Youth Art Month Kicks Off in Town Hall

By Stephen E. Lipken

Doreen Grozinger, Co-President, Harrison Council for the Arts since 1984 and Chair, Harrison Youth Art Month Committee presented the 43rd Annual Harrison Youth Art Month on Sunday, March 5th  in Town Hall, running until the end of the month.

“It’s always a pleasure to see what our kids create every year.  Thank you to Doreen Grozinger for organizing the event and to all our teachers who recognize the importance of the arts to a rounded education,” Mayor Richard Dionisio observed.

Grozinger  estimated a turnout of over 100 people the first hour.  A mixed media artist as well as art and yoga instructor, Grozinger visits each Harrison Children’s Center program twice a month using a variety of materials and techniques with the children, culminating in the “Art of the Young Child” Exhibition, which will be held on Sunday, April 30th in Town Hall.

Artwork was submitted by Harrison Avenue School, Louis M. Klein Middle School, Parsons Avenue School, S.J. Preston and Purchase Elementary Schools. 

Art techniques included First Grade winter scenes, where students created a winter scene using painted paper, collage and pastel.  Casts shadows were carefully placed according to the direction of the moonlight and sunlight.  In Third Grade texture and printmaking explorations, students used mono-print techniques to create images with texture.  Textured objects were pressed onto printing plates coated with ink or paint. 

With Fourth Grade landscape paintings, the illusion of space and depth are created by including a foreground, middle ground and sky.  In Fifth Grade still life drawing, student used a variety of drawing strategies to create line drawings of actual fall pumpkins. Then they explored how to create the illusion of 3D-form by noticing how a light source creates highlights, mid-tone core shadows and cast shadows to re-create this effect in their drawing.

Fifth Grade S.J. Preston Elementary School students created a personalized paw print to represent who they are.  The uniform shape of the paw print represents that they belong to the Harrison community. However, the colors, shapes, line and content represent who they are as individuals.