Our second annual District-wide Night of the Arts took place on Thursday, April 26th and it was amazing. We estimate that roughly 500 students, parents, and other stakeholders made it out to support the artists of Oxford. The four art teachers in our district, Patricia Sims, Karalyn Crutcher, Evelyn Mwenye, and myself, worked tirelessly along with student volunteers to put up approximately 2000 pieces of artwork. The energy in the air was electric as people of all ages came to the high school to admire student work, listen to poetry, sing karaoke, and make a marshmallow city! One of the highlights of the night was when a student who doesn't typically attend school functions made a point to tell me that he came and that he "actually liked it." This student is known for not always doing the right thing in school, but in art he found a connection and that is powerful. During the week while we were setting up, it was always great to see the students genuinely interested at seeing what their peers had been doing. Sometimes I forget that these young people may only be seeing the work done by kids in their own class and how valuable it is for them to have a show to highlight their efforts. For almost three weeks leading up to the show, my students were active participants in curating their own work, preparing the work for display, and writing artist statements. They did all of this, not for a grade, but for the authentic experience of showing their work. As a TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) teacher, it is wonderful to see the variety of work on display and not have to worry about hanging too many of the same "project" in the same space. The student voice rang true in both the artwork and the artist statements that accompanied the work. Proud teacher here.
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AuthorMrs. Taborda is the studio art teacher at Oxford High School in Oxford, MA. This blog will document her journey as an educator and share the happenings of the OHS art room. Archives
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