Photo by Denáe Brewer/Horizon
Five-year olds Jillian (right) and Amy (left) admire the artwork of their fellow schoolmates.

Photo by Denáe Brewer/Horizon
A mural created by third-graders to depict this year’s Studio theme, music.

Art program enriches the 'whole' child

By Denae Brewer
Editor in Chief

“Ooh’s” and “aah’s” abounded as kindergarteners at C.E.S. 11 showed their admiration of their fellow student’s artistic skills.

Looking at the figurines that adorn the desks of the colorful art class, several 5-year-olds pointed and stared wide-eyed. “This is so cool!” exclaimed Amy as the rest of her classmates scattered throughout the room.

The children in C.E.S. 11 are part of a unique program that brings local artists into local classrooms. “Studio in a School” is a non-profit organization that was developed 20 years ago to foster the creative and intellectual development of young people through quality visual arts programs.

In her third year of the program’s five-year grant at C.E.S. 11, Studio in a School teacher Rachel Farmer has worked closely with the school’s second, third and fourth graders.

“This is such a great program,” Ms. Farmer said. “I teach the children the fundamentals of art and they, in turn, amaze me with their creativity and their willingness to learn.”

“I love it,” said Denisse Garcia, who is in third grade. “We learned and had fun at the same time.”

Each year the children have a specific project; this semester the theme was music and dance. In a unique endeavor, the third graders put together a mural using drawings of instruments as the key ingredients. Guitars, cymbals, horns and various other instruments melded together in rich earth tones of brown and maroon to convey the children’s imagination.

“These kids are all so talented,” Ms. Farmer said as she pointed to Ms. Garcia’s creation, named “Instrula.” The picture represents a person with maracas for feet, drums for the torso and guitar strings for the arms.

The mural, which took the children five months to complete, is set to hang alongside another mural in the school’s auditorium. “It seemed like a long time,” remarked Cynthia Obinabor, one of the third-grade artists. “We had to draw everything out before we used the canvas.”

In addition to the mural, other artwork was also on display. From paper maché dolls to wooden sculptures, the children took great pride in their handiwork. “I liked what we did,” said Genessis Reyes. “We worked hard and I think it turned out good.”

Ms. Farmer agreed. “These children poured their heart in their work. They did a wonderful job.”

In a time when the arts are the first programs cut during a budget crunch, Ms. Farmer believes strongly in teaching the “whole” child. “I sometimes get children who are doing poorly in school academically, but [we] challenge them to create something through art and see an entirely different child.”

Highlighting her point, she added, “This proves that art is important. It builds up self-esteem and gives us the opportunity to see the whole person. It’s not always only about math and reading.”

Currently, there are 30 schools throughout New York City that participate in the Studio in a School program. C.E.S. 11 is the only public school in Highbridge that offers it, thus it is the only public school in Highbridge that has a designated art class.

“It’s sad,” said Ms. Farmer “Children need to be able to express themselves and art in any form is the best way to do it.”