MCS Art on the University of Utah Campus
MCS Lower Elementary students, 1st – 3rd Grade, created art pieces for the University of Utah’s Eccles Institute of Human Genetics Building. The showing is on the 3rd floor atrium of the building. This building houses the Department of Human Genetics, Molecular Medicine, USTAR, [2007 Nobel prize winner Dr. Mario Capecchi], and many other researchers.
Amy Fought, our Lower Elementary Art Teacher explains, “At Montessori Community School we have enjoyed exploring paint and color with our creative art installations of ‘Shapes and Silhouettes.’ Working in groups of two or three, students got together to practice the style of Wassily Kandinsky, famous for his abstract art. “
“We spent time emulating a few of Kandinsky’s famous pieces that focused on repetitions of circles. Although art often focuses on the foreground, or “positive space,” we chose to bring to life our background, or “negative space,” by choosing bright and colorful shapes to paint, as Kandinsky did.”
“The students were given only the primary colors (magenta, yellow, and blue) to begin with, and they created their own beautiful variations of colors to create layers upon layers of their shapes. They then overlaid their work with a tree silhouette of their choosing, drawing and cutting a simple picture that would not detract from the beauty of their background. The result was a beautiful set of pieces that shows the ingenuity and creativity of young minds.”