March 1, 2012
The following article is to be published in Child Art Magazine this spring. Child Art Magazine is a project of the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF). Mounds Park was asked by the founder of ICAF to write an article about the World Children’s Festival, which was held in Washington DC, in June of 2011. I attended the festival as a workshop facilitator, and was accompanied by Gabby Law (current 5th grader), who represented Minnesota as our state’s Art Delegate.
Renee Sonka, Visual Arts Faculty
Young artist finds art inspiration in Minnesota’s many seasons
As a state, Minnesota has a rich history and culture of arts. Minnesota’s state funding of the arts is the highest in the United States, and art appreciation and education are ample in the North Star State.
“Minnesota is special because you can experience all four seasons and have a great time with swimming in the summer, beautiful leaves in the fall, skiing in the winter, and watching things come alive in the spring,” said Minnesota fourth grade student Gabby Law. “I would describe Minnesota as a place for everyone where you can do your favorite things and try new things, too!”
Gabby’s painting of a skier earned her the opportunity to represent her beloved state of Minnesota at the World Children’s Festival in Washington, D.C. last summer. She is a student at the PreK-12 independent school Mounds Park Academy, a leader in fine arts education in Minnesota. MPA’s mission instills the importance of diversity and freedom of expression, aligning MPA with the goals of the International Child Art Foundation.
“Mounds Park Academy was honored to represent the state of Minnesota at the International Child Art Foundation’s World Children’s Festival,” said Renee Sonka, instructor of arts in Lower and Upper Schools at Mounds Park Academy. “ICAF validates the work and ideas of children, really empowering them to be the leaders and visionaries of the next generation. “
It is evident that art is embedded into the culture of MPA; works of fine art are displayed on nearly every available wall space throughout the school’s St. Paul, Minn., building.
“With all of our students under one roof, the artwork displays and art shows really allow a sense of appreciation among students of all ages,” said MPA’s head of school Mike Downs. “The kindergartners get an opportunity to walk through the Upper School art exhibit, and as a result, they go back to the classroom and are inspired to create artwork of their own.”
With 10 music, drama, and visual arts instructors on staff serving 600 PreK-12 students, MPA has a strong commitment to arts instruction. The Fine Arts Department instructors at MPA have either advanced arts degrees or continuing arts education experience and are award winners and recognized arts leaders both locally and nationally. Their technical abilities, along with accomplished teaching skills, allow students at MPA a unique opportunity to receive advanced art instruction. More importantly, the personal attention the students are given at MPA allows each individual the chance to develop their knowledge and skills in fine arts to the utmost of their abilities.
“Mounds Park Academy is, at heart, in the business of fostering the potential in children and helping them realize that potential,” said Sonka. “In a world where change is constant, and information is infinite, our children need more than ever to be simultaneously grounded in themselves and connected to others. Art can both foster that groundedness and be the conduit for that connectedness.”
Sonka, who was invited to teach an art workshop at the World Children’s Festival, worked personally with the MPA artists who were given the opportunity to contend for the spot to represent Minnesota at the festival. The students created initial sketches for their paintings, narrowing their focus down to athletics with personal meaning to them. They then developed the sketches further before deciding on one subject for their paintings. Working with Sonka after school and continuing the projects at home on weekends and even over their break, the students used their knowledge of color, shape, space, and pattern to create their finished works.
“Our finalists not only have impressive technical skills, but they understand that beyond the product, art is about communication,” Sonka explained. “Seeing this understanding in action is one of the joys of being an art teacher.”
Gabby’s painting of a ski jumper allowed her to combine her love of art and athletics, which is part of MPA’s mission. Her painting features a skier mid-jump in silhouette against pale shades of blue, purple and pink forming snowflakes of all sizes. “Mounds Park Academy is special because you don’t have to pick just one activity to be in,” she explained. “You can do them all – play an instrument, be on the track team, paint amazing pictures, and sing in the choir.”
For students at MPA like Gabby, art is a vital source of expression and understanding. “Art can help solve problems because art makes you see what other people think about the world or situations in a different creative way, and to solve a problem you need a lot of creativity.”
For both teacher and student, art is about connection.
Reflecting on the 2011 World Children’s Festival, Sonka asks “How many times in your life have you had the chance to be in one room with people from Cypress, Egypt, Uganda, China, Japan, New Zealand, Aruba, Brazil, Germany, Macedonia, Malaysia, Oman, Turkey? For most, the answer is ‘None’. Gabby, at the age of ten, can already answer ‘Once’. That’s amazing.”
Enjoy this glimpse of the 2011 World Children’s Festival in Washington, DC:
https://tinyurl.com/ICAF-WCF2011
Pictured is Gabby Law with friend from Tajikistan.
