Barkai Yeshivah recently hosted their 1st Annual Art Fair. It was with great pride that they exhibited the exceptional artwork created by their students.
The event was held in honor of Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Rosh Yeshivah, for his unwavering support of the arts in education.
The “art gallery” was set up museum-style displaying works by every student, kindergarten through eighth grade. Parents, grandparents and friends filled the room and were dazzled by the variety of art forms— drawing, painting, print-making, collage and sculpture. A gallery guide led attendees on a scavenger hunt, posing questions about the various exhibits, which made observing the show even more informative and fun.
Children took pride in their work, as they explained to their families what they had learned during the process of creating their artwork.
They not only used their art vocabulary, but also explained how Judaic studies, social studies, math or science were integrated into their art pieces. Works inspired by the Passover holiday, such as sculptures of barad (the plague of hail and fire), seder plates inspired by the ceramic art of Judy Chicago, and paper masks representing the four sons were just a few examples of the integrated program.
In addition to the exhibit, there were various other attractions. Most popular was the community mural where both adults and children were invited to create their own personal visual expressions. Another favorite venue was the photo-op where visitors were photographed inside a famous painting, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night.
A video feature, Tableau Vivant, in which famous paintings came to life with student actors, was shown on the big screen. Third grade girls portrayed Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian, fifth grade girls acted out The Cellist by Marc Chagall and eighth grade boys, shooting hoops, imitated Oh Yeah by Norman Rockwell.
Monique Sultan’s Art Shack provided a variety of art supplies available for purchase. Art books were sold in their bookstore, and a frame shop provided a beautiful array of frames to showcase the artwork.
A surprise performance by Middle School Music Teacher Peter Hanson, and his fellow musicians, entertained the crowd with smooth jazz. Many of the original works on display were created by the students of the school as illustrations for the newly published Barkai Haggadah, which went on sale the day of the Art Fair.
Barkai students look forward to art class, as it is a center for challenging their minds and imagination. The art program is an integral part of Barkai’s overall curriculum and philosophy and is an essential element of a complete and balanced education. Studying the arts, we appreciate the beauty of nature and our world. As Rabbi Dweck believes, “The more we understand about our world, the more we can grow closer to G-d.”
The Art Fair celebrated Barkai students’ achievements and highlighted their appreciation and aesthetic awareness of the world.
