April 24, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

PCCH Pre-Kindergarten to exhibit at Woodmere
by Lisa Kniezewski

Artwork made by the students from the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill Pre-K program will be on display in an art show called Shades Of Imagination from April 27 through June 8 at the Woodmere Art Museum. Harry Bradley, Magnus Lunn and Kaylee Carr (bottom to top) are three of the students participating. Photo by Erin Vertreace.

Artwork by 96 students in the Pre Kindergarten School at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill will be on display at the Woodmere Art Museum, starting Sunday, April 27.

The exhibit, titled “Shades of Imagination,” will be in the Helen Millard Children’s Gallery at Woodmere. While the gallery has had art displays from other schools before, PCCH Pre-Kindergarten is unique because it is the only school with such young children invited to exhibit. The children, who range in age from 2 to 5, will display individual and group work.

The project began a year ago when Woodmere’s educational director invited PCCH Pre-Kindergarten to exhibit its artwork. This will be the second time the school has collaborated with Woodmere, and School Director Margot Cohn said she was “thrilled” to have the opportunity.

“I think we were invited because our teachers have imaginative and challenging ideas for art projects, enthusiastically present the basic ideas to the children and then encourage the children to freely express themselves through their art work, allowing them to work independently,” Cohn said. “The resulting art work is astonishing.”

It is obvious when you walk around PCCH Pre-Kindergarten that art is important, because the walls are covered with pieces the children have created. There are abstract paintings made with tape, paintings of favorite stuffed animals made with Q-tips, and collages of various items, such as bottle lids.

Art is part of the school’s curriculum, and the students do something artistic everyday. Teachers at the school believe children are naturally creative and that art gives them a chance to express the way they see the world in their own, distinct styles.

The pieces selected for Woodmere were chosen by the teachers from work done throughout the year. Each class had the same project, but the results are different because each child presents his or her own interpretation. There will be paintings, collages and weavings on display at the exhibit. PCCH Pre-Kindergarten has seven groups of children in five classrooms, so there will be a multitude of pieces to see.

Most of the children are too young to understand the value of their work being displayed; Cohn says it is the parents who are the most excited. It gives them an opportunity to see their children’s creativity. She said that it was also an exciting moment for the older children of the group to see their artwork up for display with their name next to it.

“Shades of Imagination” will be open to the public between April 27 and June 8 at the museum.