Students from Larchmont Elementary School recently had their artwork and writing on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Diane Canzanese, who has been a Larchmont art teacher for 22 years, was encouraged to submit the artwork because it tied in with a week-long course she took at the museum over the summer called “Looking to Write, Writing to Look,” which involved connecting writing to art.
Since students had already done work with that theme, they were asked to display their work.
There were 31 pieces from 31 students – third- and fourth-graders — on display at the museum.
Third-graders did watercolor paintings of fall leaves, and wrote poems to describe the leaves. Fourth-grade students used chalk pastels, and wrote more intricate poems about the leaves.
“I thought they were great,” Canzanese said of the students’ artwork. “I was very pleased to show them at the museum. I felt very confident that they would be a good example of the work that we do here.”
Fourth-grader Avery Bartolomeo, 9, was enthusiastic about having her work on display.
“I was really excited, because my art has never been in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and it’s a very famous museum,” Bartolomeo, who will continue to create art, said. “I like how I could pick my own colors to do it, and show my personality in the colors.”
Nine-year-old Alyssa Gunther, also in fourth-grade, said she “sort of” likes writing.
“I thought that I did good, and I like how we had to do a poem with the drawing,” Gunther said. “I was surprised, because that’s a really famous art museum.”
She said she likes art because she can be creative.
“It’s just fun,” Gunther said.
Fourth-grader Faith Ray, 10, was surprised her work was going to be on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“I was excited when I found out, because the art museum is really famous,” Ray said.
Canzanese said art provides opportunities for students who need some kind of outlet.
“An art education hits the kids from a different direction,” she said. “It pulls out strengths that maybe they didn’t know that they had. So many of the kids who struggle academically do well with me.”
The third-graders in the show, which closed on Dec. 18, are: Ava Leibovitz, Emahni Walker, Elizabeth Guia, Jacob Henry, Julianne Belardo, Rebecca Derengowski, Alexis Vandergrift, Defne Kastro, Jacob Stillman, Keira Wilkins, Victoria Sutera, Alyssa Steinmetz, Bryanna Ricks, Dilan Hammond, Matthew Breuninger, Mikail Mahmood and Yefry Moncada.
The fourth-graders are: Anthony Ruzzano, Madison Weeks, Steven Wilson, Victoria Bascou, Abhijat Chauhan, Adam Canadate, Calista Shen, Ryann Long, Alyssa Gunther, Avery Bartolomeo, Faith Ray, Alyson O’Toole, Kayla Brown and Neishaida Woods.
