Heather Barry, 10, stands in front of her artwork at the South County Public Library in Deale. The library is displaying pieces from about four dozen Shady Side Elementary School student artists. Photo by Mitchelle Stephenson for the Capital.
By MITCHELLE STEPHENSON For the Capital
March is Youth Art Month, an annual observance founded by the non-profit Council for Art Education to emphasize the value of art education and to encourage support for quality school art programs. As such, the South County Public Library hosted a reception for the nearly 50 pieces of art that are hanging on walls throughout the facility. The art is all the work of children from Shady Side Elementary School.
There are paper mache masks and copper and ink transfers that hang behind the checkout desk. In the back meeting room, landscape scenes in tempura, and still life drawings in colored pencil adorn the walls.
Shady Side's art teacher, Sarah Sheckells, selected at least one piece of artwork from each class that she teaches. In total, she provides art instruction for all of the school's approximately 440 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Heather Barry, 10, has a still life in colored pencil and ink in the exhibition. It is a richly detailed piece that includes flowers, grasses and patterns. "It took me two weeks because I only go to art once a week. But then Mrs. Sheckells let me take it home to finish the background."
Sylvia Markham, 10, explained that she made an African style mask out of papier mache. "We learned that masks can scare away evil spirits," Sylvia said. "I combined a couple of designs for mine," she added.
Loren Sanders, 9, a fourth-grader had a sailboat scene on display. "It's a sailboat on the bay, and I put in white caps," she said, pointing out the windy scene of the Chesapeake Bay.
The piece was in watercolor with colored pencil.
Sheckells said that she picked pieces that were well done and detailed.
"I feel lucky that we didn't have to share the library space," she said. "In the past we have had to share with other schools."
Deale, Tracey's, and Lothian elementary schools will have the space on their own later in March, through April and part of May.
Russell White, 6, a kindergartner, said that he likes the story of the "Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister. Russell was inspired by that book for his artwork that hangs at eye level behind the front desk. It is a complicated piece, especially for a kindergartner. It is an underwater scene with the rainbow fish neatly positioned in the middle.
It is mixed media, with the background painted, then pieces of tissue paper making the sea grasses and glued-on pieces of gravel making up the sea floor.
Russell's mom Kimberly White was admiring all of the art at the exhibition. "I think this is great, it gives them inspiration to do more," she said.
Thomas Vales, 8, had a still life on scratch paper that he made himself. To make the scratch paper he explained that he used crayons to color a piece of paper all over in a lot of different colors.
Next, his teacher had them paint over the coloring with black tempura paint. Then they let it dry. When everything was dry, the class scratched off the black paint in the areas they wanted to expose, revealing - in Thomas' case - a still life of a vase of flowers.
"I basically came up with the design myself," Thomas said. "I like art a lot and Mrs. Sheckells is a great art teacher," he said.
The Shady Side Elementary School student's artwork will continue to hang in the South County library in Deale until the next school's work rolls in later in March.
Then in May, many of the student pieces will transfer to the Westfield Annapolis mall, where they will be shown in exhibition with artwork from students from all county schools.
Mitchelle Stephenson is a freelance writer living in Edgewater
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