Students at the 15 elementary schools in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 are used to seeing their artwork affixed to the walls of their school. But, approximately 200 of them can now see their creations in a much more public place — the Waukegan Public Library.
Throughout the school year, teachers like Greenwood Elementary School art teacher Tarah Alley Elder began saving different pieces that stood out to them to become part of the annual Elementary School Art Exhibit at the library.
McCall Elementary School fifth grader Victoria Enriquez Sanchez is one of those students. She was thrilled when her painting was chosen, and went with her family to see it hanging at the library.
“I was very excited to have this opportunity given, and to show this in a very public space,” Victoria said. “I really like to do art, and I will always continue it. It is like a hobby.”
Victoria was among the students and their families honored at twin receptions on Monday and Tuesday for the art chosen for the exhibit, where each student received a certificate marking the achievement.
Showing her painting to family members, Victoria made her parents proud.
“It was beautiful,” said her father, Victor Enriquez Lopez. “She practices a lot, so she has a lot of talent with her art. We are very excited. We are so happy.”
Patrick Toto, the manager of the children’s department at the library, said he welcomes the Elementary School Art Exhibit each year. He likes the fact the youngsters have the opportunity to display their creativity to the community beyond the walls of their schools.
“It’s appropriate to display this here,” he said. “We’re able to showcase it for the entire community. It’s an opportunity for the children to show it off at the library. We’re a cultural place. It’s a perfect fit.”
The exhibit continues through the end of April on the main floor of the library, the walls along the staircase to the ground floor and in the children’s department there. Young artists have displayed their work at the library for more than 15 years.
During the reception Monday, Elder said families toured the exhibit before each artist was given a certificate. Then it was time to take pictures.
“There were parents and grandparents,” she said. “There were aunts and uncles. Some brought them flowers.”
Lori Massimo, the district’s fine arts coordinator, said each art teacher at the elementary schools selects the entrants. They can be from kindergarteners through fifth graders. The 200 pieces were chosen from more than 6,000 elementary school students.
“This is an opportunity for students to show their work where it’s visible to the entire Waukegan community,” Massimo said. “They’re learning how to express themselves. It’s a moment of pride for them.”
With an art teacher in every elementary school, Massimo said they are each responsible for selecting the artwork from among their students. There is a maximum set for each school.
Art teachers begin their search for entrants when the school year begins in August. Elder said each teacher keeps a folder with projects that might make the grade. As the year progresses, they determine their final choices.
“Each teacher keeps a portfolio,” she said. “We go through the pieces through the year and decide which ones should be in the exhibit.”
Since youngsters express themselves in a variety of ways, Elder said art gives some students a way to excel and gain recognition which may not easily come their way in other areas of school.
“A lot of students who are exceptional in art do not do as well in the academic areas,” she said “This gives them a chance to feel some success. They are not always the ones who are recognized at assemblies.”
In some cases, Elder said her students are in art for 40 minutes once a week, and twice weekly on a few occasions. Projects take time and develop throughout the year. Emotions go into the effort, too.
“It’s a passion,” she said. “It’s something they have to feel, and it helps to fuel their passion. It can take months to fuel that passion.”
Some of the work in the art class is collaborative. Elder said she does not offer constructive criticism to the students. They do that with each other. It is a helpful environment.
“They critique each other in a productive way,” she said “The students are the teachers. They teach each other.”
