Artists in Bloom

It was very fitting that the weather this Sunday was so glorious, with flowers, trees, and shrubs bursting out in their most vivid and fragrant blossoms. In and around the Early Childhood building at The Music Settlement, the collective creativity of all our students was bursting out in the annual Student Art Show, Artists in Bloom!

Our Early Childhood program immerses students in the arts, and one of the ways we do that is to invite numerous guest artists in various genres to share their talents with the boys and girls. This year’s Art Show indicated that we had an outstanding group of visual artists visit us. They represented mediums as varied as painting, ceramics, printmaking and photography, and each of them challenged the children to engage their minds and their senses in fun and thoughtful ways.

While all the artists’ projects were terrific, there was a couple I wanted to mention in particular. Angelica Pozo, a ceramicist who specializes in tile work and textures, challenged the children to experiment with some of the techniques that all experienced clay artists know so well. Pinch pots and slab constructions featured exciting colors and textures produced by outgoing imaginations. Kate Hoffmeyer introduced impressionistic painting techniques that evoked both a historical grounding and an immediate emotional connection. Debbie Apple-Presser, a recycled materials artist encouraged her students to find the beauty in everyday objects many of us label as “junk”. She is also a long-time “Parade the Circle” artist-in-residence, and her outsized Spider and Web project immediately evoked the feeling of that wonderful day in June that we all know and love. Finally, Chris Stephens helped the children produce black and white portraits and still lives, featuring their fellow students, which capture the point of view of the very young with stunning effect.

My hat is off to the Early Childhood staff and their guest artist partners for once again exceeding all expectations in bringing the very best arts immersion experiences to their students. Remember that every child is an artist in one way or another; and that if we promote high expectations for them, they will reach and exceed them every time.

I also want to mention two performances this coming week that feature another group of our outstanding artists. Two of our student Jazz ensembles, the Settlement Jazz Orchestra (SJO), and the Jazz at the Music Settlement (J@MS) group, are performing at the Tri-C Jazz Festival. The SJO performs on Thursday the 30^th from 4:00 to 4:40pm, and J@MS performs on Friday May 1st from 4:45 to 5:25pm in the Main Stage Theater. Paul Ferguson leads the SJO, and Dennis Reynolds conducts the J@MS group. We are very proud of our Jazz and American Music program, and when you take in these two performances, you will be as well.

In everything we do at The Music Settlement, we strive to add depth and experience that encourages participants to truly excel. If you haven’t already, come join in the fun!