With all the emphasis on test scores and measurement, schools are finding it harder to include the arts on a par with other subjects. Some parents are dismayed that creativity seems to draw the short straw, which in turn shortchanges students.
We’re determined to keep the arts are alive and well despite budget woes and other pressures. Student work from The Greenhouse School was recently featured at the Hartman Leigh Gallery at LynnArts.
When gallery coordinator Jocelyn called us and asked to display our work again, we said “why not?” She knew that, as a year-round school, we would always have something interesting to put up, even when the school year has just started. It’s nice to have people recognize that.
The show featured quilts made by students of all ages. The quilts, handmade by kids as young as 5, took months to complete. People looking at these might think these kids don’t have the attention span to do this, but they do. You have to set the bar high to see what they can create.
It is thrilling to see them work for so long and be so proud of the final product. Of course we don’t skimp on math or reading, but it’s such an obvious thing to integrate art into everything. Excellence is excellence, whether it’s writing, math, science, or anything else. You have to have high expectations for the kids to get them to explore their own creativity.
The show ran for one month alongside the works in the adult gallery.