ELEMENTARY

Roxanne Holonitch

Italian physician Maria Montessori wrote, “Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.” Embracing these words as an art educator, I used this quote as a catalyst in planning an enriching summer art camp week for lower elementary students at St. Joseph Montessori School.

Due to COVID restrictions, I decided to focus our week on public outdoor art. The challenge was to make these walking tours relevant and exciting for students and to connect these artworks to lessons in our class.

We are fortunate to be located in the heart of Columbus, Ohio. With a bus ride, you can be whisked away into the world of art within minutes. During the last decade, our community has seen a huge growth in the appreciation and construction of public art venues that include murals and sculptures.

The challenge was to make these walking tours relevant for students and to connect these artworks to lessons.

For one of our tours, we visited the highly acclaimed Topiary Park. This magnificent feat of shrubs and trees was erected to recreate Georges Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte. Students walked the garden and admired individual bushes. After our visit, students were given art supplies such as dot markers to create a pointillism painting.

In the Short North, a district just north of our downtown, walls are adorned with a variety of colorful murals. One of our favorites from our walking tours is a modern rendition of Grant Wood’s American Gothic. As an alternative, students made their own version of this painting as a self-portrait.

Kaitlyn M., grade three, uses a dot marker to create a pointillism painting.

Next door to the American Gothic inspired mural is the Marcia Evans Gallery. The owner generously opened her doors to us to share a variety of artworks in her shop. She introduced students to local artists and to a variety of unfamiliar art styles. We returned to school to create paintings with acrylic on canvas board.

Just north of our school is a newly installed heart mural. The piece encourages visitors to pose and snap a picture, and our group was happy to oblige. When we returned to school, students experimented with chenille stems to create their own 3D standing hearts.

The impact of this week far outreaches a simple art experience. Students learned how to navigate public transportation, use maps, and develop skills for interactions with people in the community.

Both students and parents were extremely pleased with this summer art camp week. While this article focuses on what Columbus, Ohio, has to offer a classroom, the mission to connect students with public art is attainable in any part of our country.

Roxanne Holonitch guided this outing for St. Joseph Montessori School in Columbus, Ohio. rholonit@cdeducation.org  
Out on the Town