MARION — Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Principal Marla Sirois are pleased to share that students from Sipican Elementary School participated in this year’s Arts in Action show.
The art show was held on Thursday, April 13, and featured artwork created by students in grades K-6 as part of their ongoing Global Art Adventure curriculum, taught by art teacher Katie Pike.
Approximately 1,200 pieces of art were displayed at the show, with each student having a piece chosen by Pike on display. The artwork was created by students as they worked within the parameters of each Global Art Adventure lesson and put their own unique twist on the theme.
This is the first year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that Sipican Elementary School has been able to host its annual school art show.
“This year’s art show was a great way for us to showcase and celebrate the creativity and unique talents of our students,” said Superintendent Nelson. “I want to express my gratitude to the staff and volunteers who made this event so special.”
The event opened with the school cafeteria being transformed into a cafeteria where students performed live music for the guests. The first performance of the evening came from the top class jazz group Monday Jazz.
A variety of performers took to the stage throughout the night, including solo pianists, singers, dance routines, a clarinet trio and the Sippican Elementary School Concert Choir.
During the event, attendees were encouraged to participate by creating their own artwork at one of seven Make and Take art stations located around the school’s common areas. Each table represented a different continent to reflect the global theme of the art. Craft table activities included bracelet making, painting, watercolors, weaving, origami and printing. Craft supplies were provided by a previous Sippican Elementary School arts fundraiser, Art to Remember.
There was also a live painting demonstration by Boston artist Bren Bataclan. The Bataclan is the founder of the Smile Boston project. As part of the project, the Bataclan is leaving its cartoon-inspired paintings for people to wear around the city of Boston for free. Attached to each painting is a note that says, “This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often.” As part of its demonstration, Bataclan taught students from Sipican how to draw its unique characters. His demonstration was sponsored by the Volunteers At Sippican Elementary (VASE) group.
The evening ended with a performance by the advanced jazz group Tuesday Jazz. All performances were overseen by band director Hannah Moore.
“I want to thank both Katie Pike and Hannah Moore for their efforts in bringing this wonderful event back to our school,” said Principal Sirois. “It was amazing to see over 1,000 student artwork lined the hallways of our elementary school and the joy it brought to each of our attendees.”
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