on display for several weeks on bulletin boards in the main hallway near the Multi-Purpose Room.

High school students in a Mixed Media class studied the still life collages of Pablo Picasso and Edith Hillanger and then used a different media, including printed paper, newspaper, cardboard, and chalk to create their own still life collages.

In the Middle School Art Studio class, students learned the art form known as quilling or paper filigree — which involved taking strips of paper and rolling, shaping, and gluing them together to create decorative designs.

Kindergarten students in their twice weekly art class painted pumpkins for fall as part of a lesson on colors. The students learned how to make orange and green from the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue.

Virtual Art Show Video Highlights High School Art Projects

High school students in our Art Workshop and Advanced Art classes continued developing their artistic talents by working on projects at home from March to June and art teacher Sherry Mirakian recently created a video to highlight their work.

“Each spring, we look forward to our Student Art Show to showcase the artistic talents of our students,” said Mirakian. “However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic our Art Show could not be held, so creating a video as a Virtual Art Show was the best way to recognize the exceptional efforts of our students.”

The projects featured in the video, created by 11th and 12th grade students, include art inspired by a student’s favorite worship song, a color study of Zentangle trees, a figure study,  and artwork designed for the top of a graduation cap.

CLICK HERE to watch the high school art project video.

Girls’ Bathroom Stall Doors Newly Decorated with Inspirational Artwork Painted by ACS Alumnus

Inspiring Bible verses with bold, colorful illustrations are now decorating the bathroom stall doors in the second floor girls’ bathroom. ACS alumnus Dara Brown Heston (’11) painted the verses and artwork on the doors over the Christmas break. “It was great to come back to ACS and do something that would encourage the students,” Dara said. “The verses were specifically chosen to encourage a woman to be strong and confident in the Lord.” 12th grader Rachel Colasuonno said she and other students were pleasantly surprised by the decorated doors. “Everyone was talking about them when we got back to school on Tuesday because they are so beautiful. I took pictures of them and sent them to my mom,” Colasuonno said.

Dara said she had a lot of fun doing the project, which took about 25 hours to complete over a seven-day period.  “I had praise and worship music blasting while I was painting, it was like one long worship session,” Dara said.  She and Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen first started collaborating on the project in the fall of 2018. Two of the doors had been decorated with Bible verses in the summer of 2017 by alumnus Candace Winkel (’16). Dara expanded on the project, adding artwork to the two doors and painting additional verses and art on the four other doors. “I feel God is going to use these verses to speak to hearts of our young women and I’m thrilled Dara was willing to donate her God-given artistic talents to bless our students and staff in this way,” Oblen said.  She said a similar project is planned in the near future for the second floor boys’ bathroom.

Art is an avocation for Dara, who is a self-taught artist and works as the assistant facilities director, kitchen manager, and chef at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.  She has completed several mural projects for the Mission and is excited about an upcoming trip to Ireland in February, where she has been invited to paint murals for the Dublin Christian Mission. Photos of each door can be seen on the ACS Facebook page.

 

New After-School Classes Starting Next Week

Art Workshop, Explore with Paint (Grades 1-5) – begins Wednesday, January 9

Have fun painting as you explore different types of paint and painting tools and paint in various styles. Watercolor, tempera, acrylic, ink, gouache…realistic, abstract, imaginative!!! What’s it all about? Find out at this fun workshop!

 

Snapology Jr. Engineers (PreK4-Grade 1) – begins Wednesday, January 9

Build fun and simple models using DUPLO® blocks. Use pulleys, levers, gears, wheels and axles while exploring energy, buoyancy, and balance. includes free-building time to promote creativity.

 

Drama Club (Grades 1-5) – begins Thursday, January 10

Everything you need to KNOW to be in a SHOW! In this six-week class, learn valuable acting techniques to help you play your next character – how to walk, talk, and stand on a stage, plus how to audition for a real production! Gain confidence and skills to prepare you for your next spotlight experience!