The art exhibit at the Beth Shalom Synagogue on March 31 will be just like most opening nights, complete with wine, hors d’oeuvres and a solo cellist playing classical background music. The main difference will be the art itself: It has all been produced by tykes at the Alefbet Preschool in Dunwoody.
Each week since the fall, the 3- and 4-year-olds have attended a fine arts class that introduces them to master works, offers a touch of art history and gives them the chance to create their own designs. The program is under the direction of visual arts teacher and artist-in-residence Kendra Fabry, who launched the class after offering it as an after-school activity last year. Now she meets with 18 students in small groups during the school day.
“I wanted to bring a unique twist to a kids’ class by making it fine arts based, instead of doing a craft or having the teacher do most of it,” she said. “I designed the course based on the developmental skills of the child. For instance, there’s not a lot of cutting; everything is based on their level.”
A hallmark of the class is what Fabry calls “intentional noticing:” having students look at art masterpieces and answer questions about what they’re seeing.
“They may be looking at Monet’s waterlily garden and see blue and then they create their own artwork loosely based on it,” said Fabry. “They might do a whole painting in blue because of something they’ve noticed on their own and are inspired.”
Being budding artists, the young students often opt for uncomplicated designs, said Fabry. “A 3-year-old might paint the whole paper blue, but they can understand light blue, medium blue, dark blue. By 4, they can make shapes you’d recognize. Through the years, they develop more, but wherever they are, I make sure my hands aren’t touching their artwork.”
The course also includes a weekly newsletter for parents that keeps the discussion around art going at home.
“I introduce the masterpiece we’re looking at and give parents some background about it,” said Fabry. “I also give them talking points about how to discuss the work and tips on how to engage with art with their child. As parents, we’re ingrained to say, ‘Oh, what is it?’ The kid maybe forgot or doesn’t know, but it’s not about the product; it’s about the process. Instead, I encourage parents to say, ‘I noticed you have a lot of yellow at the top. What made you decide to do that? What was the hardest part about doing it?’”
Conversations about art at home and in school are a critical part of the school’s curriculum, said preschool Director Risa Walter.
“Art is such a strong part of our program that we wanted to make it part of our regular day,” she said. “Art is too valuable to leave out. There is so much learning that goes on with art and it captures the children’s attention.”
Each child will get to showcase three or four pieces of their work at the exhibition that’s designed to give them a taste of the artistic life.
“It’s important to set a sophisticated tone and to show kids how professional artists live and work,” said Fabry. “So each kid is keeping a portfolio to show how they’ve grown as artists, and they’re making artists’ statements about their work. They’ve amassed a lot of work by having a class once a week, and just like real artists, they’ll have their own opening to show it off.”
An art exhibit of works by students at the Alefbet Preschool will be open to the public from 5 to 6 p.m. March 31 at Beth Shalom Synagogue, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Atlanta. Information: 770-399-5300.
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