IRVINGTON — When the Indianapolis Art Museum announced they were hosting a contest, with the winning entries on exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, art teacher Mrs. Stuckey decided this was one contest that was definitely worth the effort! Since it was in the middle of winter with sub-zero temperatures outside, photographs were used for inspiration. The ICES first and fourth grade students were given snapshots of flowers. The younger set was provided with a photo of a field of flowers, and the older ones selected a Georgia O’Keefe style close-up of a variety of flowers to inspire them.
Some of the first graders seemed a bit overwhelmed, working on such a large piece of paper, but most chugged away happily until they were done, using crayons on bogus paper. For children with minute attention spans, this was definitely a challenge, working on this assignment for about three art classes.
The fourth graders studied floral works by Georgia O’Keefe, then mapped out their flower shapes on construction paper with ordinary school chalk. Mistakes were tissued away and finally when they were satisfied with their basic lines, they used pastel to build up color and values.
“The hardest part for me was narrowing down our submissions to just eight works of art. There were so many stunning creations! The students selected had to come up with Artist Statements, which was easier for some than others. When I finally got word from the museum that some of our students were winners, I could hardly contain myself,” said veteran ICES art teacher Mrs. Stuckey. “When I broke the news to the girls, they were jumping around and shrieking; the boy, however, just grinned from ear to ear!”
The winning artworks selected by the panel of judges will be on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art from March 30-May 27.
